:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/QLC72DWX2NHOVFJLQA4WDXWXHU.jpg "If you look long and hard enough, you may just find some airfares that will boggle your mind")
Because I love to travel, there are a couple of exercises I perform each day. First, I do a quick glance at some of my favorite destinations to see if rates are going up or down. Then, I check the mailbox to see if credit card companies are sending any bonus offers if I get a new card.
If you look long enough and dig deep enough, you’re likely to find some really crazy deals. Mind you, some of the deals are really good. Others are really weird. Last week, I uncovered a couple of doozies.
Fares from Anchorage to Guatemala are pretty inexpensive to begin with. As Alaska Airlines ramped up service from Los Angeles, more travelers started taking a closer look at the country, just south of Mexico. Alaska Airlines competes with Delta, United and American Airlines on the route, so it’s a competitive market.
Avianca, one of the largest airlines in Central America, doesn’t fly all the way to Anchorage. But they’re offering a $99.30 one-way fare from Anchorage to Guatemala City. Avianca is part of the Star Alliance along with United and Lufthansa. But in this case, Avianca uses Alaska Airlines to fly travelers first to Los Angeles before they continue to Guatemala City.
There’s no advance purchase required to get this rate. Last time I checked (on Friday), seats were available on Aug. 25 and 26, Sept. 1, 6, 20, 24 and 27. Reservations are available on Avianca’s website.
Although it’s a really inexpensive flight, there’s a long layover in L.A. Flying on Sept. 6, the layover is almost 16 hours.
While the $99.30 one-way fare is a Basic Economy fare on Avianca, it’s booked in the main cabin on Alaska’s nonstop between Anchorage and Los Angeles. That means travelers receive full mileage credit (2,340 miles) and can request an assigned seat. Because the reservation must be made on Avianca’s website, you may have to call Alaska to get your seat assignment in advance.
This itinerary is a perfect example of a Skiplagged moment. That is, where an itinerary to a point beyond Los Angeles is significantly less than a ticket just to LA. A short-notice ticket on Alaska’s nonstop flight can cost more than $500 one-way.
Getting back from Guatemala to Anchorage on short notice is more expensive, but still affordable: $250-$300 one-way on either United or Alaska Airlines.
Plan ahead for next winter and get a cheap rate in both directions. The $99.30 one-way fare is available between Jan. 10 and March 9, 2025. The return flight, also with a lengthy layover in L.A., is $148 one-way between Jan. 9 and March 3, 2025.
If this seems like a good deal for you, make your reservations promptly. I was corresponding with one traveler about these rates and she asked, “How long do these deals usually last?”
I answered, “Not long.”
In fact, last night the same $99 fare was available from Anchorage to El Salvador’s international airport in San Salvador. That’s the country just south of Guatemala. But today, that bargain is gone.
[Best practices for trouble-free travel to the Lower 48]
If you still want to visit Europe via one of the seasonal nonstop flights, there’s a last-minute deal on Condor.
Fly nonstop from Anchorage on Thursday, Sept 5, returning on either Sept. 12 or 14. The price for an economy ticket is $510 round-trip. Just last week it was $550 round-trip and I thought that was a deal! Since Condor is a mileage partner with Alaska Airlines, you can earn 50% of the actual miles flown with Condor. For the return flight on either Sept. 12 or 14, it’s $190 one-way to upgrade to Premium class. There’s more legroom, a bigger luggage limit and nicer seats. Book this reservation at Condor’s website.
If you would rather redeem Alaska Airlines miles for your Condor flight, it’s 27,500 miles for the outbound flight on Sept. 5 to Frankfurt, plus $49 in fees. For the return flight, it’s also 27,500 Alaska Air miles for economy, or 35,000 for Premium. Add on $197 in fees. Book your mileage tickets on Alaska Air’s website.
On the credit card front, Alaska Airlines really wants you to have one or two Visa cards! On my flight back from Portland the other day, the flyer in the seat-back pocket boasted a 65,000-mile bonus if you paid the $95 fee and made the minimum spend ($3,000 charged within the first 90 days). The bonus amount changes from time to time — I’ve seen it as high as 70,000 miles. That will get you to Frankfurt and back, as long as you pay the $246 in fees.
I carry a couple of credit cards from Chase, because of its Ultimate Rewards program. Once you get your points, you can shift them to several different airlines or hotel companies, including Hyatt, Bonvoy (Sheraton and Marriott) or IHG (Holiday Inn and Intercontinental).
In the mail, I received an offer for the Ink Business Preferred card from Chase. What caught my eye was the 120,000-point bonus. To get this boatload of points, which is worth between $1,200-$1,500, you have to pay the fee of $95 and charge at least $8,000 in the first three months. That’s a lot of free nights at Hyatt Hotels.
Honestly, I’m still pondering whether I could come up with $8,000 in charges — but I’m seriously considering this card just to get the bonus points!
In addition to shifting the points to any number of airlines, you also can redeem the points at Chase’s travel service at the rate of a penny a point. That’s not a great exchange rate, but you could use your points to buy tickets at Alaska Airlines — and earn miles on your ticket.
Remember: All fares are subject to change without notice. And they change all the time.
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