(EXPIRED) Transcon for $57 / $67 one way: Alaska Airlines sale better than advertised

Alaska Airlines is offering an awesome sale today that is much better than advertised in some regards. It’s being marketed as a Buy One, Get One fare sale today on select routes with promo code LETSBOGO. This includes quite a few useful routes — like transcons, trips to/from Hawaii, and intra-California routes (but see the “Key Terms” below for a full list of eligible routes as there are even more options). This sale is better than advertised in several ways:

1. There are more routes on sale than the marketing bullets suggest
2. The discount code works for one passenger if you’re not traveling in a pair (terms suggest it is based on 2 people, so YMMV on whether or not they’ll retroactively enforce that)
3. The discount code also works on upgradeable fares. This means that elite members could turn this into a great deal on first class fare for two

The Deal

• Alaska Airlines is offering a BOGO sale today on select routes with promo code BOGO.
• Direct link to this promotion

Key Details

• Purchase by Friday, Dec. 20
• Travel between: Jan. 7 – Feb. 12, 2020
• Promo Code: LETSBOGO
• Valid one way or round trip
• Only one discount code may be applied per reservation.
• Discount codes may be used in conjunction with gift certificates or My wallet redemptions.
• Valid on coach fares only (both Saver and Main)
• Travel is valid Monday to Wednesday to Hawaii.
• Travel is valid Tuesday to Thursday from Hawaii.
• Travel between all other cities is valid Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Available markets include:

• All California to Hawaii
• Select transcontinental flights from West Coast to New York, Boston and D.C.
• All intra-California flights

Here is the full list of city pairs included:

This offer applies to flights between:

• Albuquerque (ABQ) and Seattle (SEA)
• Anchorage (ANC) and Fairbanks (FAI) or Phoenix (PHX)
• Austin (AUS) and San Diego (SAN) or San Jose (SJC)
• Baltimore (BWI) and Los Angeles (LAX) or Seattle (SEA)
• Bend (RDM) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Diego (SAN)
• Boise (BOI) and Sacramento (SMF), San Jose (SJC), or Seattle (SEA)
• Boston (BOS) and Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or Seattle (SEA)
• Bozeman (BZN) and Portland (PDX) or Seattle (SEA)
• Burbank (BUR) and Seattle (SEA)
• Columbus (CMH) and Seattle (SEA)
• Chicago (ORD) and San Francisco (SFO) or Seattle (SEA)
• Dallas – Love Field (DAL) and Portland (PDX) or San Francisco (SFO)
• Detroit (DTW) and Seattle (SEA)
• Eugene (EUG) and Portland (PDX)
• Everett – Paine Field (PAE) and Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or Spokane (GEG)
• Fairbanks (FAI) and Anchorage (ANC)
• Fresno (FAT) and Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), or Seattle (SEA)
• Honolulu (HNL) and Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or San Jose (SJC)
• Indianapolis (IND) and Seattle (SEA)
• Juneau (JNU) and Seattle (SEA)
• Kalispell (FCA) and Seattle (SEA)
• Kansas City (MCI) and Seattle (SEA)
• Kauai (LIH) and Oakland (OAK), San Diego (SAN), or San Jose (SJC)
• Ketchikan (KTN) and Seattle (SEA)
• Kona (KOA) and Oakland (OAK), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or San Jose (SJC)
• Las Vegas (LAS) and Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), or San Francisco (SFO)
• Los Angeles (LAX) and Baltimore (BWI), Bend (RDM), Boston (BOS), Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Honolulu (HNL), Las Vegas (LAS), Maui (OGG), New York-JFK (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), Santa Rosa (STS), Seattle (SEA), or Spokane (GEG)
• Maui (OGG) to Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or San Jose (SJC)
• Medford (MFR) and Portland (PDX)
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Seattle (SEA)
• Missoula (MSO) and Portland (PDX)
• Monterey (MRY) and San Diego (SAN)
• New Orleans (MSY) and San Francisco (SFO)
• New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), or Seattle (SEA)
• Newark (EWR) and Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or Seattle (SEA)
• Oakland (OAK) and Honolulu (HNL), Kauai (LIH), Kona (KOA), Maui (OGG), Portland (PDX), or Seattle (SEA)
• Omaha (OMA) and Seattle (SEA)
• Ontario (ONT) and Portland (PDX) or Seattle (SEA)
• Orange County (SNA) and San Francisco (SFO), or Santa Rosa (STS)
• Palm Springs (PSP) and San Francisco (SFO)
• Phoenix (PHX) and Anchorage (ANC)
• Pittsburgh (PIT) and Seattle (SEA)
• Portland (PDX) and Boston (BOS) Bozeman (BZN), Dallas – Love Field (DAL), Eugene (EUG), Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Fresno (FAT), Las Vegas (LAS), Medford (MFR), Missoula (MSO), New York-JFK (JFK), Newark (EWR), Oakland (OAK), Ontario (ONT), Reno (RNO), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), Santa Barbara (SBA), Santa Rosa (STS), Seattle (SEA), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)
• Raleigh (RDU) and Seattle (SEA)
• Reno (RNO) and Portland (PDX), San Jose (SJC), or Seattle (SEA)
• Sacramento (SMF) and Boise (BOI), Kona (KOA), Maui (OGG), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), or Seattle (SEA)
• Salt Lake City (SLC) and Seattle (SEA)
• San Antonio (SAT) to Seattle (SEA)
• San Diego (SAN) and Austin (AUS), Bend (RDM), Boston (BOS), Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Fresno (FAT), Honolulu (HNL), Kauai (LIH), Kona (KOA), Maui (OGG), Monterey (MRY), Newark (EWR), Portland (PDX), Spokane (GEG), Sacramento (SMF), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), San Luis Obispo (SBP), Santa Rosa (STS), or Steamboat Springs (HDN)
• San Francisco (SFO) and Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas – Love Field (DAL), Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Maui (OGG), New Orleans (MSY), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Palm Springs (PSP), Portland (PDX), Orange County (SNA), San Diego (SAN), Seattle (SEA), or Washington-Dulles (IAD)
• San Jose (SJC) and Austin (AUS), Boise (BOI), Los Angeles (LAX), Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Honolulu (HNL), Kauai (LIH), Kona (KOA), Maui (OGG), Newark (EWR), Portland (PDX), Reno (RNO), San Diego (SAN), or Seattle (SEA)
• San Luis Obispo (SBP) and San Diego (SAN) or Seattle (SEA)
• Santa Barbara (SBA) and Portland (PDX), Seattle (SEA)
• Santa Rosa (STS) and Los Angeles (LAX), Orange County (SNA), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), or Seattle (SEA)
• Seattle (SEA) and Albuquerque (ABQ), Baltimore (BWI), Boise (BOI), Boston (BOS), Bozeman (BZN), Burbank (BUR), Chicago (ORD), Columbus (CMH), Detroit (DTW), Fresno (FAT), Indianapolis (IND), Juneau (JNU), Kalispell (FCA), Kansas City (MCI), Ketchikan (KTN), Los Angeles (LAX), Milwaukee (MKE), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Oakland (OAK), Omaha (OMA), Ontario (ONT), Pittsburgh (PIT), Portland (PDX), Raleigh (RDU), Reno (RNO), Sacramento (SMF), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Antonio (SAT), San Francisco (SFO), San Luis Obispo (SBP), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), Santa Barbara (SBA), Santa Rosa (STS), St. Louis (STL), Steamboat Springs (HDN), Walla Walla (ALW), or Washington-Reagan (DCA)
• Spokane (GEG) and Everett – Paine Field (PAE), Los Angeles (LAX), or San Diego (SAN)
• St. Louis (STL) and Seattle (SEA)
• Steamboat Springs (HDN) and San Diego (SAN) or Seattle (SEA)
• Walla Walla (ALW) and Seattle (SEA)
• Washington-Dulles (IAD) and San Francisco (SFO)
• Washington-Reagan (DCA) and Portland (PDX) or Seattle (SEA)

