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Coming soon: more web specials from Era

9th March
2010
written by scott

Stay tuned for more web specials from Era Alaska. Cities may include: Anchorage-Barrow, Fairbanks-Barrow, Anchorage-Bethel, Anchorage-Valdez, Anchorage-Kodiak, Anchorage-Kenai, Anchorage-Homer, Anchorage-Cordova and Anchorage-Fairbanks.

Every now and again, Era Alaska will add some specials to Aniak and Unalakleet from Anchorage. If you want the latest specials, sign up for Era’s free email newsletter.

Be sure and sign up for Era’s “FlyAway Rewards” program. It’s easy to earn free flights to any of Era’s destinations after just a few flights. Get more info here.

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Airfares

Trip Report: Live from Butler County, Alabama

9th March
2010
written by scott
We’re trying out some of Alaska Airlines‘ new service: Seattle-Atlanta.
It’s been 20 years since I’ve flown through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. And Atlanta’s airport has grown since then. Alaska’s once-daily afternoon service compliments Delta’s own service. In fact, the Alaska flight comes into a Delta gate. The two airlines cooperate on code-share agreements, so this comes as no surprise.
Both flights (ANC-SEA and SEA-ATL) were completely full. As expected the red-eye crowd for our outbound flight was pretty subdued. Security was a breeze, even when traveling with the whole family and a couple of rifles.
In Seattle, we wandered around the shops (pictured below: “Fireworks”) in the Pacific Marketplace food court, before ducking into Alaska’s Board Room for some delicious espresso.  I brought the family in on my Board Room membership. If you travel quite a bit, I think it’s worth the extra money to belong. I’ll be interested to see which airport club we can use in Atlanta prior to our return flight. If Alaska does not have its own club, they make arrangements with another airline to use their club.
Everything worked like clockwork on arrival in Atlanta. We made our way through the tunnel on the train to baggage claim. Then, we took the train over to the car rental center where we picked up our Hertz car. I’d pre-purchased the rental on Priceline. The week-long rental for a full-size car was $227, including all taxes, fees and Priceline’s extra profit. Still, it’s less than Hertz’s retail rate of $450 for the same car.
As it turned out, the brand-new, snappy Madza SUV (CX-9, I think) had several electrical problems. I ended up exchanging the car in Montgomery, Alabama. The Hertz people could not have been nicer. Now, I’m driving a big, dumb Grand Marquis with lots of trunk space. Perfect. HA!
Unlike Anchorage, rural Alabama does not have very good internet coverage. My in-laws’ Hughes.net satellite service is dreadful. It’s up, it’s down, it’s slow and unpredictable. A pox on them.  To come up to periscope depth for cell phone and internet service, I made the 20-mile drive to the county seat in Greenville, Alabama. I saw five deer and one possum on the way in.  Sweet Home Alabama. But the food is delicious! And YES, I ate my collards. And my butter beans. Roast beef, gravy, biscuits and mashed potatoes. YUM!
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Adventure

USTravel bargains: land, sea and air!

9th March
2010
written by scott
Kelly Jo at USTravel has been busy digging up some springtime bargains. First on deck, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, is a pub tour of Ireland. Oh, in case there’s any question: Kelly Jo’s last name is McGee. Mine is McMurren. Since I’m Scots-Irish, I’m conflicted (love to drink but hate to pay for it). HA! Check out this eight-night pub tour from Dublin:
-Start your tour at the Guinness Storehouse and learn about the world-famous brew. Then, taste it for your self at the Storehouse’s Gravity Bar.
-Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of Dublin. Your local Irish guide will teach you about the Book of Kells, which you will see at Trinity College. Then, enjoy a Pub Crawl in Dublin.
-Visit Locke’s Irish Whiskey distillery in Kilbeggan (est. 1757). Then taste the goods!
-See Galway Cathedral, the Cliffs of Moher and Killarney.
-Travel the Ring of Kerry.
-Don’t miss the Blarney Stone and Kilkenny. Enjoy visits to local pubs and other attractions!
This eight-day pub tour gives you a great overview of the Emerald Isle, in addition to tasting some great beer! Call Kelly Jo for more details: (907)561-2434.
Choose to cruise with some great bargains!
7-night Mexican Riviera from $549
7-night Caribbean from $599
10-night Mediterranean from $899
10-night Panama Canal from $1,099
12-night South America  from $1,199
Enjoy USTravel’s exclusive shipboard credit (up to $150 per couple), a 50 percent reduced deposit and an Onboard Savings Book valued at $354! Call now: (907)561-2434 in Anchorage. Or, toll-free: (800)544-2217.
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Consumer, Cruises, Lodging

