Alaska With A Great Sale on First Class

Update 7/28/2020: Alaska Airlines is still offering its First Class sale fares. Prices start at $89$99/one way and are as little as $339/one way for transcontinental flights.

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I don’t normally book First Class flights. The price point just doesn’t do it for me. First Class is typically far more expensive than standard main cabin seats, often triple the price or more. So when I sit in First Class, it’s almost always with a free upgrade.

But COVID-19 has changed nearly everything in 2020. And in the airline industry, it’s better to generate some incremental revenue than none at all. Alaska’s First Class fare sale is a great case in point, with rock bottom fares in its premium cabin. This sale technically ended on July 27th, but most sale fares appear to be widely available.

How Low Are The First Class Fares?

Alaska First Class fare sale offers one-way tickets for as little as $89 $99. For that price, you can fly San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX). But honestly, I don’t really care about First Class on a short hop. It’s nice, but no big deal for a one-hour flight.

But on longer flights and transcontinental itineraries, First Class makes everything better. This sale offers some really great values, too.

My family flies New Orleans (MSY) to Seattle (SEA) a few times each year. Before COVID-19, I had never seen one-way fares drop below $549. But once the virus took hold, Alaska dropped First Class fares on this route to as little as $399/one way. The First Class sale price is much lower, now as little as $209. And cheap First Class fares are available on this route well into 2021.

Sample Fares

Check out some of these sample fares (as of 7/27/2020):

• Austin (AUS) – Portland (PDX) for $199
• Washington-Dulles (IAD) – Seattle (SEA) for $339
• Anchorage (ANC) – Los Angeles (LAX) for $309
• Everett (PAE) – Phoenix (PHX) for $164
• Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) – San Francisco (SFO) for $199

Alaska’s First Class sale page now says the sale is over, but nonetheless, deals remain. Just do a flight search and see what comes up. Remember to search by flexible dates. The fare difference between any two days can be significant, as the algorithm raises prices as seats are sold. And I like to build trips around the lowest prices, whenever possible.

Extra Benefits of Buying First Class

When Alaska gives a free First Class upgrade, it doesn’t include two specific benefits that people who buy their upgrade receive:

• Alaska Lounge access — Passengers who either purchase a First Class ticket or use a First Class award ticket can visit the Alaska Lounge on the day of travel. They need only show their boarding pass.
• Mileage Plan bonus — Passengers who purchase a First Class ticket will earn a 75% bonus on the miles earned. This bonus also applies to elite qualification requirements, making it possible to earn status faster. (Alaska is already offering a 50% elite status qualifying bonus for the rest of 2020. You can stack these two bonuses to boost your elite status quickly).

COVID-19 Changes To First Class

Alaska’s First Class sale is a great deal. But if you fly sooner rather than later, you will experience a diminished First Class product. Most Alaska Lounges have been closed since early in the pandemic. But Alaska Lounges in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle’s spacious new lounge in the North Satellite (“N” gates) will re-open on August 1st.

In addition, service has been greatly reduced. Instead of full meal service, Alaska is giving First Class passengers a snack box. Beverage service no longer includes liquor, but beer and wine are available.

Mileage Plan is Just Better

Alaska’s Mileage Plan is easily among the best frequent flyer programs anywhere. While most of them have moved to a revenue-based model, Alaska is still mileage-based. So when you fly a mile, you earn a mile. This makes Alaska’s First Class sale that much better. You’ll spend a lot less on a ticket, but earn the same number of miles.

In addition, Alaska has a number of airline partners with which to earn and redeem miles. The carrier still publishes an award chart and offers good value on mileage redemptions. For example, you can redeem just 70,000 Alaska miles to fly First Class to Asia on Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines.

Alaska is set to join the oneworld alliance soon. That makes it a great time to boost your status with Alaska and receive reciprocal elite benefits with oneworld partners, potentially by the end of this year.

Final Thoughts

Alaska is having a great sale on First Class tickets. The prices are very good, but you have to move quickly. The sale ends today — on Monday, July 27th. I’ve never seen First Class at lower prices, and you can book these fares for travel well into 2021. So even if you’re not comfortable flying now, you can book ahead and change plans if you need to. Alaska will continue to waive change and cancellation fees for all flights booked through September 8, 2020. Despite some fine print, I’ve confirmed that the change fee waiver applies to this sale.

I used this deal (and the change fee waiver) to re-book a couple of planned flights into First Class. The difference in cost was barely $88 each way. Plus, the additional miles earned are worth about $30 toward award travel. If you want to book your way into First Class, now is the time to do it. Again, the sale ends today (July 27th). Fingers crossed for an extension.

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Cover Photo: Shutterstock