Non-stop SEA to Anaheim - when to buy?how much?

[icecreamforbreakfast]

We are hoping to go in February 2015. I am seeing non-stops for just under $200, do I grab them now or wait ... will there be a better sale? I can only get one flight for $168 which sounds really good, then some at $183 and one at $198. Hoping for a non-stop so it doesn't take all day to get there, just wondering if I should grab those or wait until closer to possibly get a better deal.

Which other airlines fly non-stop? This is with Alaska to LGB, we would prefer a smaller airport and actually LAX is more for these dates.

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[planningjollyholiday]

I would fly with jetblue sea to lgb. Great airline and they offer one checked bag free. You should easily get roundtrip for under $200 unless it is during the holiday. I have found flights cheapest with them as soon as they open and then again at about 5 weeks out.

 

[rootbeer]

That's as cheap as they'll ever get. We fly Alaska because we have their visa, so we get a $99 companion fare once a year, as well as earning miles for discounted tickets at other times. We love flying into LGB, but usually rent a car which adds to the expense. The advantage to booking early is being able to choose your seats, and those flights will fill up. Keep in mind also that the tickets will be non refundable so make sure of your plans. Good luck.

 

[Aladora]

We are hoping to go in February 2015. I am seeing non-stops for just under $200, do I grab them now or wait ... will there be a better sale? I can only get one flight for $168 which sounds really good, then some at $183 and one at $198. Hoping for a non-stop so it doesn't take all day to get there, just wondering if I should grab those or wait until closer to possibly get a better deal.

Which other airlines fly non-stop? This is with Alaska to LGB, we would prefer a smaller airport and actually LAX is more for these dates.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Have you looked at SEA-SNA on Alaska?

You can also check SEA-SNA on Southwest, although they are not non-stop, I have us booked on a flight on SWA that leaves Seattle at 6:45am and lands in Anaheim at 10:35am including a stop in Sacramento.

Alaska has the direct flights but they charge $25 per checked bag per flight.

Southwest does not have direct flights but you can check 2 bags for free.

And I would absolutely wait to see if you can get a better price, I've found that a couple of months out is the best time. I usually start looking 5 months out and when the flights I want reach a price I am comfortable paying, I book.

 

[Stitch35]

You can always buy on their site. If the price drops between now and then you can call and they will give you credit on their site towards another flight. We always fly Alaska when we fly. We love flying into both SNA and LGB. $168 is good. Lowest I've seen recently was $140 but that was exceptional.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I just bought SEA-LAX, which was the cheapest route I could find into all the DL airports, for mid-August. Lowest price for my dates was $215 and that was in the early early AM. Later flights were up in the $250s. So those prices sound great to me!!

 

[lk2500]

Every now and then Virgin America will have a sale for $79 one way from SEA to LAX. You can sign up for their email promo list. $200 round tip to Anaheim is a pretty dang good deal, what airline is that on?

 

[bumbershoot]

When flying in to a smaller airport, be sure you understand the transportation options and their cost. An do this before booking, especially if cost is a reason for booking a smaller airport. I once totally lost the savings because the transportation from ONT is totally different than from LAX or SNA.

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

We always fly Sea to SNA and love the convenience of it! I'd wait a bit to get your tickets, you never know what you might find!

 

[awdsmama]

200 round trip is a great deal. We flew Portland to Orange County (small airport, easy to navigate and close) in March for 238 I think?

Great thing About Alaska is their low cost guarantee. If you buy now and find a seat on the same flight, same day via their website they refund you the difference or give a flight voucher if over 50 or 100 I think.

 

[all4fun]

I'm flying Alaska in July PDX-Ontario-SNA-PDX (visiting family near Ontario so that is why I'm doing it that way) Base fare was $229 plus $40 in taxes and fees plus the luggage cost if we check a bag. I also have their credit card and got the second ticket using the $99 companion fare. I couldn't find any better deals and since I'm about 8 wks out, I didn't want wait any longer. Just to give you a comparison on the prices you're seeing out of Seattle.

Alaska does have a fare guarantee. In the past, when I did that I was given a credit to be used on a future flight. I had adjusted the same flight about 4x for under $50 each time (it totaled about a $90 savings - so I should have just waited that time!) and they deposited the money in my 'wallet' in my alaska account which could be used on a future flight. So, in my experience, you don't just get money back ... its future savings.

 

[oregonmom82]

Those seem like great prices to me! We're going down the last week of August, will be flying out of PDX to either LGB or SNA, whichever is cheaper. I still haven't bought tickets yet as the cheapest I've found so far are $275 rt.

 

[brittainy]

You can always buy on their site. If the price drops between now and then you can call and they will give you credit on their site towards another flight. We always fly Alaska when we fly. We love flying into both SNA and LGB. $168 is good. Lowest I've seen recently was $140 but that was exceptional.

This. Check daily, if the price drops you get the price difference back. That being said, my husband and I flew SEA-SNA once in February for 110RT.

 

[ClosetDisneyJunkie]

You can always buy on their site. If the price drops between now and then you can call and they will give you credit on their site towards another flight. We always fly Alaska when we fly. We love flying into both SNA and LGB. $168 is good. Lowest I've seen recently was $140 but that was exceptional.

Agreed. This. Fly Alaska. If you're from BC you'll probably be flying them again so the price guarantee is very handy. Plus you get to support an airline that invests a lot in Seattle and the northwest. I get that the baggage fees are annoying compared to Southwest, but Southwest is significantly worse statistically as to on time arrivals and baggage loss.

Alaska does run deals to SoCal so even if you do buy now (and 168-200 for LGB is a pretty solid price) keep an eye out for deals so that you can use the guarantee, as others have noted.

 

[MAH4546]

I fly this route often - $138 to $218 is the norm. I'd buy at $198, that's a good price for a flight of this distance. The $138 fares only comes along once or twice a year; $158/$178 fares are more common.

 

[rramstad]

We like SEA to LGB non stop and will pay a small price premium to fly to LGB as opposed to LAX, especially when going to DLR.

IMHO anything in the vicinity of $200 is great. I think that's right around the best fare we have ever paid non stop to LGB.

Don't really have a strong preference between JetBlue and Alaska on that route.

(More accurately it has happened that LGB fares have gone up enough that we had no real choice but to fly into LAX instead... and I haven't had any real luck finding fares to SNA that are any good on a non stop.)

Paying over $300 to LAX in late June actually, grrr... so the fare you are quoting seems really awesome to me.

 

[icecreamforbreakfast]

OP here

Thanks everyone for the advice Jetblue hasn't released their flights through Feb yet. If I could get all our flights for $168 I think I would just book it, but being as I can only get one at that rate, I think I'll hold out for a while - it is 9 months away, so hopefully if I keep watching prices I be able to snag a deal. It is less then 1/2 the price of flying out of Canada and when you multiply that by 6 it is way cheaper, but also when you lower the ticket price out of SEA and multiply that by 6 it can be quite a savings too.

Does the credit from Alaska expire, if I were to go ahead and book it and it went down in price? This will only be the 3rd time our family has flown anywhere in 10 years, and we are not sure when the next trip will be.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[bumbershoot]

I believe the credit expires 1 year after initial booking.

 

[travelbug08]

We're looking at SEA to SNA on Alaska for January 2015. For months they'd been $109 one way for each direction and recently went up to $131. Hoping they go back down before I book. We went in Jan 2013 and I paid $89 for one way and then got a Cyber Monday sale and ended up getting a credit.