American to Build Alaska Partnership, Add Seattle to India Service

American Airlines has announced new nonstop service between Seattle and Bangalore, India to be launched in October. Tickets go on sale next month. American will become the first airline to offer nonstop flights between Bangalore and the United States.

Daily flights between the two cities will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in a three-class configuration. The flight is currently planned as a year-round service.

“Bangalore is one of our highest demand destinations for our corporate accounts, really all over the country,” said Vasu Raja, American’s senior vice president of network strategy in a press release.

American’s new service connects Seattle, home to tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, with the city dubbed the “Silicon Valley of India.” Flights will allow American tech executives to travel between the United States and India’s technology epicenter, which houses campuses for Amazon and Microsoft, among other companies.

American Airlines has not flown to India since it cut its Chicago-Delhi route in 2012. United Airlines has perhaps the largest presence in India of any U.S. airline, and Delta recently launched a connection between New York and Mumbai.

Before this announcement, Seattle was not considered a likely candidate for an American service to India. The city is not one of American’s hubs, so it does not necessarily have as much international depth as cities like Dallas/Fort Worth or Chicago, where the carrier has larger presences.

However, demand for travel between Seattle and Bangalore is logical considering the connections between the two cities. Seattle’s proximity to the technology epicenter of the United States also makes it easy for other tech companies to connect onto American’s new flight.

American has also revealed plans to fly direct from Seattle to London Heathrow in March 2021; tickets for that flight go on sale this May. That service will be operated with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Combined, these two services will offer companies in and residents of Seattle easy access to two major financial and cultural hubs, opening the door for improved economic and business development and tourism.

Growing Alaska Partnership

The new service comes soon after American announced an expanded partnership with Alaska Airlines, which will include codeshares and will allow passengers to earn and use loyalty benefits across both carriers. The partnership will allow Alaska’s passengers greater access to American’s international routes out of Los Angeles and will offer international passengers greater connectivity in the US to cities that only Alaska serves.

American has focused a lot of its resources on international travel over the past couple of years. It has recently added flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Tel Aviv and from Philadelphia to Casablanca, Morocco. A recent partnership with GOL, a Brazilian low-cost airline, will help American boost its presence in South America.

This story was updated on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 2:42 p.m. ET to correct a spelling error.

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John McDermott

John McDermott is a commercial pilot pursuing a career in professional flight. His passion for aviation began in an Ann Arbor bookstore with a tale of enemy pilots during World War 2, and he hasn't looked back. Besides flying and writing for AirlineGeeks, John volunteers with Professional Pilots of Tomorrow and travels whenever he gets the chance.

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