Annie get your gun!
Surfers have long had a… what should we call it? Problematic? Troublesome? Angrily abusive relationship with airlines. We get severely overcharged for boards, they get dinged, broken lost anyhow, services have shrunken down to nothing, booze is expensive, stewards and stewardesses are grouchy and short-tempered (except on Qantas’ domestic Australian flights where they are glorious rays of sunshine), etc. Travel has, simply put, become an expensive bummer.
Well, Alaska Airlines is seeking to win us back by pegging flight costs to forecasted swells this winter on trips to Hawaii and let’s turn to Condé Nast Traveller because my eyes are blurry and my fingers as mean-spirited as stewardesses (save Qantas’ domestic).
Today, the Seattle-based airline has launched a first-of-its-kind flight deal: Discounts on all fares from all markets to Hawaii are based on how high the waves off the islands are, with discounts increasing as the waves get bigger, with up to a 30 percent of fares to the Aloha State.
“For example, as the swell gets to 15 feet, then the discount during the sale will be a 15 percent,” says Natalie Bowman, managing director of brand and marketing communications for Alaska Airlines.
To measure the height of the waves—and therefore, the flight deals—Alaska has partnered with Surfline, a company that specializes in surf forecasting and monitoring waves. The good news for fliers looking for the best deal is that the discount rates won’t decrease if the waves start to shrink in size. “The discount can get better if the swells go up, but the discount will never get worse,” Bowman says. “So if it starts at 15 [percent], it’s never going to drop down to 10 even if the forecast changes,” she explains.
Surfline is providing this data?
Oh no.
Surfline clearly doesn’t care about accurate forecasts since they get it right as often as I don’t drink but if they cared about us they would just claim “Exceptionally Epic Hawaiian Winter!” and call it 30-foot from November through whenever this promotion ends, saving us 30% no matter when we decided to go.
Do you think Surfline cares about surfers?
It’s a modern malady , Strapadictomy …. ?
#misschanny #misscavvy #beenpegged
Well I write for Surfline and I don’t care about surfers, so there’s that.
That’s been obvious since the end of the ’80’s though…edit(sorry, I meant early ’90’s)
DaHui will politely “explain” to Alaska Air HQ that it’s never over 3 feet on the North Shore between November and February Eddie Rothman , head forecaster
With his Husky Voice he may be a perfect Ambassador for Alaskan Air … ?
Yeah but 53ft faces for the win.
3 foot Hawaiian discount is my sweet spot
Wait…is that Hawaiian 15 feet?
Or is that Haole 15 feet?
That’s how they get ya.
Or the size of the wave you took that you tell everybody was 15 foot?
Shoulda been here yesterday…
Was good when we got for about 2 hours, the wind has just picked up and is turning it to shit.
what means?
Do not google it at work 2f2s!
This is evidence of why surfing will never be mainstream: “based on how high the waves off the islands are”. No surfer talks like that. Surfing can’t even get a press release right.
Thank God.
House prices are ten times what they were 30 yrs ago
Air tickets are half the price that they were 30 yrs ago
So it’s already more accessible to more surfers than ever and much more realistic than buying a house.
The unfortunate side to this is that all the lesser committed lesser skilled long termers as well as the current crop of adult learners who worked 9-5 paying off a mortgage, (while a more dedicated hardcore contingent were scraping together all possible funds for traveling to continue honing their skills internationally) can now rent out their freehold homes and travel to crowd out our once pristine exotic hiding places with their wives yoga studios, vegan restaurants and surf schools etc. Travel is sooo fuckin’ cheap for sooo fuckin’ many unfortunately…
Hawaii hasn’t had a record tourism spending year since 1989, but we’ve had record number of visitors every year it seems. More people coming, using resources and less money being spent. Race to the bottom.
And if you’re bald , they’ll give you hair …? I have no idea why Big Audio Dynamite’s “ Medicine Show “ lyrics came to mind ….
Annie Get your Gun ….. is this subliminal advertising for Oakley ….. or am I just a 50s / 60s Hollywood Musical Nerd ?
Yes, something is off
So does Surfline measure wave face or the back of wave aka by some as Outerknown face?
I think as his career fades Outerknown may become known as Kelly’s Twilight Zone
Twilight definition 2) a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline.
“he was in the twilight of his career” ?
Just before he wins Pipe and Olympic Gold ….. ?
“He was in the outerknown of his career”?
There is no such thing as discounts in air travel. Trickle down economic models suggest Hawaiians are getting seriously bent over a barrel* on this sham.
Alaska Airlines must be getting a deal on jet fuel when refueling in Hawaii. Not to be too depressive but Alaska Airlines is a publicly traded company. They owe stockholders a fiduciary duty to make profits, not discounts. Surfers may get a great deal, but like usual it’s likely at the expense of the local Hawaiian economy, where costs are shifted around including lost jobs, decreased hours etc..
* versus bent over in a barrel
Might make more sense to provide discount surf trips to Alaska . Same part of the Pacific …… If there are waves on the North Shore of Hawaii then one would assume that the same storms create swell for the South Coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands ?
This is awesome! I can now carefully plan my trip to make sure I score that 3-4% discount!
AKA the “ Kanoa is a favorite at Pipe on this discount discount “ …. ? If he wins at 8ft please discount this discount comment …..
My first thought! 15% disco to surf head high OTW!