The upcoming announcement of this year's Permanent Fund dividend (PFD) always evokes images of airplanes and far-off places. The amount is estimated to be more than $2,000. With a check like that, you can buy a ticket to almost anywhere in the world.
For Anchorage travelers, the PFD checks, and the promotional airfares that go with them, represent an embarrassment of riches on the travel front. Not just on prices, either. There are some pretty nice amenities that go with traveling out of Alaska's largest city.
1. Low fares: OK, the prices are nice. Airfares to and from Anchorage have been low all summer, due primarily to competition between Alaska and Delta. These "attack fares" are on track to continue into the winter months as Delta continues to move in on Alaska Airlines' turf. Right now, for example, Delta has fares to Seattle for $157 round-trip and to Los Angeles for $238 round-trip. Alaska Airlines has lowered their fares, but not to the same levels. Yet. I predict Alaska Airlines will match the fares on competitive routes as this war drags on. The low fares also have migrated to both Juneau and Fairbanks, where Delta now offers year-round flights to Seattle.
Of course, not all fares are low. It's still very expensive to fly in rural Alaska or to other destinations where just one airline has flights. Competition matters more than the price of jet fuel or the distance between cities when it comes to setting airfares.
2. Bag fee waivers: This is the most-popular feature of Alaska Air's "Club 49" initiative for Alaska residents. For itineraries within Alaska, travelers get three checked bags at no additional charge. That's not an issue for Delta, since all of their flights go to Seattle. For flights to the Lower 48, Alaska offers Club 49 members two free checked bags for flights to or from Alaska. Delta offers SkyMiles members (its frequent-flier plan) who live in Alaska two free checked bags.
Most airlines, including Delta, Alaska and United, offer a first-bag-free deal if you pay for your ticket with their credit card.
3. Jetways. This is one of the marks of a fancy airport. Anchorage isn't the only airport with jetways. You'll also find them in Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Fairbanks. But Anchorage has the most, even for the Q400 prop planes they fly to Fairbanks. Caution: You have to be careful, since the angle of descent is pretty steep if you're leaving from the top level of the airport. Conversely, when you get out in Fairbanks, it's a pretty steep climb to the terminal's upper level.
For flights to and from all of Alaska's other airports, it's down the air stairs and into the weather. Honestly, there are many Alaska airports that don't even have a terminal building.
4. Airport lounge: Alaska Airlines has the only club in the state: the Board Room. There are a couple of ways you can access the lounge, on the C concourse. You can pay to be a member, or if you're a SkyClub member with Delta, you can get in. You can pay $45 for a day pass, or you can join Priority Pass for an annual fee. There are free drinks, a self-serve espresso bar, some snacks, a great view and pretty good Wi-Fi. The staff is very friendly and can help you with your Alaska Airlines arrangements. If you're a frequent traveler, lounge access is one of the best things you can do to make your journey a pleasant one. Really good headphones is another key travel essential.
5. Art: Most airports have art displayed. I returned from Ketchikan last week, where they have photos of historic Alaska aircraft, along with some exhibits of old uniforms from Alaska Airlines. But Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has some incredible art on display. It's hanging from the ceiling in the B concourse, where a big flock of metal geese seems to fly along. At the end of the C concourse, there's a huge plane hanging near Gate C-9. And on the second level above the atrium between the B and C concourses, there is a large display of Native art. Take some time to check out the dozens of pieces on display.
The airport is part of a growing trend to offer museum-quality exhibits. Both McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and San Francisco International Airport have museums on site. Others, such as the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, are located nearby or adjacent to the airport. Here in Anchorage, the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum is located on airport property at Lake Hood.
6. An impressive network of nonstop flights: Think about it. From Anchorage, you can fly nonstop year-round to Minneapolis, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Portland. In the summer season, add Frankfurt, Reykjavik, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Salt Lake and Vancouver, B.C. That's not including the weekly nonstops to Petrapavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula (Yakutia Airlines). None of Alaska's other airports can offer this type of service. In fact, there are few cities of Anchorage's size that offer this level of air service.
Within the state, Alaska Airlines, Ravn Alaska, PenAir and a host of smaller carriers offer nonstop service to many communities that are not accessible by road.
7. Food. I love the fish tacos at Norton Sound Seafoods, which straddles the security checkpoint at the Anchorage airport. Once you're inside security, you have more options, including the Crab Roll at Humpy's on the B concourse. Then there's the Silver Gulch restaurant on the C concourse. I've grabbed a steak sandwich to go, as well as a breakfast wrap when I'm in a hurry. I stopped in one day for a taster-tray of six of their beers (all brewed in Fairbanks). It's a rotating selection, but the "Belgian Quad" ale was particularly tasty. McDonald's (on the C concourse) always has a line.
San Francisco International Airport has a yoga room. JetBlue hosts concerts at their new "T-5" terminal in New York. Portland has the "Max" train that comes right to the door at baggage claim to zip you downtown. But when you make your PFD travel plans, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a pretty good place to start your next adventure.