Android n me

1st March
2010
written by scott
OK. It’s me–Mr. Touchscreen. I’m gearing up to hit the road with my new “HTC Hero” from GCI. Oh, it’s got all the hardware goodies: camera/videocam, music player with cool ringtones, all kinds of custom features for your home screen with themes and such.
This trip is part plane ride (with Alaska Airlines) and part road trip. So the GPS/Google Maps interface comes in very handy. This is not the “nearest cell tower” locator. Nope–it’s right down to street view. I’m not sure that will help me, since these streets are not paved (puh-leeze don’t tell Hertz!!). It’s all part of the Android operating system for the phone….which is, after all, developed by Google.
I’m discovering new features on the phone all the time. There’s a stopwatch. There’s a YouTube viewer which works very well with the 3.2-inch screen. There are apps for Facebook and Twitter–even a “voice search” function.
Honestly, I’m just getting used to the entire “app” process. There are jillions of free applications, plus some, like the Police Scanner, that you pay extra for.
Another great feature of the GCI phone for me: unlimited nationwide calling and texting. I hate roaming fees. Now, for $99.99 per month, I can call/text all I want between Alaska, the Lower 49 and Canada. Oh–calls from Canada still are high: 45 cents per minute. The phone itself is $99.99 with a 2-year contact including a 3G smartphone package.
So, we’ll be tweeting and posting on Facebook from the road–from the Android. Follow our progress. And get ready to “Spring Forward” this season with this cool, new technology from GCI.
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Consumer, shopping

Save $500 per couple on 11-day Yukon Highlights Tour

1st March
2010
written by scott
Gray Line of Alaska is offering $500 off per couple on this 11-day tour through Alaska and Canada’s Yukon,beginning in Anchorage. Your adventure starts in Anchorage with two nights’ hotel, plus an excursion to Portage Glacier aboard the m/v Ptarmigan–to within 300 years of the glacier!
Next, it’s off to Denali National Park on the full-dome McKinley Explorer private rail cars. Your tour includes the famous “Tundra Wilderness Tour” that goes deep in the park for your best wildlife viewing! Two nights’ accommodations at Denali Park is included.
Ride the rails north to Fairbanks and experience gold fever! Check out two separate gold mines: The El Dorado Gold Mine and the Historic Gold Dredge #8, where you’ll enjoy a  miner’s lunch. Next–head off to Tok for the night, then up the Top of the World Highway to Eagle for a cruise on the Yukon River! You’ll sail on the mighty “Yukon Queen II” fast catamaran to Dawson City. This is an incredible stretch of the Yukon River. High cliffs drop right down to the water. Watch for wildlife on the shore–I’ve seen moose and bear swim the river in front of the boat!!
In Dawson, take advantage of many optional tours, including a visit to Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Casino, or to one of several museums in Dawson documenting the Klondike Gold Rush.
Continue along the Klondike Highway to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. Enjoy the “Frantic Follies Revue”!
The next day, travel over the famed White Pass on your way to Skagway, Alaska. You’ll lose a lot of elevation as you drop down to Sea Level–and you’ll appreciate the rough lot of the Klondike “Stampeders” as they made their way up the rugged mountains in their quest for gold.
The next day, fly down Lynn Canal to Juneau, where you’re

free to enjoy Alaska’s capital city. Optional tours include the Mt. Roberts Tram, helicopter flightseeing up to the Mendenhall Glacier or whalewatching. The following day, we’ll take you to the airport!
Remember: Book by March 31, 2010, and mention PROMOOJGL to save $500 per couple!
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Adventure, Lodging
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