Competitive airfares out of Juneau sticking around this fall, winter

Delta Air Lines started a daily flight between Seattle and Juneau May 29. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
Delta Air Lines year-round service means more competitive fares. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

The end of summer signals a few things – goodbye cruise ships, superfluous jewelry stores and many food trucks. One thing that is sticking around this fall and winter is Delta Air Lines. That means more affordable ways to leave the capital city.

Delta Air Lines started seasonal flights in Juneau the summer of 2014. Last January, the airline announced it would introduce year-round service, so this is the first fall Juneau will see competitive air fares to the Lower 48.

“Delta is making a play to really make an impact on this market,” said Scott McMurren, a travel analyst based in Anchorage.

He’s a loyal Alaska Airlines flyer, has MVP Gold status and usually gets upgraded.

“But Delta does a fine job, too. They’re world class. So people can make their own decisions and now they can save some money in the process,” McMurren said.

Between Juneau and Seattle, you can fly roundtrip for as low as $190 on both Alaska and Delta. For other cities like Portland, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Boston, Delta has the edge.

Scott McMurren is a travel expert based in Anchorage. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
Scott McMurren is a travel expert based in Anchorage. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)

“Alaska has reacted by lowering its prices but not all the way and not on every flight and not on every day. For example, between Juneau and L.A., Alaska is sitting in there at $330 round-trip. So it’s lower, but not quite as low as Delta, $240 round-trip.”

McMurren anticipates Alaska will ultimately match the low prices if its passenger loads aren’t meeting expectations, “but I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”

McMurren encourages flyers to take a holistic approach to flying. Don’t just take the base fares into account. Also look at checked baggage costs, mileage, schedule of the flights and type of aircraft. Alaska offers free checked baggage to its Club 49 members, whereas Delta only offers that if you join its mileage program.

“But if you got a family of four and you’re going to L.A. and it’s a hundred dollars apiece difference, I think that people are really going to take a second look,” McMurren said.

McMurren says he will always prefer flying Alaska, but it’s worth checking the competition.

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