Alaska Airlines unveiled its new money-saving Club 49 card at Alaska Day events around the state yesterday. Among other perks, the card allows Alaskans who travel on Alaska Airlines to check their first two bags free of charge.
Club 49 is an Alaskans-only club to say thank you “to the state and people who have supported us for nearly 80 years,” according to an Alaska Airlines release, “and to pay homage to their unique travel needs.” The airline, which now employs 1,700 personnel around the state, began service in Alaska in 1932.
Scott Habberstad, Alaska Airlines sales and community marketing manager, announced the airline’s new card on Tuesday at the Juneau Rotary Club meeting in the Baranoff Hotel — part of Alaska Airlines’ statewide Alaska Day celebrations.
What comes with this new card? Of the three rewards revealed today, Juneau Rotarians cheered the loudest when Habberstad announced “two free checked bags wherever you travel on Alaska Airlines.” Currently, Alaska Air charges $20 per bag for the first two checked bags. In comparison, Southwest Airlines already offers two free checked bags while Delta Airlines charges $25 for the first bag and $35 for bag number two.
Flights within Alaska will continue to offer three free checked bags.
While Lower 48 travelers have options for travel — buses, trains, planes and cars — Juneau travelers in a hurry basically have one: to fly.
“If you have a sick relative in the Lower 48 and you have to travel right now it can be expensive,” Habberstad said.
To address this uniquely Alaskan problem, Habberstad said, Club 49’s Travel Now Discount will offer two annual one-way certificates for 30 percent off last minute fares — YAS fares — when flying to, from or within Alaska on Alaska Airlines if flight is booked within four days of departure.
“It takes our most expensive last-minute fare and brings it down to about a 14-day advance fare level,” Habberstad said, “so its a significant, significant savings for last minute travel. Whether it be an emergency, or,” he gestures toward the blustery sky outside the Baranoff, “a mental emergency if you need to go to Hawaii to get out of the rain.”
The club will also bring back the days “when Alaska Airlines really had good Web specials,” Habberstad said. While Alaska Airlines is not offering a Juneau deal this week, Habberstad said Juneau travelers can expect deals similar to Ketchikan’s $129 one-way flight to Seattle.
“Alaska Airlines will offer five to 10 meaningful fares to places people want to go,” he said.
Habberstad acknowledged Alaska Airlines’ role as the prime agent for Juneau travelers to locations outside Southeast Alaska.
“In Alaska, you have to travel,” Habberstad said. Without many options, the airline’s customers are particularly susceptible to the added fees and restrictions of air travel. Club 49 is the airline’s response.
“It’s what our customers have been asking for,” Habberstad said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Membership to the club is free, however registration requires an Alaska Airlines Mileage number linked to an in-state address. Members who sign up between Oct. 18 and Oct. 31 will start seeing benefits on Nov. 1.
Alaska residents can sign up for Club 49 at www.alaskaair.com/club49.
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276.
Comments (22)
Add commentThank you. You are entirely
Thank you. You are entirely correctt that your customers have been asking for this. Alaskan Airlines had been Alaskan in name only for far too long. This is the right thing to do, at the right time. Again, Thank you.
Dear Alaskans
Thank you for letting us bend you over the barrel for decades, charging you fares that are double what we charge for the same runs down south. Not having any competition sure is wonderful, don't you agree? We've made a killing, milking you like the the cash cow that you are.
Here's a toy plane as compensation.
Well...
Anchorage to Seattle is cheaper than Juneau to Seattle because of competition. If it wasn't for Alaska Airlines mileage plans running the competition out of Juneau and CBJ selling the concourses to Alaska Airlines rather than leasing them like they do everywhere else we might have options besides the one that charges the same amount from Juneau to Seattle as it takes for me to get from Seattle to Pensacola. I'm sure there were some other command decisions that helped Alaska Airlines but it wasn't due to voluntary donations from citizens of Alaska.
I'll fly "ANY" other airline every chance I get.
Prices are double here
Juneau to Seattle is about the same distance as say, Seattle to San Diego. Yet, the cost is double and many times more than that (holidays, spring break). Can you say monopoly? I expect a little more due to weather but not this much.
$40
If they knock off the $40 checked bag fee, they probably upped their fare to Seattle by $40 to compensate.
It's a feel good PR campaign and likely nothing more. They have a monopoly on Juneau and most other Alaska towns and they know it, and they will charge what they want.
unless all of you.....
Flew exclusively on Markair 100% of the time when they tried to come in, or Delta when they were here, you can just sit down and shut up. You are part of the 'problem'.
I was a travel agent during those days, and people didn't fly Markair, even when it was cheaper and more convienent times to Anchorage, so they could - you guessed it - get their Alaska Airlines miles.
I'm so sick of folks who didn't take the competition when they could have griping about a monopoly.
how long ago was that
how long ago was that swimmergirl ? you still hanging on to that "baggage" ? let it go already, Alaska Airlines is screwing you and your fellow citizians and your sick of them griping about it.
If Alaska Airlines knew of your "baggage" you can bet they would charge you for it if they could.
Alaska Airlines is not a charity
Every other business in Juneau charges more for things here than they would down south, and more than just their higher expenses. That is what lack of competition does.
Agree Ospreyy
But don't pi$$ on my leg and tell me it's raining...and here's a toy plane.
Till we get a new airline in
Till we get a new airline in town, I'll take that toy airplane and [filtered word] on the leg. Thank you, AK Air. I signed up this morning.
That's actually pretty nice!
