Starting today, surfers everywhere will have one more reason to wish for bigger waves. That’s when Alaska Airlines will kick-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% 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.
Between Nov.4 through Nov.8, for travel through Nov.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 5p.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.
Like waves, how about waiver? To make sporty travel easier, Alaska waives oversize and overweight fees for sports equipment so guests can fly with their surfboards for just $30 (the price of a regular checked bag). For MVP Gold 75K, MVP Gold, MVP, First Class and Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card holders, this equipment counts toward their free checked baggage allowance.
