Palm Springs to have 10 more routes in W20; November flights +17% YOY

Alaska began Paine Field to Palm Springs in November last year. The carrier will begin Boise, San Jose, and Reno to Palm Springs this coming winter.

Palm Springs passed three million seats for the first time last year, up by 67% since the start of the decade.

This propelled the airport up ten places in the top-100 US ranking list, ending last year at 85th.

Palm Springs has also become more winter-seasonal in recent years.

In 2019, the airport had 4.11 times more seats during its peak month (March) than its trough (August).  In contrast, its peak-to-trough was 3.49 in 2018, 3.54 in 2017, and 3.52 in 2016.

This increase in seasonality in Q1 2019 was primarily from across-the-board additions, with only WestJet not growing. And JetBlue began Boston.

But it was primarily because United, Alaska (including a new service to Paine Field), and Air Canada grew especially strongly.   The latter more than doubled capacity, with a new Calgary service (since ended) and almost twice as many seats YOY to Vancouver. 

Click these graphs to expand them.

Palm Springs passed three million seats last year as the airport’s seasonality increased. Source: OAG Schedules Analyser.

10 routes coming 

Palm Springs is to welcome 10 routes and a new airline before Christmas 2020. And Southwest is coming too, although nothing is yet confirmed. 

This is all despite coronavirus – or perhaps because of it.    

After all, of what demand there is now, ignoring seat factors and unit revenue, most is leisure.  Chasing the leisure dollar is increasingly important for cash generation. 

This is seen in the US with JetBlue and American and others, recently with TAP Air Portugal and Lufthansa in Europe, and others elsewhere (e.g. Qantas beginning Canberra – Gold Coast).

Palm Springs’ coming routes will have a total 54 weekly frequencies each way, with Allegiant to begin two new routes.  Back in 2011, Allegiant began Palm Springs to Stockton, its first intra-California service.

Boise will go from zero to up to 13 weekly across two carriers

Boise stands out.  It’ll go from zero to 13 weekly across two carriers. 

OAG Traffic Analyser, using MIDT booking data, shows that the Idaho capital had almost 15,000 passengers last year pre-stimulation from non-stop service and lower fares.  This made Boise Palm Springs’ ninth-largest unserved market.

Alaska Airlines’ service to San Jose will mean that the winter desert destination will now be linked with four California airports.   It had ~11,000 passengers and Palm Springs’ 17^th-largest unserved.

Other unserved destinations within a reasonable distance (rather than to the East Coast) include:

• Spokane: 18,000 (#6)

• Kansas City: 17,000 (#7)

• Austin: 15,500 (#8)

• Omaha: 12,200 (#13)

• Indianapolis: 11,200 (#16)

Palm Springs’ route network in the week starting 23 November. It includes Boutique Air’s new Los Angeles and Phoenix offerings, together with Allegiant’s new Boise and Eugene routes and Delta to Los Angeles. Source: OAG Mapper.

Palm Springs frequencies this November up 17% YOY

Looking at the randomly chosen shoulder week starting 23 November, Palm Springs has 354 weekly frequencies each way – up by 52, or 17%, YOY – according to both OAG data and airline websites. 

It will have 20 routes and 11 routes in this week, with San Francisco top with 70 one-way frequencies split equally between United and Alaska.  

Boise and Winnipeg, meanwhile, will have just two weekly services each  – in the case of Boise, until the following month.  (Allegiant’s Boise service starts at three-weekly but varies between two and three depending on the week.)

Palm Springs’ YOY growth comes from two new routes, Boise and Eugene, together with particularly strong growth to Los Angeles and Phoenix.  San Francisco and Dallas DFW have also grown well.

In this November week, Los Angeles is up by 13 weekly frequencies YOY – once-daily to 20-weekly – from both Boutique Air and Delta beginning it alongside United.  LAX will now be Palm Springs’ joint-eighth destination.

United and Alaska will be by far Palm Springs’ top airlines by weekly frequencies, responsible as they will be for almost half of its total. 

United will have four routes in this week (by order of capacity: San Francisco, Denver, Houston IAH, Los Angeles, Chicago ORD) and Alaska four (San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Everett).