As a guy who had been used to lots and lots of options when choosing to fly somewhere, then moving to an area where I had only the one option, sure, I grumbled a bit. And yes, I really didn't like paying well over a grand to go visit family back east. But ya know....I was never treated like crap by Alaska, not once in the 4 years I lived in Juneau. In contrast, I've been treated very poorly and given lots of attitude when problems arose in times past (I'm looking in your direction, Delta...). It sounds like a great plan and I am sure it will help ease things a little for those who still reside in Alaska. The only bad part about this, is that I'm no longer there to reap the benefit. Ah well... on to bigger and better things. Aloha! :D
a\air fares
Hey I...am a relative new comer ...just living here 32 years. I have seen Wein and Western and Delta come here and cause a price war ...ok also Mark Air . The final thing is Alaska Air wins... for whatever and it will never change here because this this where they make big money...and no compiticion
Notice that the 30% discount
Notice that the 30% discount only applies if you book a ticket 4 days in advance, and no later.
For instance, a ticket would cost $258 (was $197 a few weeks ago) if you book 2 weeks (or more) in advance from Juneau to Seattle one way. However, if you book with in 4 days, the price is $488.
The prices are already raised from last month for Juneau at least.
The free baggage is nice, but AK Air already raised the regular tickets across the board.
alaskanstyle...what difference...
does it make how long ago it was? If the same people that complain on this board had actually flown the competition, perhaps they would still be here.
Delta was here for a long while - up until around 1995, I believe. Markair - around 1996-97.
My point is simple - many on this board have a complete double standard - one for themselves, one for everyone else. They gripe about having no competition, but when competition comes, they don't support it. What, you expect everyone ELSE to fly the competition so they will stay and bring AK Air prices down, while you continue to fly AK Air and get miles?
I'm just saying put your money where your mouth is - that's all.
@alaskanstyle: Can't include
@alaskanstyle:
Can't include me in those. I was still at JDHS at that time, no travel.
If there was alternatives now, I would use them.
Alaska Airlines is a business
...at the end of the day, they might have some sentimental feelings about starting in Alaska, but they are in it for the money. I would imagine that the reason we have 3-4 flights a day to Seattle is because they receive federal subsidies to haul the mail (even if the Douglas PO is closed). Otherwise, we might get one flight a day, maybe less, who knows. We simply do not have the population to support much more.
The fact is I still wouldn't fly another airline since I have so much already invested in AKAir - miles and credit card with companion fare. Another airline hoping to knock off AKAir would have to offer a package that replaced all that for me to fly with them. It's not in my best interest otherwise. It's too big a gamble because the other airline could fail.
Furthermore, since I know some Shriners, I also know that Alaska Airlines gives up revenue seats to carry Shriner kids to Seattle as necessary - sometimes taking out an entire row so the child can stay comfortably on a gurney. They're not evil, they're just a business. This is a gesture and in some ways is meaningless, but hey, they could have done nothing and I would still be flying with them.
I fly Alaska Airlines because
I fly Alaska Airlines because there are no other airlines available. Duh.
Ya know......
Negativity is quite infectious. I have observed, having been away from Juneau for but a handful of months now, that folks here aren't happy unless they are whining about this, that, and the other thing. Can anyone there look at something, and appreciate it for what it is? As many folks have stated, Alaska Airline is a business first and foremost. I'll be the first to admit I had quite the love/hate relationship with them... Yes, they are very expensive to fly from remote locales....and let's face it, unless you're in Anchorage, EVERYWHERE they fly in Alaska is a remote locale. For as much as I hated parting with a little over a thousand bucks every time I wanted to fly home to family, still, they are/were the airline that treated me the best. They aren't obligated to waive baggage fees for people flying intrastate. They are not obligated to have as generous of a frequent flyer program as they do. And they certainly did not have to implement this new program like they have. They could have easily done quite the opposite and been just fine. They have made an effort to help ease the sting of flying to and from Alaska, and all some of you can do is b***h, b***h, b***h about it. No wonder I had less than a great experience in Juneau while I was there.... hard to keep a smile on your face when you're surrounded by people who go out of their way to make folks miserable around them.
You want another airline in there? Then stop moping and being miserable, and do something about it. Get in City Council's Face. Draft a resolution to be voted on during election time. Heck, even take a cue from the folks back east and "Occupy Juneau International" to get your point made. But sitting and whining isn't going to make anything better.
I am one of the 99
Alaska Airlines has treated Alaskans like country bumpkins for as long as I have been flying to Alaska (40 years or so) and swimmergirl is absolutely correct about how competitors have been treated by those country bumpkins. I flew the competition every time I needed to fly, but usually that meant flying on a near empty airplane. The sad truth is that there is not enough passenger travel to justify more than one airline in the non-Anchorage routes, but that does not mean AA HAD to gouge us....or does it? AA has barely been able to maintain a profit over the decades it has been in business, and the little profit it does make is made courtesy of those huge air fares to small instate markets. So now they offer this very small bone to us after adding baggage fees and upping the price again. But since we are country bumpkins we will smile and live with it. What can we do about it? Well, I for one, drive or take the ferry whenever possible rather than fly AA. Those choices do not save me money, but I dislike AA so much that I will actually spend money not to add to AA's profit margin. A history of AA's practices over the years would justify criminal action by the govt. for monopolistic and predatory practices, but never does.
Corporations are not citizens. Corporations cannot be expected to act with any conscience. That is why the rest of us 99%ers need to OCCUPY WALL STREET or wherever until we can effect some significant changes to the way our government works (which is primarily for and by corporations just like AA.)
Finally!
Alright!! I can dig this!
whatever this amounts to...
alaska air has THE best customer service anywhere in country. I am happy to pay for decent employee bennies, great service and a phone number that a human being on this continent will answer when you call it.... sometimes competition mean cutting corners on really important things in order to be able to compete. with fuel prices what they are...i am surprised more airlines aren't folding....
I was really excited about
I was really excited about this at first, but after the second week in a row of no discounted fares out of Juneau, I am starting to feel screwed. Again.