Alaska Airlines Launches Promotion for Upcoming Hawai'i Routes

As we mentioned back in May, Alaska Airlines plans to fly nonstop from Oakland to Maui and Kona beginning November 9, 2009. To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering introductory fares from $169 each way. Take an additional 10% off these sale fares by registering for their Bay to Paradise promotion. This promotion will earn you a discount code for up to 40% off Winter fares to Hawai'i when you complete four flights from anywhere in the Bay Area (SF, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Sacramento).

Alaska Airlines Updates Bay Area Service and Offers Double Miles

This week, Alaska Airlines swapped all flights between Portland and the Bay Area to Horizon-operated planes. This includes flights to/from San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento.
Horizon will be operating regional jets on these routes, which offer premium amenities such as complimentary Starbucks coffee, wine and microbrews. And, for a limited time, earn double Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for all flights between the Bay Area and Portland. Click here for more information and to register for the promo.

Alaska Airlines To Launch Oakland to Hawaii Flights

Alaska Airlines has announced they intend to start flights between Oakland and Kahului (OGG) and Kona (KOA) beginning this November. The Hawaii flight additions are part of a larger list of new routes being rolled out by the airline over the next several months. 

New Routes/Effective dates/frequencies

• Oakland - Kahului  11/09/09  1X Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat
  
• Oakland - Kona      11/10/09  1X Tue/Thu/Sun
  

Alaska Airlines Bay Area Sale to Portland

Starting March 13th, Alaska Airlines is launching a Bay Area fare sale, with fares starting at $49 each way for travel between Portland, OR and Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento and Santa Rosa/Sonoma County, CA. Hurry, this offer is only available until March 20th! Visit Alaskaair.com (visit on or after March 13th)

Alaska Airlines Introduces Low Fare Calendar

Finding a low fare at the Alaska Airlines website just got a little easier. In addition to searching for flights by schedule and price on a particular day, you can now broadly search over an entire month for the cheapest available flights. Click here for more information on the new functionality.

Alaska Airlines Changes Miles Requirement for Free Travel

On Thursday, Alaska Airlines announced changes to its Mileage Plan account. Unlike recent changes to other airline frequent flyer programs, generally considered unfavorable to consumers, Alaska's announcement carries less of a sting.

For example, a domestic round-trip Coach Saver award ticket will now require 25,000 miles, compared to 20,000 points previously needed; this change aligns with most other airlines. But, the change begins November 1st, effectively allowing flyer's to redeem at the lower points level for the next few months.

Also, Alaska will offer Intra-State award travel for only 15,000 miles. Previously only available in Alaska, passengers flying wholly within AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, or WA receive a 10,000 mile reduction in the cost of award resumptions.

Other changes, including a $25 fee for booking award travel with an Alaska partner, will be instituted, but again, not until later this Fall. Click here to read the entire Alaska Airlines announcement.

Alaska Airlines Double Miles Promo: Bay Area to/from Seattle

Alaska is offering double Mileage Plan miles for flights between San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to Seattle between June 1st and August 31st. You must register for the promotion prior to your first qualifying flight.

Alaska Airlines Expands Its 'West Most' Schedule, Competition Underway

Fierce competition is underway between Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. Alaska Air, based in Seattle, is well established with routes throughout the West Coast. Meanwhile, San Francisco based Virgin America recently launched flights to and from Seattle with introductory prices as low as $73 each way. Alaska has responded with a huge "West Most" marketing campaign, designed to remind travelers of the extensive network and frequency of flights offered. 

Between San Francisco and Seattle for example, Alaska offers 10 daily flights, including a recent announcement of adding 2 new departures in July. If you add in Oakland and San Jose airports, Alaska has 24 daily flights up to Seattle. Virgin pales in comparison, operating only 3 daily flights. In fact, Alaska Airlines and sister-airline Horizon offer flights to 16 airports in California alone, whereas Virgin America flies to only 3 airports in the Golden State.

