Airfare to Alaska

[MAJPLO]

When is the best time to book airfare to Alaska? How long in advance? It would be either SFO or OAK to Anchorage. Does the regular 54 day rule apply? I think we are too close to flight date for opening day booking.

 

[xlxo]

It would be either SFO or OAK to Anchorage.

Anchorage??? The Disney Wonder never goes that far north.

What do you think about a $110 Amtrak train ride from Emeryville to Vancouver?

 

[MAJPLO]

Anchorage??? The Disney Wonder never goes that far north. What do you think about a $110 Amtrak train ride from Emeryville to Vancouver?

I think Amtrak would drop me off over 2000 miles away from where I want to go, which is Anchorage.

Airfare timeline? Anyone? TIA

 

[Jimsig]

Last year I booked airfare in Jan for a June trip (JetBlue). I would check from time to time and it only kept going up.

IMO when it comes to airfare if it is a fare you can live with book it.

 

[sam_gordon]

There is *NO* "magic time" to book airfare going anywhere. Period. End of story.

Cheaptickets.com (I think) did a study earlier this year that said while generally 8-6 weeks out from a trip will have the lowest prices, there are enough "exceptions" that invalidate that time frame as a recommendation.

As Jimsig says, the best thing to do is book when you can afford it and don't look back (unless your airline offers you free changes... SW & ???).

 

[bumbershoot]

As Jimsig says, the best thing to do is book when you can afford it and don't look back (unless your airline offers you free changes... SW & ???).

SW and...Alaska Air.

 

[alaska8]

Cant tell you best time but can tell you that Alaska has a credit card that offers you a once yearly "companion fare"....enables you to purchase a second ticket for around $120

 

[JAG107]

Wow thanks for that Alaska air tip, I just applied...this will save me over $200 when I book our trip for January!

 

[jec6613]

Wow, Anchorage in January? Good luck!

When going into ANC, it's one of those airports where the sooner you book, the better. While most airlines run seasonally, in January virtually all of the metal going there is Alaska Airlines, who fly slightly modified 737 aircraft designed for severe weather (they service Fairbanks, remember). They even had gravel strip kits to land their 737-200's on unpaved runways until fairly recently, and even use a differently formulated fuel to service certain locations so that it will flow to the engines at -40F. Because of the limited winter supply, and the way the AS prices things, prices only tend to climb over time.

One cool thing: you can apply miles earned on AS to most US domestic airlines frequent flier programs, so if you're an AA flier (like me) I can book on AS and earn miles on AA.

As an aside unrelated to planning, AS is one of five remaining legacy airlines, the others being HA, AA, DL and UA.

 

[rwdavis2]

This is like asking when is the best time to buy stock or a lottery ticket.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

......

One cool thing: you can apply miles earned on AS to most US domestic airlines frequent flier programs, so if you're an AA flier (like me) I can book on AS and earn miles on AA.

......

Not true. You can earn miles only on airlines in the One World Alliance:

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/partners/partner-overview.aspx

 

[jec6613]

Ahh, so it is mostly so. They do however codeshare all of the three majors, so you can book a UA ticket on AS metal ... and DL is not OneWorld, it's SkyTeam.

Also, AS' pricing structure is different than most airlines. Since they're niche and a combination passenger and cargo airline, they price like Amtrak, the only time the prices drop are if people cancel, which is so rare as to be unheard of. Book early, save yourself the hassle and money (any unfilled weight they fill with cargo).

 

[MAH4546]

Wow, Anchorage in January? Good luck!

When going into ANC, it's one of those airports where the sooner you book, the better. While most airlines run seasonally, in January virtually all of the metal going there is Alaska Airlines, who fly slightly modified 737 aircraft designed for severe weather (they service Fairbanks, remember). They even had gravel strip kits to land their 737-200's on unpaved runways until fairly recently, and even use a differently formulated fuel to service certain locations so that it will flow to the engines at -40F. Because of the limited winter supply, and the way the AS prices things, prices only tend to climb over time.

Maybe 20 years ago. These days all the major airlines fly there year-round from at least one lower 48 hub, and Alaska operates a lot of lower 48 routes year-round past just Seattle (like Chicago and Los Angeles). A lot of competition so fares are nothing like they used to be, and there is nothing modified about the 737s Alaska flies between Anchorage, where it is often warmer than Stockholm or Minneapolis.

Alaska is cheap to fly to, especially from southern California, and jetBlue and Delta are on the Seattle/Portland routes now, bringing those fares way down.

I just got LAX-ANC tickets round-trip, non-stop for $289 yesterday for September.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Ahh, so it is mostly so. They do however codeshare all of the three majors, so you can book a UA ticket on AS metal ... and DL is not OneWorld, it's SkyTeam.

Also, AS' pricing structure is different than most airlines. Since they're niche and a combination passenger and cargo airline, they price like Amtrak, the only time the prices drop are if people cancel, which is so rare as to be unheard of. Book

I am a 1K on United and if I fly on Alaska Airlines, guess how many miles I can credit to my UA account? 0. If I book a UA ticket on Alaska metal, it's still an Alaska Airlines flight.

I don't know where you're getting your information, but it certainly isn't "so rare as to be unheard of" for someone to cancel an Alaska Airlines Flight. BTW, they fly more flights outside of Alaska than in Alaska.