Find cheap Alaska Airlines flights

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is known for its generous mileage plan and some creative offers, such as its subscription flight pass, its Wine Flies Free program and its 20-minute baggage guarantee. And although their branded credit card isn't available in Canada anymore, there are some ways to earn credit card miles for Alaska Airlines with credit cards in Canada.

The airline has hubs in Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Portland, OR (PDX), Los Angeles (LAX) and Anchorage, AK (ANC). With Horizon Air and other regional partners, Alaska serves more than 120 destinations across Canada, the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. As a oneworld alliance member, the airline also has partnerships with about 30 global airlines.

Cabin classes and fares on Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines Saver Fares

Alaska Airlines Saver Fares can be a good bargain, but they come with some restrictions. For example, while your seat will be in the Main Cabin with this fare, you won’t get a seat assignment until check in, you’ll board last (in Group E or F), no changes are allowed, and Mileage Plan members will only earn 30% of the actual miles flown. A checked bag is not included. I’ll book these fares on short flights, when I’m travelling light and when my budget is tight, but otherwise usually opt for a Main Cabin fare.

Main Cabin

Main Cabin fares allow you to choose a pre-assigned seat in the main or economy cabin. These fares are changeable up to 24 hours before your flight; if you make a switch, you’d just pay any difference in the fare, if needed. No checked bag is included.

Premium Class

Premium cabin fares offer priority boarding, extra legroom and complimentary wine, beer and cocktails on flights over 350 miles (560 km). You can upgrade from Main Cabin fares to Premium by paying an extra fee, while your mileage plan status may get you upgraded for free. Last year I received the complimentary upgrade just enough to be convinced that I “need” a premium seat all the time. Now I spend the extra cash (and it’s often doesn’t take that much) to buy the upgrade.

First Class

In the first-class cabin, your ticket gets you seat with extra legroom, footrests and up to a 104 cm pitch, two free checked bags, priority boarding, 75% more Mileage Plan bonus miles than with a main or economy class ticket and complimentary meals you can (and should) order ahead. Lounge access is included when at least one leg of your flight is more than 2,000 miles (3,220 km).

Alaska Airlines’ Flight Pass subscription

For flyers frequently zipping around the west coast of the US, Alaska Airlines offers a multi-tiered flight pass subscription program that includes from 6 to 24 roundtrip flights a year for flight credits between 15 popular destinations in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah with few restrictions. If you travel a lot within the region or between selected cities included, say between San Francisco and Palm Springs or between Salt Lake City and San Diego, this can be a very convenient and cost-efficient way to do it. I’m just jealous my home-base city isn’t included in the plan.

Alaska Airlines’ aircraft

Alaska uses Boeing 737 aircraft and Embraer 175 aircraft with the face of an Alaska Native on the tail, a nod to the history with and commitment to Alaskan communities.

Keep an eye out for the airline’s commemorative liveries, or paint schemes, which celebrate Disney themes and regional sports teams and honour members of the U.S. military, veterans, fallen soldiers and their families. My favourites are the orca-adorned West Coast Wonders plane and the X̱áat Ḵwáani plane, which translates to “Salmon People” in the Alaskan Tlingit language.

Bag fees

Alaska Airlines allows each traveller to board with one personal item that will fit under the seat and one carry-on bag. First class ticket holders may check two bags for free and bag fees may be waived for others, including Alaska Airlines credit card holders, Elite level Mileage Plan members, and U.S. military personnel. As a nice benefit, Mileage Plan members may check a case of wine for free when flying from 32 select airports (see below).

Alaska Airlines 20-minute bag guarantee

Alaska Airlines offers a 20-minute baggage guarantee. There are some exceptions, (i.e. international flights and flights between Anchorage and Dutch Harbor) but if your bags do not show up on the bag claim carousel within 20 minutes of your plane’s arrival at the gate the airline has a standing offer to give you either discount code towards a future flight or 2,500 bonus miles in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

Mileage Plan frequent flyer program

Alaska Airlines has one of the more generous frequent flyer programs, with award travel that can start at just 5,000 miles (8,050 km) and perks that kick in after 20,000 miles flown (32,200 km). In certain locations, your Mileage Plan membership (no status needed) and your boarding pass will even get you free wine tastings and ski passes (see below).

Ship wine for free. Drink wine for free.

Wine-tasting is a part of many trips to the United States west coast, but flying home with wine can be challenging and, if a bottle breaks in your luggage, messy. Alaska Airlines’ Wine Flies Free program solves that problem for flights within the US. Under this program, members of Mileage Plan program aged 21 and older can check a case of properly packed wine (up to 12 bottles, weighing 23 kg or less) for free from 32 airports in the United States, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California to any other US airport. The box of wine you check will not even count towards your checked bag allowance. Unfortunately, this program does not apply to flights with Canadian destinations.

But here's a “secret” and very generous benefit of Alaska Airlines’ Wine Flies Free program that Canadian flyers can take part in. In Idaho, Oregon and Washington you can get free wine tastings at participating wineries by showing your recent inbound boarding pass and your Mileage Plan membership. I’ve taken advantage of this perk numerous times and found the participating wineries delighted to honour it.

Show your boarding pass, ski for free

And here’s one more “secret” perk: skiers flying on Alaska Airlines to Edmonton (YEG), Calgary (YYC), Anchorage (ANC), Boise (BOI), Spokane (GEG) or Steamboat Springs/Hayden (HDN), airports can also show their inbound boarding pass and Mileage Plan membership to get a free ski pass at participating ski resorts.

Lounges

Alaska Airlines has lounges in Anchorage (ANC), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). There are 2 lounges in Portland, OR (PDX) and 3, including the airlines’ swanky Flagship Lounge on the N Concourse, in Seattle (SEA). Perks include comfortable seating, complimentary food and drink, including many regional specialties, as well as barista-made espresso drinks. Whether you’re there at breakfast time or not, be sure to check out the marvellous machine that ‘prints’ pancakes.

Alaska Airlines lounge access is available through paid memberships, day passes (when available), some first-class tickets and certain oneworld alliance status. If you have an Alaska Lounge+ membership, you may also access American Airlines Admirals clubs when flying American or Alaska, which is especially useful for those flying to or from Toronto airport.

Wi-Fi and entertainment

Alaska Airlines offers entertainment that can be streamed for free on your own device. On flights equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi, the airline offers all passengers free texting, but charges are fee for Wi-Fi. Depending on your plan, T-Mobile customers may get free Wi-Fi. My plan, for example, gives me unlimited free one-hour sessions and four full-flights sessions per year. Other plans offer unlimited sessions.

Alaska Airlines Company Store

You can buy branded Alaska Airlines swag, airplane models in assorted designs and sizes and a wide variety of cool travel gear, drinkware, sportwear and even gifts for your pets and your kids at the Alaska Airlines Company Store. The shop is accessible online and at the Alaska Airlines office building called “The Hub,” which is just down the road from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at 19235 International Blvd.Hours on weekdays only. Bonus: you can do some serious plane spotting from the Alaska Airline parking lot any day.