Alaska Airlines sale gives a taste of lower fall fares

I just got a $104 credit from Alaska Airlines. That's a great way to start out the week. Alaska announced a system-wide fare sale for travel through Dec. 15, 2010.

Honestly, this is a perfect sale for those of us who simply cannot wait until the Permanent Fund Dividend sales are announced at the end of September.

My ticket is to Ketchikan. It went down from $461 to about $357 roundtrip, with a 14-day advance purchase. In fact, the intra-Alaska fares are some of the best features of this sale offering. For example, Anchorage-Juneau is just $270.50 roundtrip, all-in. Another standout: Anchorage-Bethel for $266 roundtrip, all-in. Or Anchorage-Cordova for just $183 roundtrip, all-in. I love the Kodiak fare -- just $206 roundtrip.

Almost all of Alaska's in-state destinations are on sale -- seven days a week. Purchase by Aug. 31. The first day you can travel on these fares is Sept. 8, 2010.

Traveling out-of-state takes a little more finesse to get the right fare. The price to Seattle still is $446.10 roundtrip, all-in. And I'm thrilled that the price to Portland still is just $400 roundtrip, all-in. Alaska Airlines is making a big push in Portland -- so there's downward pressure on the fares!

September is a great time to fly to Chicago on Alaska Airlines. The roundtrip fare is just $388, including taxes. Whoa. The fare goes up by about $70 in October -- and it's restricted to Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday travel. For the best fares -- fly on the nonstop from Anchorage.

Flying to Washington, DC is still less expensive on Delta, Continental or American. Alaska is charging $493, while Continental is just $446 roundtrip, all-in.

It's a little more complex if you're flying to New York. Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines cooperate to offer the lowest fare into LaGuardia or Kennedy Airport: just $479 roundtrip, all-in. Plus, there is a Delta promotion going on to offer double miles for tickets that include both airlines. It's double "SkyTeam" miles, though. And unfortunately, the bonus miles do not get you closer to qualifying for the upper-tier frequent flyer status.

If you want to fly Alaska Airlines into Newark, be prepared to shell out a hefty $637 roundtrip. And only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Otherwise, it's $664. Yikes!

And if you're going to Denver from Anchorage, you're better off to fly with Delta Air Lines. It's just $339 roundtrip, compared with Alaska Airlines' fare of $557! Stay tuned, though. Alaska's rate is likely to come down.

If you don't see your city here, you may have to wait for the PFD sale next month. But you may see some intermittent price drops as the summer ends -- and airlines readjust schedules and prices for the fall.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant who has lived in Alaska for three decades, spending much of that time traveling the far-flung corners of the state. Visit his website at www.alaskatravelgram.com.