Alaska Air fall sale lists cheap flights to Mexico, Alaska, Montana, Oregon and Washington

It might make for a tough decision: Head up to the Pacific Northwest before it gets too wet, or take advantage of cheap flights to Mexico. But wait — if you’ve always wanted to see Alaska in the winter, or visit friends in Montana, this could be a good time too. Alaska Air has a sale on right now with flights to Bend, Ore.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Seattle and Santa Rosa, Calif. out of Los Angeles (LAX) starting at $69 one-way, pre-tax. If you feel like skipping the drive, Mammoth Lakes is also on that list. (Remember, service to Mammoth Lakes begins Dec. 17).

Several cities in Mexico are included in the Fall Sale. Flights from Los Angeles to Mexico start at $75 for Los Cabos and cap off at $139 each way for Manzanillo. But flights to popular south of the border cities such as Puerto Vallarta start at $109 and Cancun, Mazatlan and Mexico City all start at $119 each way. Note: The low-fare calendar wasn’t working for Cancun, La Paz, Puerto Vallarta, and it made it hard to search for the cheapest fares. You might want to call if you have a tough time finding sale prices online.

September marks the shoulder season for Alaska. If you have questions about when to go to Alaska, Frommers breaks down what you can expect weather wise by seasons and months. December through March sounds like a lovely time to visit Alaska if you want to see the Aurora Borealis or try some winter outdoor activities like skiing, snowmobiling or dog sledding. But note that the Alaska Air Fall sale is only good for flights through Feb. 10.

Tested: I tested flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Cancun (CUN) on various dates in October, November, December and January and couldn’t find a ticket for less than $334 round trip, (Dec. 1 - 8). However, I did find flights between Los Angeles and Seattle for $69 each way on dates I actually wanted to travel (Nov. 3-7). And when I tested Los Angeles (LAX) to Juneau (JNU) — recently mentioned in the New York Times in reference to Juneau residents bragging that they have the most beautiful capital city in America — and found fares for $258 each way, which is less than their sale rates of $269 each way. I also tested flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Santa Rosa (STS) and found plenty of $69 sale fares.

When: Book your tickets by Sept. 10 for travel through Feb. 10. See restrictions for blackout dates. Dates vary by destination.

Contact: Alaska Air, (800) 252-7522

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: A fishing boat works the waters near Juneau, Alaska. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 8:02 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Airline travel, Alaska, Arizona, Deals, Fall, Last Minute, Mexico, News, Tips & Advice, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Ski & Winter, Washington, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.