Archive for January 27th, 2010

Photo: Hubbing it up at SEA-TAC, as seen from Alaska Airlines‘ Board Room on the “D” Concourse. I was on the phone with a really famous radio host the other day in Minneapolis. We were discussing a flight to Seattle–and he didn’t know that Alaska Airlines flies there. How is that possible? Well, our home-town airline (OKOK–both Seattle and Alaska lay claim to Alaska!) keeps adding cities faster than we can count them on our fingers and toes.  Let’s review with the class some of the new destinations:

a. Back East. We all know that Alaska Airlines flies to Orlando, Miami, Washington, DC, Newark and Boston. But last year, they added Atlanta into the mix. I’m flying back to Atlanta on Alaska Airlines next month. Full report to follow.

b. Deep in the Heart of Texas. Wow. Three destinations from Seattle: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and Austin. Alaska also added a San Jose-Austin “Nerd Bird” run for the high-tech crowd.

c. Midwest. The Anchorage-Chicago run was first. Then SEA-ORD and PDX-ORD. Recently, Alaska Airlines added service to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Great. More flights to the Mall of America. HA!

d. Hawaii. Alaska Airlines is flying to a bunch of the Hawaiian Islands. From Anchorage, they fly nonstop to both Maui and Honolulu.

Speaking of nonstops, check out Alaska Airlines‘ impressive list of nonstop out-of-state flights from Anchorage:

• Anchorage-Seattle. Jillions of flights year-round.
• Anchorage-Portland. One flight year-round, 3x daily in the summer.
• Anchorage-Los Angeles. 2x daily in the summer.
• Anchorage-Chicago. 1x daily year-round, 2x daily in the summer.
• Anchorage-Denver. 1x daily in the summer.
• Anchorage-San Francisco. 1x daily in the summer.
• Anchorage-Honolulu. 1x daily in the winter….2 or 3x/weekly in summer.

…then there’s the jet service within Alaska: n/s to Nome, Kotzebue, Fairbanks, Kodiak, Cordova, Juneau, Adak…and then some. Stay tuned for more Alaska Airlines news.

Photo: Tight shot of the giant Stikine River Delta on final approach to Wrangell, Alaska (Alaska #65 from Ketchikan). Explore Tours can arrange an adventure all the way up this river to Telegraph Creek, BC. Incredible. Do it! Heard over coffee: “Can I tell Henry you’ll make all of his Alaska arrangements?” Mm-hmm, here we are mid-winter and my wife is booking our guest room for July. And guess who gets to make the plans? That would be me. It’s an awesome responsibility. Luckily, my friends at Explore Tours have the answer.

Think about it: Isabelle, Crystal and the gang spend their days custom-designing adventures for travelers from around the world: tours, cruises, sightseeing, adventures. The works.

So, when I have friends who need a helping hand with their Alaska arrangements, I call Explore Tours. They have the buying power to get exclusive, low rates on Alaska Airlines and all the best lodges and activities around the state.

For example:

a. Check out the very best of Denali National Park with a visit to Kantishna, near the shores of Wonder Lake. V-e-r-y few visitors every go ALL the way to the end of the road. Fishing, flightseeing, gold-panning, exploring. It’s an incredible experience–without the crowds. Stay at Camp Denali from 4-8 days.

b. Knik River Lodge is close-up against the Knik Glacier in the Matanuska Valley. It’s a wild place–that you can drive to from Anchorage. Jet-boat rides, horseback tours, hiking. It’s WILD out there (but there’s free wi-fi).

c. Tutka Bay Lodge. Nestled along the shores of Kachemak Bay, you can count on some great meals featuring Alaska seafood, as well as some incredible adventures in the surrounding parklands.

Remember: Alaska is a big place. So let the professionals at Explore Tours take care of everything from Ketchikan to Nome–and everywhere in between! They have the knowledge, the expertise and the inspiration to put together the right trip for you–or your visiting friends and relatives!

Call them: (800)523-7405 or check the website for more details. www.exploretours.com