Alaska Airlines today inaugurated service between Seattle and Minneapolis/St. Paul with twice daily flights to and from the Twin Cities. Alaska is offering a special one-way fare of $130 for travel through Feb. 12, 2009, to kick off the airline's newest route.

>From Seattle, flights depart at 7:30 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Pacific time and arrive at Minneapolis/St. Paul at 12:45 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. Central time, respectively. Flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul depart at 1:45 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. Central time and arrive in Seattle at 3:20 p.m. and 8:25 p.m. Pacific time, respectively. Flights will arrive and depart from the Lindbergh Terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"Minneapolis/St. Paul represents one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States not previously served by Alaska Airlines from Seattle," said Steve Jarvis, vice president marketing, sales and customer experience. "We look forward to acquainting Twin Cities-area passengers traveling to Seattle and throughout the Pacific Northwest with Alaska's special brand of award-winning customer service."

The two largest cities in the state of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul form a sprawling metropolis on either side of the Mississippi River. Both cities are hubs for culture, shopping and business, and host riverboat traffic originating from as far away as the river's mouth at New Orleans.

Alaska Airlines will operate the new flights with Boeing 737-800s, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. All flights will feature Alaska's Northern Bites meal service, available for purchase by coach-class passengers for $5. Inflight service will also include Alaska Airlines' digEplayer, a personal entertainment system offering a variety of movies, television shows, music and other features. Complimentary in first class, digEplayers are available for $10 in coach.

Travelers can earn double Mileage Plan miles on the new flights from Oct. 26 to Dec. 31, 2008. To qualify, customers must first register at alaskaair.com.