See complete discount code terms here.

Quick Thoughts

I like this sale, and not just because I totally get the “dad puns” like “Alaska and you shall receive” and “You sweater believe it”. Before reading all of the details, I tried the discount code on a city pair that didn’t work. I then read the initial marketing bullets and thought that this sale only applied to intra-California, transcon, and California-to-Hawaii flights. However, on the promo landing page, they list a lot more city pairs than the initial marketing bullets suggest. This one is pretty widely available on Alaska’s route network on select days of the week.

The major catch here is the days of the week when it’s available. It’s worth repeating this section of the key terms:

• Travel is valid Monday to Wednesday to Hawaii.
• Travel is valid Tuesday to Thursday from Hawaii.
• Travel between all other cities is valid Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

In other words, if you’re not traveling to/from Hawaii, the sale is valid 3 days a week in either direction. If traveling to or from Hawaii, you’ve got 2 days per week in each direction. That sounds a little confusing.

However, Alaska’s search results make it pretty easy to know which flights are eligible. You’ll see the red icon shown below for flights that are eligible for a discount:

Note that the price shown is per passenger after the discount. The flights above are from San Francisco to New York. Individually, the cheapest flights are $99 one way. However, two passengers come out to just under $57 each. That’s because the fare for the second passenger is free, but you’ll still pay the taxes ($5.60 each way in the US).

In that case, the total for two passengers came to $225.20.

That’s a terrific deal for round trip transcon travel, especially when you consider that both passengers earn miles on this paid fare. Alaska miles can be extremely valuable for premium cabin international travel with some partners (and also useful for short-haul trips, with some hops ringing in at 5K miles one way).

Note that the above example is the Saver fare. I’d personally pay ten bucks more per passenger for a “Main” fare to get seat selection and general boarding.

However, as noted at the top, it gets even better. The discount code is also valid one-way and for a single passenger. The discount isn’t quite 50% off, but it still results in a $99 transcon dropping to $66.30. That’s an awesome deal for a transcon flight.

It also looks like it works on upgradeable fares. Not all flights have upgrade space, but I do see some flights where it looks like you could use this BOGO to buy two seats on which you could use an MVP Gold 75K upgrade to nab first class at a nice discount.

Overall, this is a great deal. Note that the promo is only valid for travel purchased today, so you’ll need to act fast to take advantage of it.

H/T: No Mas Coach

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