Travel

Seattle by way of Denver?

scott_mcmurren_logo_2.18.09I know it sounds odd, but sometimes you can travel farther to trim your air fare expenses.

That's certainly the case this week. Right now, the lowest fare between Anchorage and Seattle is $514 roundtrip on Alaska Airlines -- and that's only valid between July 18 and Aug. 9. Otherwise, it's $576 roundtrip.

Clearly, Seattle is not the "value leader" when it comes to destinations, even though it is the most popular destination in the Lower 48 for Alaskans. So how do you trim the cost?

Simple. Fly to Denver.

I'm not kidding. The roundtrip fare to Denver on Alaska Airlines is just $376 roundtrip from Anchorage. The airline offers a free stop in either Seattle or Portland. So -- fly nonstop from Anchorage to Denver and take the next flight back to Seattle. On the way home, fly nonstop back to Anchorage. Sure -- it's more time in the air. But it will save you more than $100 per person off the cost of a nonstop flight, in addition to extra miles toward "elite" MVP status!

This special trick will not work if you're starting your trip in Seattle. It only works on southbound itineraries.

The same method works to/from San Francisco. It costs a little more: just $436 roundtrip, including taxes (Anchorage-San Francisco-Seattle-Anchorage). Of course, you can take your time in San Francisco if you wish.

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Finally, note that it's just $400 roundtrip between Anchorage and Portland. Usually, it's the other way around -- Seattle rates typically are less expensive than fares to Portland.

You can make your stop in Denver or San Francisco in either direction -- but you do eventually have to fly the extra miles in order to bring down the fare. It's silly, really. But it's worth noting that Alaska is facing off with United Airlines for nonstop flights between Anchorage and Denver -- and between Anchorage and San Francisco. That is the only reason prices are lower.

For Anchorage-Portland flights, Alaska is battling Continental Airlines, which started new Anchorage-Portland flights earlier this month.

The same cost-saving strategy works for Fairbanks travelers, too.

Right now, the lowest rate between Fairbanks and Seattle is $657 roundtrip. Fly through Denver (Fairbanks-Denver-Seattle-Fairbanks) and the fare drops to $439 roundtrip, all in. Save $218. Or, fly through San Francisco (Fairbanks-S.F.-Seattle-Fairbanks) and the fare drops to $496, roundtrip, all in. Save $161.

Up in Fairbanks, Alaska is fighting with newcomer Frontier Airlines from Denver. Frontier has one flight to Denver four times per week, but the fares have dropped by more than 50 percent.

Booking these multi-city fares is not as simple as a point-to-point transaction. In this case, it may be worth it to hire a travel agent to seek out the cheap seats quickly and efficiently. These lower fares did not show up immediately when I searched on Travelocity, Alaskaair.com or Delta.com. However, Kayak.com did catch the lower fares, although the flights were ridiculous -- with six-hour layovers in Denver. Your travel agent can do better than that. Just remember that it will cost you about $38 per ticket.

What a difference competition makes. Remember: when airlines are mad at each other, the traveler wins!

Online resources:

Interactive fare map. I like this new tool from Kayak.com. You type in your city and the lowest rates appear. It doesn't catch all the deals, but it's a good place to start.

Flyertalk. Frequent flyer guru Randy Petersen started this forum. Mileage junkies love fly-further-for-more-miles deals to pump up their quest for elite status. That's how you get a seat in "F" these days.

Cirque du Soleil. If you're traveling to Seattle, check out Cirque du Soleil's show between now and July 3.

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.

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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