Alaska Airlines Partners with Surfline to Offer First-Ever Sale Powered by Ocean Waves

SEATTLE—Surfers everywhere will have one more reason to wish for bigger waves. Alaska Airlines just kicked off “Swell Deals,” using dynamic data to generate discounts for surfers and sand-lovers alike. Partnering with global surf forecasting  site Surfline, Alaska will discount up to 30 percent off flights to and from Hawaii based on the height of forecasted waves around the islands. The bigger the waves, the bigger the discount.

“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. “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.”

Surfline will pull data from 14 different locations monitoring minute-by-minute forecasts around the Hawaiian Islands. The subregions for data tracking include: Oahu South Shore, Hawaii Kona, Maui South, Kauai South, Kauai North, Maui West, Oahu North Shore, Oahu Windward Side, Maui North, Hawaii South, Hawaii Hilo, Oahu West Side, Lanai and Molokai.

From November 4 through November 8, for travel through November 20, Alaska will discount fares based on the following max swell heights tracked by Surfline:  

• ≤10 ft. swells: 10% off
• 11-15 ft. swells: 15% off
• 16-20 ft. swells: 20% off
• 21+ ft. swells: 30% off

The discount will change daily at approximately noon and 5 p.m. PST as Alaska gets the latest forecast information from Surfline. Throughout the course of the promotion, the discount level will never drop and can only increase as swells grow.

“This partnership with Alaska Airlines opens the door for surfers everywhere to use our trusted surf reports and forecasting for spontaneous adventure,” said Surfline President Ross Garrett. “Surfers are highly traveled wave warriors, and we’re sure they’ll be scooping up these fares.”

This is just a start of how Alaska will use data and experiences to help customers enjoy more of what they love. Today it’s catching a wave, tomorrow it may be getting out on the slopes when the powder is fresh.

“By leveraging data, we can give people another reason to get on a flig­­ht, just when they want it most, to enjoy perfect conditions or take that bucket list trip that they might have otherwise missed,” added Bowman.

To purchase tickets or find more information on terms and conditions, visit alaskaair.com/swell or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR.

According to Travel + Leisure, the pre-Thanksgiving November window is a great time to visit the islands, with lower hotel rates and tourist traffic.

Alaska offers over 175 weekly nonstop flights to the four main Hawaiian Islands from the West Coast, with destinations including Kauai, Hawaii Island (Kona), Maui, and Oahu. With great connectivity from the West Coast, travelers flying to Hawaii on Alaska can depart in the morning and by lunchtime, soak up the sun.