The new twice-daily route was among a host of schedule changes that Alaska and its sister airline, Horizon Air, announced Tuesday in an effort to develop more-popular routes while weeding out some that are less-profitable.

In addition to the Twin Cities service, the two airlines announced:

 • A new flight linking Sea-Tac with Kona on the island of Hawaii beginning Nov. 17. Alaska, which began serving the 50th state only last fall, now will fly from Sea-Tac to four Hawaiian destinations.

 • An increase in seasonal flying between Anchorage and Maui in Hawaii from twice weekly to three times weekly beginning Nov. 17.

 • The end of nonstop service between Portland and Orlando, Fla., and between San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C., beginning Sept. 7.

 • A halt to seasonal flights between San Francisco and three Mexican destinations: Cancun, Mazatlan and Zihuatenejo. The airline will continue serving those cities from Los Angeles. A nonstop flight between Sea-Tac and Cancun will be unaffected.

Horizon Air will substitute its 70-seat aircraft for Alaska’s jets between two Baja California cities, La Paz and Loreto, and Los Angeles starting Sept. 7.

Horizon will end nonstop service between Spokane and Sacramento and between Spokane and Los Angeles effective Sept. 7. The Los Angeles service will be replaced by a one-stop service through Boise.

Introductory fares on the Minneapolis route are set at $139 each way. One-way introductory service to Kona will cost $229. Tickets will be available Thursday. Customers must buy their fares by June 5 and travel by Feb. 12, 2009.

“We try to provide service where our customers ask us to go,” said Bill Ayer, Alaska Air Group chairman.

Minneapolis is one of the largest travel markets from Seattle- Tacoma that Alaska did not serve.

Alaska and Horizon, which lost some $39 million in this year’s first quarter, are struggling with fuel prices that have quadrupled in the last two years.

Despite fuel hedging that dropped the average price per gallon at Alaska by 29 cents a gallon, the airline holding company expects to see a $1.3 billion fuel bill this year.

The announcement of the new routes came just before the air group’s annual meeting at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. Outside, Alaska pilots lined the sidewalks in uniform in an informational protest over the lack of a new contract with the airline.

Alaska and the Air Line Pilots Association have been negotiating since early 2007 without reaching an agreement.

Ayer said the airline is willing to sign a “revenue neutral” contract that wouldn’t increase its costs, but meeting the pilots’ demands is impossible in the present environment with fare levels not keeping up with fuel costs.

“ALPA’s proposals to date would burden Alaska Airlines with the highest-cost pilot contract in the industry by a significant margin. That simply doesn’t work for our customers, employees and shareholders,” he said.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663

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