Aug. 22—Though just a bit over two hours away by car, Alaska Airlines soon will be offering a flight from Cleveland to Pittsburgh this winter.
The daily, afternoon flight only travels one way from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. According to the Alaska Airlines website, tickets start as low as $129.
The Seattle-based airline said the flight won't become a staple of its service area and is just for a limited time between Jan. 8 and Feb. 14. The Cleveland-Pittsburgh connection is part of a "looper" route that the airline occasionally adds to its schedule.
Alaska Airlines currently offers daily, nonstop flights from Seattle to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. In the winter, traffic from Pittsburgh and Cleveland to Seattle slows down, so combining them all into a looper route allows the airline to maintain service, according to the airline.
"Flying the routes this way allows us to continue to offer daily service to Seattle during a slower winter schedule with one stop in one direction and a nonstop in the other for both Pittsburgh and Cleveland," wrote a representative from Alaska Airlines in an email.
Outbound flights to Seattle from Pittsburgh International Airport remain direct during this winter slowdown. Inbound flights from Seattle to Pittsburgh will stop at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport first, then continue to Pittsburgh International.
Though not permanent, the looper flight does provide a connection between the rival cities. The Cleveland-to-Pittsburgh flight departs at 4:34 p.m. daily and takes 49 minutes, about an hour less than driving in between the two airports.
Football fans shouldn't get too excited about the possible connection.
The two regular season games between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers occur before Jan. 8. But Cleveland fans might be able to take advantage of the flight if the Browns travel to Acrisure Stadium for a potential playoff game.
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