The bigger the surf the bigger the discount on flights to and from Hawaii this week. Photo: Alaska Airlines
The kicker when it comes to executing a strike mission is it’s often not friendly on the wallet. Surf forecasting accuracy often gets more precise the closer to the day swell is set to arrive. Unfortunately, modern air travel booking is often unfriendly to such last-minute travel plans. Meaning surfers are forced to pay a premium for the certainty that they’re going to score fun surf at their destination.
But, for those looking to head to Hawaii this fall, Alaska Airlines is running a promotion tied directly to swell height – the bigger the waves, the bigger the discount.
From Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8, Alaska will tie the price of flights to and from Hawaii for travel through November 20th directly to live swell heights reported by Surfline. Prices will be updated daily at noon and 5 p.m. and the discount level will never drop, only rise as the surf does.
Alaska breaks down the discount rates as follows:
10-foot surf or less: 10 percent off
11-15-foot surf: 15 percent off
16-20-foot surf: 20 percent off
21+ feet: 30 percent off
“Flyers today have access to so much more information and in turn, are making decisions based on that data,” said Natalie Bowman, Alaska Airlines’ managing director of brand and marketing communications, in a press release. “With the start of surf season in Hawaii, we saw an opportunity to further support our flyers’ passions by using the power of data to offer better deals as surf conditions improve.”
The start of the winter season typically bodes well for consistent swell action and lighter crowds, but if the North Shore is your fancy, the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa – the first event of the Vans Triple Crown – is set to run from the 13th to the 24th, meaning you’re likely to rub shoulders with top QS surfers and even CTers at Ted’s or Foodland.
Back in 2017, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines were some of the first carriers to address exorbitant surfboard fees, reducing them to the price of a single checked bag. Currently, that’s just $30 each way.
