Trip planning
Cut transportation costs for big savings
Open thinking can pay off quickly
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
In general, travelers can save money by thinking far ahead and taking advantage of seasonal and sudden specials.
Flying
Be on the lookout for end-of-season specials. Also, flying is cheapest for passengers who fly at off-hours, especially those leaving Anchorage after midnight.
For example, look at some round-trip, coach fares to Anchorage at different times of a midsummer day. Savings of $150 or more may be possible for a daytime flight; there may be several hundred dollars in savings between a flight leaving for Anchorage in the day and one leaving in the evening.
Watch for Internet specials or have your travel agent keep an eye open for low fares offered for a brief time.
A flight to Alaska racks up a lot of frequent flier miles. A round-trip from Dallas to Anchorage, for example, would earn about 7,000 miles. Book early to use frequent flier miles to get to and from Alaska, though, because airlines don't set aside many of those seats on popular flights north.
Rental car
In Alaska, having a car opens a lot of territory, not just between cities and parks but also around town, where public transportation may be poor.
A compact rental car rented in Fairbanks in July might cost $230 to $385 a week with unlimited mileage; a minivan would go for $110 a day. In Anchorage, the demand pushes the rates a little higher.
Ride the train
The Alaska Railroad runs passenger service between Anchorage and Seward and between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stops in Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. Using this option won't provide much flexibility in the schedule, but it will help you avoid having to rent a car and you'll get to see parts of Alaska that drivers don't. Taxi or bus service is available at all the stops.
From Anchorage to Denali, the midsummer one-way fare is $125; Anchorage to Fairbanks costs $175; Fairbanks to Denali costs $50. Anchorage to Seward costs $59 one-way and $98 round-trip.
Fares are reduced by 20 percent on the northbound route at the start of the season and for two weeks after Labor Day.
Prices of children ages 2-11 are half the adult fare. Infants and 1-year-olds ride for free.
Ride a bus
City buses in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau are a bargain. In Anchorage, buses run as far up the highway as Peters Creek. In Fairbanks, they take passengers to the University of Alaska, among other places, and such outlying areas as North Pole.
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