When does it make sense to fly farther to save a few bucks?
Well, a cursory glance at summertime air fares will tell you this: if you're headed to the Pacific Northwest, it will cost you almost twice as much as a trip to Southern California.
So here's the question: how can you leverage the blood-letting airfare war being waged between Alaska Airlines and jetBlue from Alaska to L.A., to bring down the cost of your ticket to Seattle or Portland?
First, here are some numbers: in June, it costs $545 roundtrip to fly between Anchorage and Seattle on Alaska Airlines or United. The price to Portland is $616 roundtrip flying nonstop on Alaska Airlines. Between Anchorage and Long Beach, the lowest published fare on jetBlue is $295 roundtrip, although the cheapest flights I could find priced out at $311 roundtrip. Between Anchorage and Orange County (Santa Ana), the price on Alaska Air is as low as $337 roundtrip. The prices to LAX, Burbank and Ontario are a little bit more -- but still less than $400 roundtrip.
Here's the trick: fly to Southern California and stop along the way in Seattle or Portland. I used this strategy last summer, and saved several hundred dollars. Alaska Airlines will allow a stop on your flight. But it's not enough just to buy the ticket. You must actually fly the miles. And sit in the seat. And change planes in Southern California. And fly back. Hey, just think of those extra frequent-flier miles!
Let's drill down a little bit more. If you're headed to Portland, fly on the nonstop, Alaska flight 136 on Wednesday, June 6. It's a nice flight, leaving at 12:35pm, arriving in Portland at 5:07pm.
Next, enjoy Portland! Shop, eat and play to your heart's content. When it's time to come home a week later on June 13, resist the temptation to board the nonstop back to Anchorage: Alaska flight 143, departing at 9:55pm.
Nope. You've got some extra flying to do.
You'll need to leave a little earlier, at 3:45pm on Alaska flight 584, bound for Orange County. Then, on arrival at 6:10pm, step off the plane, go to the window and snap a photo of the tarmac. Frankly, that's all the time you'll have, since you'll need to turn around and get on flight 585 back to Portland. Heck, it's probably the same plane.
After you get back to Portland International Airport at 9:10pm, you'll have time to stretch your legs before getting on board flight 143 to Anchorage. The total cost? $376.50.
Oh, here's a heads-up. If you just couldn't resist spending another afternoon in Portland and you elect to blow off the turnaround flight to Orange County, the fare jumps to $617. Remember, you're buying a ticket to Orange County with a stop in Portland. If you modify the ticket to a roundtrip Anchorage-Portland-Anchorage ticket, it costs more. Be prepared to cough up $341. Thankfully, if you're a Club 49 member, at least you can check two bags for free.
If you're headed to Seattle and you want to save a few shekels, fly to Orange County first. Here's one way: on Tuesday, July 10, catch Alaska Airlines flight 120 bound for Seattle, departing at 7:20am. Resist the natural temptation to break out of the airport and enjoy the Emerald City. This is work. Catch the Horizon flight at 1:00pm to Portland. Yes, Portland. It's just a 52-minute flight, but it's essential to the plan. There at PDX, you'll have a two-hour layover (well, technically one hour and 53 minutes) before heading down to Orange County on Alaska flight 584, arriving at 6:10pm.
Wait. There's more.
You might have time to grab a sandwich at the airport bar in Orange County before you're called to board Alaska flight 505, departing at 7:55pm, arriving back at SEA-TAC at 10:30pm. And, if you're keeping track, that is a total of 4,854 miles. Wow!
And when you return to Anchorage on Tuesday, July 17, catch Alaska flight 87 for the nonstop back to Anchorage. Rest easy this time -- no additional flying required! The total price? $397. Compare that to the nonstop Anchorage-Seattle flight for $545.
Now, get out your calculator and figure out what your time is worth. For some of us, it's no problem to sit around all day on an airplane. Heck, I've done it several times.
For others, including my number-one son who accompanied me on last year's "West Coast Flyathon", the logic behind the scheme was a bridge too far, particularly the red-eye nonstop to LAX. Of course, I've encouraged him to buy his own air tickets henceforth. Oh, this strategy does not apply for travel through LAX. That was last year's game. As you can imagine, the rules and the fares change all the time. In fact, if you have summertime travel plans and you want to use this strategy or one similar to it -- act quickly. Actually, acting right now would be really, really smart.
It's important to note there is nothing sneaky, illegal or immoral about routing your flights this way to save a bundle of cash. It's just one of the "judo chops" we use in the business when people call up and say, "I don't care what it takes -- I want the absolute cheapest ticket to Seattle on God's Green Earth!" And that's what this is.
Although it technically is possible to book your ticket online using this method, I recommend using a travel agent because there are so many moving parts. An agent charges between $35 and $40 to write a ticket. The stopover in Seattle or Portland, for example, is valid on some fares and not on others. And finding the particular "class of service" on all the flights is a little bit like playing hide-and-seek.
So let's buckle up and get ready for take off this summer. It's going to be a long flight -- but just think of the money we'll save!!
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.