By Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage & Matt Lichtenstein, KFSK – Petersburg
Alaska residents will be able to avoid the dreaded baggage fee on Alaska Airlines flights to or from the state starting in November. The airline held Alaska Day open-houses at airports across Alaska to announce a waiver for up to two bags per trip, and new weekly deals. Both are part of a free program the company calls “Club 49”.
Joe Sprague is Marketing Manager for the airline. He says the program is a response to a survey the airline conducted earlier this year.
Club 49 also entitles Alaskans to two certificates, good for a 30 percent discount on last minute one way tickets. But the baggage fee waiver was the biggest hit with the crowd at Petersburg’s airport . Lisa Hernandez looks forward to not having to pay for a couple bags the next time she travels:
Scott McMurren publishes the Alaska Travelgram e-mail newsletter. He says the program could be partly in response to new competition in the market.
McMurren lists Alaska Airlines as a sponsor of his Alaska TravelGram website.
The sale announced with the program today includes fares between Anchorage and Bethel, Barrow and Fairbanks and Ketchikan and Seattle. The sales fares are open to anyone. To get the other benefits, you have to sign up for the “Club 49″ program on the Alaska Airlines website.
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Annie Feidt is the broadcast managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her atafeidt@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anniehere.
Matt Lichtenstein is a reporter at KFSK in Petersburg.
