JUNEAU — The damp mist is hugging the mountains in Juneau, but that didn't stop our Alaska Airlines pilot from finding a hole in the clouds and easing our 737 in for a smooth landing first thing this morning.
Alaska doesn't have any competition on the Anchorage-Juneau flights, but heading south from the state's capital city is another story. With just one year-round flight between Juneau and Seattle, Delta Air Lines has managed to shake up travel patterns. The fares have dropped by more than half. Now, Delta and Alaska spar to offer the lowest fare. While both airlines may offer the same fare, the low fares are more available on Delta because they have more seats available. After all, many of the summertime seats are sold months in advance. Here are some examples:
Juneau-Seattle: $365 round-trip with no advance purchase. This is truly "buy today, fly today." Both Delta and Alaska offer these rates. If you can plan seven days in advance, the price drops to $260 round-trip on either airline.
Juneau-Boston: $493 round-trip with no advance purchase on Delta. If you can plan seven days in advance, the fare drops to $433 round-trip on Delta.
Juneau-Los Angeles/LAX: $311 round-trip with no advance purchase on Delta. With a two-week advance purchase, the fare on Delta drops to $269 round-trip.
The no-advance-purchase availability on Delta is a big plus, although the carrier's only southbound flight is at 6 a.m.
On the flight down from Anchorage this morning, my seatmates could not believe the lowball fares still available in midsummer for travel to the Lower 48. Accordingly, please share the good news about low airfares with your friends and neighbors -- and to your relatives in the Lower 48 who still need to buy their tickets.
Anchorage-Seattle: $237 round-trip with a seven-day advance purchase on JetBlue. But the rate drops to $177 round-trip with a 14-day advance purchase (also on JetBlue).
Fee alert: JetBlue is now charging for all checked bags. The rate averages about $10-25 for the first bag, each way. Unlike other airlines like Delta, United, American and Alaska, JetBlue throws in a free checked bag when you buy a more expensive fare. Of course, Alaska offers two free bags on flights to or from Alaska if you're in the Club 49 program. Delta also offers two free checked bags if you sign up for SkyMiles and register for their special promotion. United, American and other airlines offer to waive the first bag charge if you have their co-branded credit card.
Anchorage-Portland: $177 round-trip with a seven-day advance purchase on JetBlue (nonstop). If you can plan 14 days in advance, the fare drops to $157 round-trip. Alaska Airlines fares don't dip that low. Starting in mid-August, Alaska's rates are as low as $237 round-trip.
Anchorage-Los Angeles/LAX: $268 round-trip starting on Aug. 5 with Delta. Alaska Airlines offers a nonstop flight for $100 more.
Anchorage-Long Beach: $256 round-trip (nonstop) starting on Aug. 17 with JetBlue.
Anchorage-Austin: $390 round-trip starting July 30 with JetBlue. The best prices are for Wednesday and Saturday departures.
Important: Airfares change all the time. But these low rates have been holding steady all summer.
Let's take a look at fares to and from Fairbanks. Travelers in the "northern kingdom" routinely are subjected to super-high fares. But this summer, there are some great bargains. Again, this is because of the robust competition between Alaska Airlines and Delta. Just as in Juneau, Delta offers a single flight from Fairbanks to Seattle — and it's making a big difference.
Fairbanks-Seattle: The best rates starts on July 25, at $260 round-trip on Alaska Airlines (nonstop).
Fairbanks-Portland: On most days in August, it's less than $300 round-trip to fly from Fairbanks to Portland. On Aug. 4, Delta offers a $289 round-trip fare. Starting Aug. 17, the fare on Delta dips to $254 round-trip, making Portland the least-expensive Lower 48 gateway from Fairbanks.
Fairbanks-Boston: Rates dip to $488 round-trip on Sept. 11 with Delta. The fares drop further to $428 round-trip on Sept. 14, also with Delta.
Fairbanks-Los Angeles/LAX: $269 round-trip on Delta, starting on Aug. 3. This is a great fare.
Fairbanks-Las Vegas: $320 round-trip on Delta, starting July 23 (two weeks' advance purchase required). The best fare goes through Minneapolis in both directions.
Great fares also are available between Seattle and Ketchikan ($260 round-trip) or Sitka ($248 round-trip) with a seven-day advance purchase. Both Delta and Alaska offer the low-low fares. Delta's flights from Seattle to both Ketchikan and Sitka end in September — so I expect fares to go up in the fall.
I expect more deals on other airlines as fall and winter approach. But right now, Alaska and Delta are especially upset and that means great prices for everyone — even in the summertime.