Alaska News

Increased summertime flights means better prices for Alaskans

Airlines add and drop routes all the time. That's particularly true here in Alaska, since many more people flock to the Great Land in the summertime.

This seasonal imbalance also explains why some of the best airfare deals are during the peak summer months. That's a little counterintuitive, until you understand that airlines have two important functions: to maximize the yield on any given flight, while fighting off any competitive service which might diminish that yield. It's the "fighting off any competitive service" that often yields some great deals. That's why travelers almost always win when airlines are mad at each other.

Alaska Airlines is on the grow. Starting in June, Alaska will begin rolling out service to five new cities: Seattle-New Orleans (June 12), Seattle-Tampa (June 20), Seattle-Baltimore (Sept. 2), Seattle-Detroit (Sept. 4) and Seattle-Albuquerque (Sept. 18). Further, Alaska is adding summertime flights between Fairbanks and Portland (June 7). During the winter, Alaska dropped its nonstops from Anchorage to Los Angeles/LAX and to Chicago's O'Hare Airport. But both nonstops are back in the system -- flying every day.

But Delta Air Lines is spooling up in a big way here in Alaska this summer. And that's good news for Alaska travelers. Starting May 24, Delta will start one flight between Anchorage and Seattle. On May 29, the airline is adding a second daily Anchorage-Seattle flight. And on June 4, Delta is ramping up to three flights each day.

Compare that with Alaska Airlines: 18 flights each day between Anchorage and Seattle.

But Delta also is adding service in Fairbanks. On May 16, Delta will resume its nonstop Fairbanks-Minneapolis flights. Then, on Jun. 1, Delta will start flying between Fairbanks and Seattle. Alaska Airlines operates three nonstop flights each day Fairbanks to Seattle.

And on Jun. 1, Delta will start flying a 757 between Juneau and Seattle. Alaska will offer five daily nonstops during June on the same route (with smaller 737s).

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Delta already flies each night between Anchorage and Salt Lake City. That won't change. But between Anchorage and Minneapolis, Delta is boosting its service from two flights a day to three flights each day on June 5. Then, on July 1, that goes to four flights each day.

Additionally, Delta is resuming its daily Anchorage-Atlanta nonstop on June 20.

There is bad blood between Delta and Alaska, two airlines that have code-share and mileage plan deals. Slowly, both airlines are withdrawing code-shares on competitive routes and reciprocal perks for frequent flyers. And there already have been a couple of "flash sales" on the Alaska routes. Stay tuned for more fireworks.

United Airlines is adding service in several markets -- but it's dropping its flights between Anchorage and Seattle on June 5. That's good news for Delta, Alaska and JetBlue. But it's bad news for consumers, since United provided additional downward pressure on the fares. That, of course, probably is the reason they're pulling out!

United has offered nonstop service all winter between Anchorage and Denver and between Anchorage and Chicago. On May 22, United will resume its daily nonstop Anchorage-Houston flight. On June 5, the airline will resume its seasonal daily flights between Anchorage and San Francisco. On June 7, you can catch the Saturday-only Anchorage-Newark nonstop that runs all summer!

Fairbanks travelers also will benefit from United's seasonal service: Fairbanks-Denver (twice-weekly service starting Jun. 7) and Fairbanks-Chicago (starting Jun. 5).

There are two low-fare airlines that have a disproportionate impact on prices: JetBlue and Frontier.

JetBlue is resuming daily nonstop redeye flights to both Seattle and Long Beach on May 16. Accordingly, the fares to these two destinations have essentially dropped through the floor: Anchorage-Seattle runs as low as $196 roundtrip; Anchorage-Long Beach is as low as $256 roundtrip.

Frontier Airlines starts flying Anchorage-Denver on May 15. Although United has a competing Anchorage-Denver nonstop, Alaska Airlines has dropped its plans to offer a nonstop flight as well. Right now, fares are hovering around $406 roundtrip. But up in Fairbanks, Frontier is resuming its Fairbanks-Denver flights on May 17. Early-June departures are going for as low as $288 roundtrip. That is the power of competition at work!

USAir, now part of American Airlines, flies each evening nonstop from Anchorage to Phoenix. And American is resuming its seasonal Anchorage-Dallas nonstop on May 30.

Air Canada is resuming its nonstop Anchorage-Vancouver, B.C. flights on May 16.

Sun Country Airlines is resuming its nonstop Anchorage-Minneapolis flights on June 7.

On the international front, travelers in Anchorage can choose from three airlines:

Icelandair: twice-weekly Anchorage-Reykjavik flights starting May 15.

Condor: twice-weekly Anchorage-Frankfurt flights starting May 13, increasing to three weekly flights Jul. 1-Sept. 20. Starting June 26, Condor flies a weekly Fairbanks-Frankfurt nonstop flight on Thursdays.

Yakutia Air: Weekly service between Anchorage and Petropavlovsk, Russia between July 12 and Sept. 13.

For a region of our size, Anchorage enjoys extraordinary air service. This year, both Juneau and Fairbanks are getting additional service. That means fares will come down. Travelers should be prepared to pounce when they see a good deal pop up. That's because it's often airline infighting, not consumer demand, that is causing the price drops. In the airline world, spite and malice often trump supply and demand when it comes to pricing.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant who has lived in Alaska for three decades, spending much of that time traveling the far-flung corners of the state. Visit his website atwww.alaskatravelgram.com or follow him on Twitter for breaking travel news.

Scott McMurren

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based marketing consultant, serving clients in the transportation, hospitality, media and specialty destination sectors, among others. Contact him by email at zoom907@me.com. Subscribe to his e-newsletter at alaskatravelgram.com. For more information, visit alaskatravelgram.com/about.

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