Despite lacking daily flights, Virgin America is more about a wonderful onboard experience. Probably no other domestic airline offers such good onboard amenities and features as Virgin.   But they are the new guy in town competing against Alaska, a familiar face to the Bay Area market. In time, we will see if both can survive in the same market.

Alaska Airlines Announces Several Fee Hikes

Citing "a need to raise certain fees to better align them with the current costs of providing added services," Alaska Airlines announced several hikes in fees. In a press release, the airline stated these added costs are part of a larger strategy to further increase revenues and reduce expenses.

New Alaska Fees Effective May 21, 2008:

• Booking an airline ticket through phone reservations: Increases from $10 to $15.


• Fee for overweight baggage: Increases from $25 to $50.


• Charge for transporting pets in the cabin: Was $75, will increase to $100.


• Unaccompanied minor fee: Originally $30-$75, new charge $60-$75 each way.
  

The airline announced it will begin charging a second checked bag fee of $25 this summer as well, a move most of the major airlines will be implementing as well.

Santa Rosa - Las Vegas (non-stop!) begins April 24th

Thanks to added service out of Santa Rosa airport, North Bay flyers will soon have access to non-stop flights into Las Vegas. Beginning April 24th, Horizon airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, will operate a single daily flight on this route utilizing a 76-seat Q-400 (pictured to the left) turboprop aircraft. Introductory fares are available for as little as $69 each way.

In addition to this point-to-point route, Horizon began flights from Santa Rosa to its Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles hubs or "focus cities" last March. Visit www.horizonair.com for more information.

San Jose - Palm Springs now available - NONstop

Horizon Air will inaugurate new once-daily, nonstop jet service between San Jose and Palm Springs today. The seasonal service will run through April 6, 2008. The only other competition in this market is from United Airlines with twice daily service from SFO.

The new flights will be operated with 70-seat CRJ-700 regional jets and feature Horizon’s special brand of inflight service, including snacks, Starbucks coffee, and wine and microbrews at no extra charge. A quick check of fares showed prices as low as $74.00 each way for advance ticketing.

Horizon and Alaska currently serve Palm Springs with year-round nonstop flights from Sacramento, San Francisco.

Delta Airlines: Changes to frequent flyer redemption's effective December 1st. "SkyChoice Award Ticket Reservations will no longer be available on every Delta flight in which a seat is available for sale. SkyChoice Award Ticket Reservations will continue to be available on most Delta flights, but seats will be limited and possibly unavailable on some flights."

Translation: Under the current policy, a "SkySaver" award redemption for travel in the U.S is 25,000 miles, subject to capacity control (hard to find an available seat). You still had the option of spending 50,000 miles though "SkyChoice" and you could choose any seat on any flight. New policy states "SkyChoice" will now also be capacity controlled (you can no longer have any seat, any flight), but you will have more options than a Saver ticket.

Alaska Airlines: Effective April 1, 2008. Mile balances in your Alaska Air frequent flyer account will expire after 2 years of no activity (down from the existing 3 year requirement).

Alaska Airlines adds online change tool, raises fees

In a press release today, Alaska Airlines announced the addition of a new online tool which enables customers to make changes to their reservation. More importantly, the tool will immediately provide up to 20 alternate routing's and any applicable fare increase.

Also, in an effort to keep people online for their travel needs, change fees performed by an Alaska Airlines phone or airport representative will cost $75 for tickets purchased after October 2nd; the fee for changing online remains at $50.

Bay Area to Ketchikan, Alaska - $185 round-trip + tax

FareCompare is reporting a great fare to an interesting little city in Alaska. Fly Alaska Airlines from SFO/OAK to Ketchikan "the gateway to Alaska" for about $230 with taxes. This route often runs over $400. The low fare is valid Tue, Wed and Saturdays during September and October - great months to visit Alaska in general.

Fare is available for purchase as of 11:55am

Visit http://www.farecompare.com/ or http://www.alaskaair.com/ for available dates. This cheap fare won't be around long...

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