Seattle, Washington — Alaska Airlines submitted its application last week to begin two nonstop service from Orange County, California, to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The flights are pending approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Mexico Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC).

The planned year-round service will operate thrice-weekly between Orange County and Puerto Vallarta and four-times weekly between Orange County and Los Cabos.

"We're thrilled to add nonstop service from Orange County to two of Mexico's popular leisure destinations," said John Kirby, vice president of capacity planning for Alaska Airlines. "Alaska Airlines continues to add new non-stop service to our two largest Mexico destinations, giving our sun-seeking customers low-fare alternatives to vacation in paradise."

Alaska Airlines began flying to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos more than 25 years ago. Today, the carrier operates 36 weekly peak-season flights to Puerto Vallarta and 50 weekly peak-season flights to Los Cabos—more than any other carrier from California.

The new flights between Orange County and Mexico will be operated with fuel-efficient, next generation Boeing 737 aircraft. Customers can watch hit movies, TV shows and short films wirelessly on their devices, enjoy locally sourced food and beverages, and experience Alaska's award-winning service. It's all part of Alaska BeyondTM — a new way to travel, designed to go above and beyond your expectations.

Flight times and introductory fares will be available on AlaskaAir.com once the DOT approves Alaska Airlines' request for service, which typically takes around four weeks.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers" in the J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for seven consecutive years from 2008 to 2014. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan also ranked highest in the J.D. Power 2014 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom.