Why and How to Book Alaska Airlines’ Milk Run

The Alaska Milk Run, hosted by Alaska Airways, is a singular AvGeek expertise on many aviation fans’ bucket lists. These distinctive routes between Seattle and Anchorage — with a number of stops alongside the best way — function a vital lifeline for a number of Alaskan communities. For these not touring to or from these communities, the Alaska Milk Run flights are a good way to see distant Alaskan wilderness and airports from the consolation of a Boeing 737.

This is what you’ll want to find out about these Alaska Milk Run flights, and a few methods for learn how to guide them.

Alaska Airways operates a set of provide routes to cities alongside the Alaska panhandle between Seattle and Anchorage; these routes are collectively referred to as the Alaska Milk Run. These provide flights date again to the Thirties when Alaska’s pioneer pilots flew mail, drugs, furs, folks, and on a regular basis necessities like milk, out and in of distant cities.

Airports alongside the Alaska Milk Run differ in measurement and prominence from Juneau (the capital of Alaska) to Yakutat (a metropolis few have head of). As of the 2020 census, your complete borough of Yakutat had a inhabitants of simply 662. And but Alaska Airways flies there twice day by day utilizing a 124-seat plane.

These cities do not have roads connecting them with the mainland; they’re solely linked by sea and air. Since some vital provides cannot wait to be taken by boat, Alaska Milk Run flights are important for these communities.

As these are provide flights — not tourism flights — passengers who’re persevering with onward are required to remain on the airplane at every cease. Nonetheless, by strategically reserving your flights, you may go to any cease alongside the best way. Extra on how to take action beneath.

The Alaska Milk Run is definitely composed of six particular person Milk Run routes run by Alaska Airways. Every day by day route serves a special set of locations between Seattle and Anchorage.

You will not be capable to cease in any respect seven airports between Anchorage and Seattle on only one flight. You will need to decide your route primarily based on the communities you need to see most. Or you may add extra stops by connecting to a second Milk Run flight alongside the best way.

Obtainable routes are as follows.

Northbound flights from Seattle

• Flight 61: Seattle – Juneau – Yakutat – Cordova – Anchorage.

• Flight 65: Seattle – Ketchikan – Wrangell – Petersburg – Juneau – Anchorage.

• Flight 67: Seattle – Ketchikan – Sitka – Juneau – Anchorage.

Southbound flights from Anchorage

• Flight 62: Anchorage – Juneau – Sitka – Ketchikan – Seattle.

• Flight 64: Anchorage – Juneau – Petersburg – Wrangell – Ketchikan – Seattle.

• Flight 66: Anchorage – Cordova – Yakutat – Juneau – Seattle.

Alaska Airways sells Milk Run tickets on its web site, alongside its different flights. Every of the six Milk Run flight routes contains finish factors in Seattle and Anchorage, with a number of stops in between. You should buy tickets for a number of parts of a Milk Run route, however you may’t buy tickets for the total size of the Milk Run.

That doesn’t imply you may’t do the entire Milk Run, although. You simply should do the journey in segments. For instance, if you wish to fly your complete route of Flight 67, you may take the Seattle-to-Sitka leg, take pleasure in a number of nights in Sitka, after which take the Sitka-to-Anchorage leg to finish your journey.

To essentially stretch out the expertise, you can guide Flight 65 from Seattle to Juneau, go to the Alaskan capital, after which take Flight 61 from Juneau to Anchorage. By doing so, you’d fly by six of the seven Alaska Milk Run airports — lacking solely Sitka.

To seek out your flight choices, we advocate utilizing Google Flights. To fly from Seattle to Anchorage — or the reverse — on an Alaska Milk Run, you have to to carry out a multi-city search.

You can even use a extra superior flight search instrument just like the ITA Matrix to guide your journey. Merely enter “as61-67” within the routing codes field to restrict your search outcomes to Alaska Milk Run flights.

So far as well-known AvGeek routes go, the Alaska Milk Run is not that costly. Nonetheless, the value to guide your complete route can add up. Plus, should you do not stay in Seattle, Anchorage, or alongside the Milk Run routes, you may must guide flights to and from the realm to do the run.

Fortunately, there are methods to save lots of when reserving the Alaska Milk Run.

When you’re flying with a companion, one of the simplest ways to save lots of on Alaska Milk Run flights is by utilizing the airline’s companion fare. This fare offers its holder a strategy to guide a companion seat on any paid Alaska Airways flight for only a base fare of $99, plus taxes and charges beginning at $22.

This buy-one-get-one-cheaper fare is the signature perk of the Alaska Airways Visa Signature® bank card. And the cardboard’s sign-up provide helps you save in your subsequent flight: Get 40,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Well-known Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and charges from $22) with this provide. To qualify, make purchases of $2,000 or extra throughout the first 90 days of opening your account.

The Alaska Airways Visa Signature® bank card will help you save in further methods on the Alaska Milk Run. As a cardholder, you and as much as six companions can verify a bag at no cost. Plus, you may get 20% again on any snacks or drinks you purchase on board, and 50% off any day passes on the Alaska Lounge. You will additionally earn 3x Alaska miles on the acquisition of your tickets.

To essentially nerd out in your subsequent journey to Alaska, take into account reserving a visit on the Alaska Milk Run. Needless to say Alaska won’t present the whole thing of the Milk Run route as an choice whenever you seek for flights on its web site — you may doubtless must make a cease alongside the best way to see one of many Alaskan panhandle communities.

Whether or not you are touring with others or flying solo, the Alaska Airways Visa Signature® bank card will help you save on the expertise. The companion fare can nearly halve the associated fee for a pair, and different card perks will help save on further prices of the flight.

You desire a journey bank card that prioritizes what’s vital to you. Listed here are our picks for the greatest journey bank cards of 2021, together with these greatest for: