The air fare deals for summertime are starting to crop up, even though we're still buried in snow.
At the top of the heap is the bundle of bargains to Southern California starting on May 25, 2012. Sure, we talked about this last week -- but some deals bear repeating. If you're wondering whether to buy now or wait, well, drop what you're doing and hit the "buy now" button. There's no telling how long the prices will remain this low.
The summertime fares to California now are available for most dates. That may change. But other deals are harder to pin down. So I went through and actually made reservations on each and every bargain rate, just to make sure they were "real" fares. The dates I picked are listed right after the fare. Happy Hunting.
Let's review:
- Anchorage-LAX: $287 roundtrip, nonstop on Alaska Airlines for travel between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Long Beach: $287 roundtrip, nonstop on jetBlue between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Orange County, CA: $308 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Burbank: $328 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Ontario, CA: $328 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Las Vegas: $367 roundtrip on jetBlue between May 25-Sept. 3.
- Anchorage-Sacramento: $407 roundtrip on jetBlue between May 25-Sept. 3.
Just pawing through the deals laying around in a pile on my desk, there are a few more standouts:
a. PenAir's $49 companion pass. If you've ever wanted to visit the Pribilof Islands, this is a great way to save some money. Same deal for Cold Bay. Buy the first ticket at the prevailing rate ($900+) and get the second for $49. You must purchase your ticket no later than Feb. 5, 2012 to take advantage of this deal. Other destinations include Sand Point, Aniak, McGrath and Unalakleet.
b. Condor's nonstop flights to Germany start earlier this year: May 1, 2012. Take the first flight and come back on May 15, 2012. The price is $765 roundtrip, which is the best I've seen.
c. Up north in Fairbanks, there's a good deal on Frontier Airlines to Denver, as low as $433 roundtrip. That's a nonstop flight, too. The flights start on May 18, 2012. Oh, the price from Anchorage on Frontier is a little higher, $455 roundtrip.
d. USAirways has a handful of noteworthy deals around the country from Anchorage via its daily nonstop flight between Anchorage and Phoenix:
- Anchorage-Long Beach: $337 roundtrip for travel between Feb. 27-March 8.
- Anchorage-Santa Barbara, CA: $476 roundtrip between Feb. 21-March 1.
- Anchorage-Salt Lake City: $476 roundtrip for travel between Feb. 21-March 1.
- Anchorage-Chicago: $476 roundtrip for travel between Feb. 27-March 7.
e. Continental Airlines is offering a better deal to Dallas right now, as low as $495 roundtrip traveling April 25-May 1.
f. Alaska Airlines has a great fare to Phoenix from Anchorage, as low as $476 roundtrip for travel between Feb. 6-22, 2012.
These deals change like the wind, of course. Keep a close eye on the Club 49 specials that come out each week. Alaska has offered up some high-fare destinations like Tucson and Reno, lately.
And just to put these fares in perspective, here are some prices to popular destinations:
- Anchorage-Seattle: $497 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines, traveling between Feb. 17-27.
- Anchorage-Honolulu: $654 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines traveling between Feb. 14-28.
- Anchorage-Atlanta: $799 roundtrip on Delta Air Lines traveling between Feb. 15-28.
- Anchorage-Minneapolis: $736 roundtrip on Delta Air Lines traveling between Feb. 13-27.
Finally, don't forget about the miles. Sign up for Alaska's mileage plan. The miles are good on Delta, PenAir, Era, American and a host of others. If you fly on Continental or United or USAir, all three of the airlines are part of the "Star Alliance", which includes Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, too.
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 at www.alaskatravelgram.com. And follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/alaskatravelgrm for breaking updates.