Honestly, if you were hovering over your laptop last November hoping for a repeat of the legendary "BOGO" sales of years past, you probably felt a mix of adrenaline and mild confusion. The Alaska Airlines Black Friday 2024 season wasn't just one single "drop." It was a chaotic, multi-day rollout that started with early whispers and ended with some people scoring $39 flights while others were stuck behind a "site maintenance" screen.
Buying a plane ticket during Black Friday is basically a sport. You've got the training (stalking Google Flights), the gear (a saved credit card), and the inevitable disappointment when the "Deal of the Year" doesn't apply to your specific route to Boise.
But 2024 was different.
The Reality of Alaska Airlines Black Friday 2024
While everyone was expecting a massive "BUY ONE GET ONE" (BOGO) code like the "BFBOGO23" coupon from the previous year, Alaska shifted gears. Instead of a single blanket promo code for the whole country, we saw a fragmented series of sales that targeted specific regions.
The heavy hitters? $39 one-way fares. These weren't just for short hops between Seattle and Portland, either. We saw these prices pop up for routes like San Diego to Monterey and Boise to Seattle. If you were looking to head south, the deals got even more aggressive. One-way flights to Los Cabos, Mexico, dropped as low as $109, and San Francisco to Maui hit that sweet spot under $150.
Why the "BOGO" didn't happen like before
Many travelers were waiting for the "Buy one, get one for just taxes" offer that Alaska made famous in 2023. In 2024, the airline seemed more focused on filling specific seats on off-peak days. They leaned into "Cyber Monday" and "Travel Tuesday" rather than putting all their eggs in the Black Friday basket.
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It was a bit of a gamble. Some people held out for Friday, saw "meh" prices, and then missed the better flash sales that popped up the following Tuesday.
The IT Glitch Heard 'Round the Pacific Northwest
You can't talk about Alaska Airlines Black Friday 2024 without mentioning the "Great Monday Meltdown." On December 2nd—right in the heat of the Cyber Monday rush—a significant IT issue grounded flights and sent the booking website into a tailspin.
Imagine finding a $49 fare to San Francisco, clicking "Book Now," and getting a 404 error.
For about an hour, Alaska had to request a ground stop at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just to clear the congestion. While they fixed it pretty quickly, it added a layer of stress to an already high-stakes shopping day. Most people who missed out during the glitch were able to find the deals extended through Wednesday, December 4th, but it was a reminder that even the best deals are subject to the whims of a server rack in Seattle.
Decoding the 2024 "Flash" Destinations
If you looked closely at the fine print, the best deals weren't actually on the homepage. They were hidden in the "Deals" tab, specifically for those willing to fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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- The $29 Special: We saw some ultra-short-haul routes, like Seattle to Redding, hit $29 one-way.
- The Hawaii "Steal": Flights from San Diego to Kahului (Maui) dropped to $99. That is basically unheard of outside of a major sale event.
- The Latin America Promo: Instead of the BOGO, they ran a "up to 30% off" promo using specific codes for Costa Rica, Belize, and Guatemala.
The interesting part? Mileage Plan members often saw even better value. Redemption rates dropped to as low as 4,000 miles for domestic one-way tickets. When you consider that a "good" redemption is usually around 10,000 to 12,500 miles, the Black Friday 4k-mile deals were arguably the best value of the entire year.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Sales
There’s a common myth that you should wait until 12:01 AM on Friday to book.
Wrong.
Alaska, like many carriers, started their "Black Friday" cycle as early as the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. By the time Friday actually rolled around, the "Saver" fare buckets on popular routes—like Seattle to New York or LAX to Cancun—were already picked clean.
Another misconception is that the "Percent Off" codes apply to the whole price. They don't. They apply to the base fare. You're still paying the full amount of government taxes and airport fees. On a $99 ticket, the base fare might only be $60, so a 30% discount only saves you $18, not $30.
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Lessons from the 2024 Sale Cycle
- Flexibility is king. If you insisted on flying Friday to Sunday, you paid full price. If you were okay with a Tuesday return, you saved 50%.
- The App is faster. When the website crashed during the Cyber Monday IT issue, some users reported that the mobile app was still sluggishly processing payments.
- Watch the "Partner" fees. Alaska added a lot of routes through their partnership with Hawaiian Airlines and others in 2024. However, the deepest Black Friday discounts almost exclusively applied to "Alaska Operated" flights.
Moving Toward the Next Big Sale
If you missed the boat on the Alaska Airlines Black Friday 2024 deals, don't just sit around and wait for next November. The airline has a habit of running "disruptor" sales in late January and early February to fill seats during the post-holiday slump.
To actually win at this game, you need to stop checking the homepage and start using the "Explore" map tool. It shows you the raw data of where the cheapest seats are hiding without the marketing fluff.
Also, keep an eye on your Mileage Plan balance. The 2024 sale proved that Alaska is increasingly using these holidays to reward people for spending miles rather than just cash.
Next Steps for Savvy Travelers:
If you're planning a trip for later this year, jump into your Alaska Mileage Plan account right now and check the "Discount Code" section in your profile. Often, they’ll drop "app-only" or "member-only" codes that never make it to the public Black Friday landing page. You should also set up a price alert for mid-week travel in April and May, as that's usually when the "leftover" inventory from the big holiday sales gets liquidated at even lower prices than Black Friday.