Popular in the 1980s and 1990s until overuse made airlines rethink their strategy, all-you-can-fly passes have slowly been coming back into the game on a more limited basis.
Last February, Alaska Airlines (ALK) launched a flight pass offering six, 12, or 24 nonstop West Coast flights a year for a starting price of $49 a month.
Denver-based low-cost airline Frontier Airlines recently teased those who subscribe to its emails with a late-night message saying that it would launch a pass letting one take an "unlimited number of flights" to all of its destinations at some point in 2023.
Amid this news, Alaska Airlines hit back by announcing that it was adding a new city to the ones currently included in its Flight pass -- when the Seattle-based airline first launched its subscription program in February, it let one book flights between a number of Californian cities like San Francisco, Fresno and Monterey as well as the Reno, Phoenix, and Las Vegas airports.
At $49 a month, the cheapest option gives one six flights a year while the most expensive commands $199 a month for 24.
Those Monthly Flights To The Slopes
Alaska Airlines
Salt Lake City, which is a 40-minute drive away from the popular Park City ski resort, has been added to the program in time for ski season.
Demand from Californians looking for ski slopes is, apparently, high -- Alaska Airlines will, in December, fly to the Utah capital 41 times from San Francisco and 13 times from San Diego.
"Utah is a popular ski and outdoor recreation destination among our California subscribers, and we're happy to now make those trips more affordable and accessible with Flight Pass," Neil Thwaites, Alaska Airlines' regional vice-president of California, said in a statement. "We're also excited to introduce Flight Pass to Utah and provide Salt Lake City travelers with an affordable option for their frequent travel to California."
Those who need to fly to Salk Late City from these two cities will be able to use the Flight Pass to book their flights.
The airline is also offering those who buy the Flight Pass between now and November 30 complimentary Mileage Plan MVP -- the status granting one free upgrades, priority boarding and more luggage aboard is normally earned by booking flights and collecting points.
Flight Subscriptions: Worth All That Hype?
Modern "flight passes" are not typically the all-you-can-fly-around-the-world programs that were introduced by some airlines in the 1980s and 1990s. They usually come with caps that limit both the number and destination of flights as well as blocks on booking during some of the most popular days of the year.
As such, subscription passes are more popular among smaller airlines that are trying to draw back customers after pandemic-related disruptions.
Dallas-based Southwest (LUV) recently launched a promotion in which one could buy a ticket for a flight and get a free "companion pass" for a friend to join. Star Flyer, a Japanese airline calling itself the middle ground between low-cost and full-service airlines, also rolled out a monthly flight subscription for remote workers who need to come to Tokyo frequently. It even includes
Starting at 200,000 yen (approximately $1,340 USD), that pass includes not only unlimited flights between Tokyo and the coastal city of Fukuoka but also accommodation for those traveling for work.
