Alaska Airlines - Travel Deals

Psst…friends…gather around. Come closer. I am only going to say this once and I don’t want to say it too loudly so that the whole world knows. Ok, ready? Good. From now until November 11, 2007, you can save 15% on select Alaska Airlines flights if you enter the discount code – EC06507 – when you order your tickets online. The usual restrictions apply. Let’s just keep this as a little secret between you and me.

The average high temperature in Anchorage, Alaska in December is 23.7 degrees. That sounds brutal until you learn that the average high temperature in January is 22.2 degrees and the average low temperature is 9.3 degrees. You have to be a hearty soul to appreciate that kind of weather or someone who wouldn’t mind a free trip to a beautiful part of the world.

You can experience Anchorage in the winter by entering and winning a contest that offers two free tickets from Alaska Airlines, three night’s accommodations in Alaska’s largest city and passes to the Tour of Anchorage ski marathon in early March.

Lest you think that Anchorage’s residents spend all of their time in the winter months huddled around the fireplace, there are actually quite a few public events like the Tour of Anchorage that occur during the coldest times of the year. The most famous is the Iditarod Sled Dog Race which pits humans and canine friends against the elements. There’s also Alpine skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling and ample opportunities to view the Northern Lights. I also have it on good authority that Anchorage has a nifty little nightlife with ample spots to warm your insides with some tasty beverages.

You know that important email from your boss that you couldn’t get to in time because you were on an airplane crusing at 35,000 feet? Soon you might not have that excuse. Alaska Airlines plans to test out wireless internet service on flights starting in Spring 2008.

The technology will provide customers with a unique entertainment and business network at 35,000 feet. Passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as laptop computers, PDAs, smartphones and portable gaming systems, will have high-speed access to the Internet, e-mail, virtual private networks and stored inflight entertainment content.

Unlike air-to-ground services, Row 44’s satellite-based system is designed to function over land, water and across international borders, enabling service throughout Alaska’s route system in Alaska, the Lower 48 states, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.

There is no word on how much this will cost travelers but I’m hoping it is prohibitively expensive. In a world where we are all connected to computers and handheld devices 24 hours a day, it is kind of nice to take a seat on an airplane and to get away from it all.

It also means we are moving one step closer to the use of cell phones on planes, which in my mind will be the official beginning of the end.

One of the wonderful things about living in the United States is that the country offers a rich geographic diversity. You can spend time in, say, New England or the Southeast and feel like you have traveled to another part of the world without having to exchange currencies or learn a new language. You can be a stranger in a not so strange land

Exploring the country’s various regions can be a lot of fun and with the advent of cheapie airlines it is becoming more and more affordable to do the regional exploring by plane. Case in point, the autumn sale that Alaska Airlines is currently offering. Alaska has excellent prices on flights to destinations throughout the west coast of the United States and even into Mexico.

You can explore some of the nation’s finest cities like Seattle and San Francisco, or sample scenery outside Portland and Boise. You can see the stunning coastline or get your groove on in the mountains. For less than the cost of renting a car and filling it with a tank of gas you can make your way up and down the west coast. What a fun way to spend a few days this fall!

The airline named after the 49th state has announced that it will have service to the 50th state starting this fall. Alaska Airlines will have daily flights between Seattle and Honolulu, and Seattle and Lihu’e on the island of Kauai. If you have never been to Kauai you really should give it some consideration. It is arguably the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands and one that can still be visited without feeling like you are in one big tourist playground.

Alaska Airlines also will have seasonal flights between Anchorage and Honolulu. By seasonal, one can only mean that it will be in the winter time when you know all the people in Hawaii will be eager to escape to the great white north. Just kidding. Alaskans will be stoked to have another option for flights to Hawaii. In fact, I think the two states should form a partnership where citizens from each get to visit one another for free.

For the rest of us, Alaska’s foray into Hawaii just means an increased likelihood of competitive prices on flights to paradise. Find the best deals on airfare to Hawaii and other helpful information to plan your trip to the islands.

Mother’s Day is Sunday. This Sunday, that is. As in, mere days from now. Have you forgotten about it or put off buying something because you have been too busy? You aren’t alone. Millions of Americans wait until the last minute to buy presents for holidays and Mother’s Day is no exception. Heck, I am so surprised that most of us can even get our act together to buy presents without the assistance of dear old mom.

