More Great Fares from Allegiant

Although service is very limited in terms of days and markets, Allegiant offers some amazing fares to and from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mesa Arizona. Here's an email from them about a special deal:

Offer valid between Los Angeles (LAX) to/from the following markets: Bellingham, Wash. begins May 2 Grand Junction, Colo. begins May 1 Northwest Arkansas (XNA) begins May 22 Billings, Mont. begins May 22 McAllen, Texas begins May 24 Sioux Falls, S.D. begins May 23 Des Moines, Iowa begins May 24 Medford, Ore. begins May 1 Springfield, Mo. begins May 3 Fargo, N.D. begins May 23 Missoula, Mont. begins May 2 Wichita, Kan. begins May 23

Allegiant Air Home Page

*Allegiant’s $15* one-way fares are extremely limited, are not be available on all flights and are non-refundable. Must be purchased between 3 a.m. PDT and 6 p.m. PDT April 15, 2009 for complete travel by Sept. 30, 2009. Valid only on nonstop flights to/from Los Angeles International Airport to/from select cities. Prices do not include PFC, segment tax or Sept. 11 security fee of up to $10.60 per segment. A segment is one take-off and one landing. A convenience fee of $13.50 per passenger will apply when booked on allegiantair.com. A convenience fee of $13.50 per passenger, plus $10 per segment, will apply when purchased through Allegiant Air call centers. When purchased at time of booking, a fee of $15 for first checked bag and $25 for second checked bag will apply per person, per segment. If purchased at flight check-in, a fee of $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag per person, per segment will apply. In all cases additional higher fees will apply for three or more checked bags. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply. Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. This is a post-only mailing from Allegiant Air. Please do not attempt to respond to this message. Allegiant Air 8360 S. Durango Drive Las Vegas, NV 89113

Alaska Air WIFI challenges continue

Tech Flash is reporting that Alaska's WIFI service is popular but pricing issues remain. They say Alaska's fee is likely to be $15 per flight which I fear will prevent most users from taking advantage of the service. Although $15 does not seem to be excessive, budget conscious flyers will recognize that a few hours away from the internet won't do them any harm. I'd argue the optimal "price point" for in flight online services is somewhere between $5 and $10 which are still very high by the standard of free WIFI now available in many airports but represent a premium cost that consumers are "comfortable with" in flight as this is in the neighborhood of the cost of a snack box s and even on some flights beverages.

If the Airlines don't hurry up I think this market could literally dry up as ubiquitous broadband reaches most areas in the USA and customers choose to take a nap rather than worry about the few hours of non-connectivity between the WIFI at home, the Airport, and the destination hotel combined with their EVDO or broadband smartphone access.

http://www.techflash.com/Alaska_offers_details_on_in-flight_Wi-Fi_42973362.html