Alaska Airlines from Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo to Concord Regional Airport

In an audacious act of scientific inquiry, we shall embark upon an explication of the voyage from the sun-drenched beaches of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo to the distinctly less sun-drenched Concord Regional Airport - via Alaska, of course. 'Alaska', you might holler, 'why ever there?' Well, dear reader, a surgical curveball has been introduced into the narrative to promote some modicum of interest.

In the realm of 'flight deals' against which all others are measured, this Bermuda triangle of a journey - Mexico, Alaska, North Carolina, stands as an embodiment of absurdity, manifested in the juxtaposition of palm trees, ice caps, and NASCAR, in that order. Yet, the vagaries of airfare ensure that this seemingly haphazard journey is economically and pragmatically sound, more than can be said for many correlations in today's socio-political climate.

Ponder this striking fact: Alaska is the most eastern, western and northern state of the U.S – a navigational quirk worthy enough to trump the common understanding of compass points. Considering its cartographic privilege, direct flights from Ixtapa might appear to be a ludicrous proposition.

Nonetheless, by technical standards and air-traffic control parlance, these 'direct flights' adhere strictly to the Great Circle route. Commendable really, how every mile adds up in a frequent flyer’s mileage program. A String Theory-style masterstroke; the erratic becomes the systematic.

Visualize now, wearing your best astronaut/cosmonaut/billionaire-in-a-cowboy-hat-moon-gazing-outfit, the flight trajectory of our intended journey tracing an arc along the curvature of the earth. As you sip your complimentary business-class champagne and contemplate the cosmic irony, you will realize that the journey to a small regional airport in North Carolina does indeed involve a circumnavigation similar to a jaunt to the moon.

Moreover, the route includes a layover in Anchorage. A city with a baggage allowance for 'Ice Axes' and 'Crampons', a punchline in itself, only to be usurped by the fact that Alaska’s state bird is the willow ptarmigan, a creature that changes its coat from brown to white in winter.

Rather mockingly, the bird seems to mock the traveler, dressing in premium economy attire for the grueling winter season, while the human traveler is likely decked in full gortex and heated gloveries. A fitting protagonist in this satirical travelogue, wouldn't you say?

Almost as poignant as the irony of being offered a 'flight cancellation policy' on the eve of the last leg of the trip. How does one cancel the voyage midway and decide to go back to the sun-kissed beaches of Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo ? Or perhaps, claim sanctuary in Alaska itself? A far-fetched merriment of thought, though to those embarking on such a journey, it might seem the equator of sanity.

Ultimately, the decision to take such round trips rests with the traveler – brave or foolhardy, adventurous or desperate for mileage program points; such judgments are for historians to make. At present, 'cheap flights' and flight schedule convenience outweighs geographical reason— a climactic comment on our current society, where the absurd has become the norm and requires satirical scrutiny from time to time.

As we draw this examination to a close, we do hope it provides a clinical yet humorous perspective; after all, isn’t life just a series of late, red-eye flights connecting disparate elements in a spectacular dance of logistics and last-minute adjustments? The grand satire of existence indeed.