Alaska Airlines is offering a sale on flights to Hawaii this week, with fares as low as $179 each way from San Jose to Kauai, $199 each way from San Diego to Kona, $199 each way from Portland to Maui, or $229 each way from Anchorage to Honolulu.
This winter has been more mild than usual, so I haven’t felt the gnawing desperation to soak in the sun. But I might be tempted to squeeze in a long weekend sometime between April 16 and May 23. (Check out my latest post on the Fairmont Orchid Hawaii.) All fares must be booked by March 2.
With Southwest Airlines entering the Hawaii market soon, we could see renewed fare competition that will keep prices permanently low. Alaska Airlines is currently the largest carrier between the west coast and the islands, but it’s mostly an accident of history as they took advantage of the gap created by Aloha Air and ATA.
That’s not to say that United, American, and Delta don’t offer their own competing service to Hawaii — especially if you’re looking for a non-stop flight and starting east of the Rockies — but out here, Alaska is a pretty big player.
Fortunately you can use your Alaska Airlines companion fare on any Hawaii flight in economy class, including already-discounted fares published as part of this sale. There are no destination restrictions. The only real requirement is that it can’t be in first class (main cabin or premium economy are both okay), and you can’t be using any other discount codes. Because the current sale doesn’t require a discount code, the companion fare can be easily stacked on top.
The best part: using the companion fare doesn’t prevent you from requesting an upgrade to first class later.
