Anchorage Daily News

After a week of looking at the annual PFD travel deals, travelers can get a better idea of what's hot and what's not this fall.

First, Alaska Airlines' systemwide PFD sale is pretty good to many places, but it's not the best deal to all destinations. The fares are higher, and for the first time Alaska has prohibited PFD travel during spring break.

Second, competition matters. The only reason to be sad about United Airlines pulling out of Alaska today is that the carrier was a viable hedge against total domination by Alaska Airlines.

Within Alaska, Era Aviation and Frontier Flying Service are fighting it out with Alaska between Anchorage and Fairbanks and Anchorage and Bethel. Era also competes with Alaska Airlines between Anchorage and Kodiak and between Anchorage and Cordova. Accordingly, fares to those cities are cheaper than usual. That's good for travelers.

Between Anchorage and the Lower 48, four airlines are fighting with Alaska Airlines for passengers: Continental, USAirways, Delta and Northwest.

If you're traveling to Southern California, consider taking USAirways into sunny Santa Barbara. It's about $100 less than flying into any of the L.A.-area airports on Alaska Airlines. Take USAirways' nonstop flight to Phoenix, then hop aboard a commuter flight to Santa Barbara. The price, with taxes, is about $476.

You can trim as much as $180 off the cost of a trip to Washington, D.C., by flying Northwest instead of Alaska Airlines. And you can pocket $166 if you're traveling to Massachusetts by flying Northwest to Hartford, Conn., instead of taking Alaska Airlines to Boston's Logan Airport.

Delta and Northwest are offering a fare into Denver for $120 less than Alaska Airlines. The round-trip rate from Anchorage is $490 on Delta or Northwest, compared to $610 for Alaska. Delta's schedule is a little better, I think. You take their nonstop flight into Salt Lake City and connect to Denver. With Northwest, you fly farther east, to Minneapolis, before backtracking to Denver. Ah, but just think of the miles you'll earn!

Speaking of miles, you can earn Alaska Airlines miles on Delta, Northwest or Continental.

Continental does not have any screaming deals right now, but watch for more last-minute specials to Seattle.

Third, airlines are doing their level best to obscure the true cost of travel. Whether it's through new fees for checked baggage or increases in existing fees for ticket changes, airlines continue to add fees that you must pay in addition to the actual cost of the ticket. Fuel surcharges, security fees and taxes -- the fares may go up and down, but these new fees will be with us forever. Some of the fees are mandated by governments, including segment charges and passenger facility charges.

Airlines, I suppose, are trying to catch up with hotels and rental car companies, who are masters of the add-on. When you're planning your next vacation, pay special attention to see if your hotel wants to rip you off with a "resort fee." Often, hotels do not disclose this mandatory fee -- which is nothing more than a shakedown. And car rental companies sometimes sneak in extra "roadside assistance" insurance, which you have to opt out of to avoid being charged.

The good news is that with the softening of the economy and the declining cost of crude oil, more deals will be forthcoming. Despite the reported cutbacks in flights and personnel, airlines still must fill the remaining flights.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. E-mail him at zoom@toursaver.com.

Scott's tips

• NORTHWEST AIRLINES: This winter, Northwest will have one daily flight to Minneapolis.

nwa.com

• DELTA AIR LINES: This winter, Delta will offer one daily flight to Salt Lake City.

delta.com

• USAIRWAYS: From Anchorage, USAirways offers one daily flight to Phoenix.

usairways.com

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