At a press conference Tuesday morning at Ted Stevens' Anchorage International Airport, Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden introduced "Club 49," an Alaska-residents-only membership group that provides special benefits and discount fares to residents flying to, from or within the Last Frontier.

Making the announcement on Alaska Day, Tilden said that the program was a way of saying "thanks" to Alaskans. There are three key elements to the program:

• Two free checked bags for any Club 49 members flying to or from Alaska, beginning Nov. 1.
• Two 30-percent-off certificates for one-way, short-notice tickets that can be used to book a flight within four days of needed travel time. This is intended largely for emergencies and applies to travel to, from, or within Alaska.
• Special airfare sales offered every week to one Alaska destination and one Lower 48 destination. The initial sale, which began Tuesday morning, includes a $99 (one-way) fare from Anchorage to Bethel and $179 one-way tickets between Anchorage and Seattle. These fares are available to everybody -- not just Alaska residents or Club 49 members -- and a limited number of the weekly special tickets are available. Club 49 members will receive an email notifying them of the fares before other Alaska Airlines newsletter enrollees, said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan.

Joe Sprague, vice president of marketing for Alaska Airlines, said that the program was created in response to feedback they'd gotten from Alaska customers.

"Really, the entire program was designed with some very specific feedback in mind," Sprague said. "Earlier this year, Alaska Airlines undertook a survey of residents ... and we talked to several hundred folks here in the state of Alaska, specifically about what they would like to see enhanced with respect to air travel to, from and within Alaska."

There is little competition for flights between Alaska and the hub cities of Seattle and Portland, with Alaska Airlines the primary provider. This has led to fares to those cities often being higher than those flying into farther-away destinations like L.A., where airline competition is more fierce.

Tilden wouldn't comment on how the program might affect Alaska Airlines profit or how much revenue it might generate. He also wasn't able to say definitively how permanent the program might be, adding that "the hope is that this program is in place for many, many years to come."

As with all things airlines these days, there are restrictions to the benefits. The fine print of the fare sales notes that seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or all days. The fares are restricted to travel on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturdays only. Additionally, Alaska travel writer (and Alaska Dispatch contributor) Scott McMurren noted the blackout dates for the introductory special fare offerings, which run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 10, with exceptions.

"No travel from Alaska to Seattle/Portland Nov. 16-23, 2011," McMurren says in a post on his site, which rules out one week prior to Thankgiving Day, which falls on Nov. 24 this year. Returning to Alaska from those destinations is also restricted from Nov. 26-30.

Still, for Alaskans seeking respite from the hidden-fee happy world of air travel nowadays, Club 49 represents a step forward. Egan noted that a family of four checking one bag each apiece would realize a potential savings of $160 on a round-trip ticket. Checking a bag with Alaska Airlines currently costs $20 each for the first, second and third bag, and $50 for the fourth bag and each bag thereafter. 

Sprague said that more than 100 Alaskans had already signed up for the program, including one member of the audience who sat down to watch the press conference while she waited for a flight and who had signed up earlier that morning. Alaskans wishing to sign up for Club 49 may do so at the new website, and be sure to view the Frequently Asked Questions for some more details.

Contact Ben Anderson at ben(at)alaskadispatch.com