If you are in the category of someone needing to buy a last minute gift, Alaska/Horizon Airlines are here to help.

Visit FTD.com and make both mom and your Mileage Plan Account happy with 20 miles per one dollar spent on your purchases. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, and FTD.com can help you treat mom to the very best selection of flowers and gifts.

Get shopping already. Time is ticking and if you forget to get her anything you are going to really need some mileage points to fly far, far away from her. A special thanks to all the moms out there for bringing life into the world. That was very kind of you. Happy Mother’s Day.

For those who are lucky enough to stay married for 75 years and still have their wits about them, there is a great reward. The traditional gift for a 75th wedding anniversary is a diamond. The modern gift is gold. Either way I think that if you are able to love someone for that long you deserve more than just precious jewels. You deserve a medal of honor and a statue in Washington, DC.

As part of their celebration of being in business for 75 years, Alaska Airlines will not be handing out diamonds or gold along with your bag of peanuts. Instead, they are offering up some seriously discounted flights. What better way to celebrate than to fly from Orange County to Oakland for $35? Show them your love by going from Boise to Portland for $45. Let them know that you care by flying from Walla Walla to Seattle for $65.

With prices that cheap I am not sure they will be able to stay in business for another year, let alone long enough to celebrate their 80th anniversary. You are supposed to receive pearls if you make it that long. I suggest you receive sainthood instead.

Do you reckon that people in sunny, warm climates ever feel the urge to visit someplace that is cloudy and gray? As we search for travel deals each and every day we often come across trips to warm weather places, but never have we come across a deal that promotes how cloudy and miserable a destination is. Maybe someone could fill this market by specializing in trips to dreary weather locations.

In the meantime, we are stuck with deals to places like Arizona. This isn’t a bad consolation prize, really. Arizona is lovely in the spring and you’ll find many people who say it is lovely all year round. These are also people who say that 120 degree heat isn’t bad because it is “dry”. Perhaps. But that is still way too hot for my liking.

In my mind Arizona exists for this time of year. It is there to serve as an oasis after a winter of cold and gray. It is the place to go to reintroduce your skin to Vitamin D and to dust off the golf clubs. It is a destination for Spring Break and a place for some self indulgent pampering. It is the opposite of the cloudy, dreary weather tours that do not exist.

Flights to Arizona also happen to be on sale right this very second thanks to Alaska Airlines.

There is no surer sign that spring is on the way than hearing the crack of the bat, the cheers from the crowd and the sight of saliva being expunged from players’ mouths. Baseball is the great American pastime. If you are a baseball purist, or simply someone who appreciates sitting out in the sun eating junk food and drinking overpriced watered down beer, going to spring training will be something you’ll cherish forever.

There are two leagues when it comes to spring training baseball. There is the Grapefruit League in Florida and the Cactus League in Arizona. Both offer ample opportunities to get an up close and personal look at some of the best athletes in the world, while also allowing you to reintroduce yourself to the sun after a long winter of hibernation.

Alaska Airlines has a nice vacation package deal to watch the Seattle Mariners play in Peoria, Arizona. Don’t worry, even if you aren’t a Mariners fan you can take advantage of this offer and go watch another team in the Cactus League or simply go to Arizona and play a few rounds of golf.

For those who prefer the action in the Grapefruit League, you can do a quick search for cheap plane tickets to Florida.

Here is a pretty sweet offer for kids both big and small. If you book a Disneyland vacation package with Alaska Airlines, children under the age of 11 can fly free. That sure beats the usual efforts you need to take to get your kids a free flight like stuffing them in your carryon bags and hoping that the TSA doesn’t check your luggage.

If you are a parent, chances are that you have heard of this place called Disneyland. Chances are that at one time or another, your child has expressed in interest in visiting Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and the gang. Chances are that you have noticed that prices on Disney vacations go way up and way down depending on the time of year. Chances are that you are a smart consumer and a smart traveler and that you would rather pay less than more.

This is one time of year when the prices are going down so it would behoove you as a parent to get your reservations made soon and to inform your child that on this trip they actually get to sit in an airplane chair and that they won’t be stowed away in the overhead compartment.