Cheap flights to
Alaska

As much as we wish there was one magical day when flights are cheapest, that’s not the case. There is a time period when you’re most likely to find deals, though. The Goldilocks window—not too soon before a flight, not too late—is the best time to start looking for flights. It’s about 1-3 months before domestic flights or 2-8 months before international flights. And if you plan to travel during peak season, add a few months to that.

So, if you’re planning to visit Alaska in July, one of the busiest months, you should start looking for flights in the winter. Last-minute deals are basically non-existent during busy travel seasons, with fare jumps happening 21, 14, and 7 days before departure dates. So don’t procrastinate or hope flights will get cheaper if you just wait another week. Book before the 21-day mark if possible.

This is our trick for getting to popular Greek Islands during peak travel times without spending an arm and a leg. It entails getting as close as possible, like to a major European city, then finding a budget airline flight for your last leg.

But it can work for Alaska, too. What’s the cheapest flight you can get that gets you close? If you’re flying from Miami to Anchorage, flights could be upwards of $600. But what if you can find a $200 flight from Miami to Vancouver and a $150 flight from Vancouver to Anchorage? You just saved a couple hundred dollars.

This is similar to the Greek Islands Trick but in reverse. If your home airport is expensive to fly out of, look for cheap flights to Alaska from other airports. Ideally, these other airports would be within driving distance, but even if you have to take an extra flight, it could be worth it.

Seattle has the most direct and often the cheapest flights to various Alaskan cities. So if flights from your home city are prohibitively expensive, try looking for flights from Seattle. If you see a great deal for a $200 flight from Seattle to Anchorage, it could be worth seeing if you can then find a cheap flight to Seattle. Flights from New Orleans to Alaska, for example, can range upwards of $600. But sometimes, there are flight deals from New Orleans to Seattle for $200 or less. It takes some planning and some math, but could also save you money.

Summer is the busiest time to visit Alaska, but that means it's also the most expensive. It’s simple supply and demand. People want to fly, so airlines can raise flight prices. But if you travel during shoulder season, late spring or early fall, you can often find great deals and still take advantage of nice weather.

The more flexible you can be with your travel dates, the more options you have to find cheap flights. Play around with dates and days. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly, for example. Unsurprisingly, weekend travel on Fridays and Sundays is the most expensive.

Flight alerts are your friend. They keep you from searching flights day after day, only to miss the one time a fare actually does drop. Set an alert for your Alaska dates (or multiple alerts if your dates are flexible), and you’ll get an email when the fare drops into your target price range or by a significant amount. It’s best to do this well in advance of your trip, before the Goldilocks Window, so you can see prices drop during that period.

While Alaska is far away from the rest of the US, it is well-serviced by major airlines, and most US and Canadian travelers can reach Anchorage or Fairbanks with just one connection. There are year-round direct flights to Alaska from nine US cities and nonstop flights from 11 cities during the summer.