Alaska Airlines from Midway International Airport to San Antonio

In the grand, illustrious legacy of air travel, flying poultry take a firm backseat to their more majestic cousins - the exotic birds. Well, speaking of flying creatures and exotic locales, Alaska has accomplished something quite remarkable. No! Not teaching polar bears to pilot biplanes, but a feat which, to be frank, seems almost as outlandish. Yes, dear reader, our beloved Alaska, not satisfied with geologically distancing itself from the Lower 48, decided to launch its own eponymous airline. Alaska Airlines, as many of you probaby know, is a highly esteemed operation, beloved by many a business class passenger. It undeniably makes their intercontinental sojourns relatively less bone-crushingly boring.

But the real unexplored gem in the Alaska Airlines' offering is not their premium economy or first-class decadence, but their lesser known but equally dignified flight route from the bustling Midway International Airport to the land of Texan prairies, San Antonio. It begs the question: how did this mid-western metropolis become a hub in the airline's flight schedule? Surely, it isn’t just to make our dear old friends, the penguins, feel more at home in the chilly Chicago winters?

Regardless of the hows and whys, the flights from Midway to San Antonio bring an air of fantasy to it, as if one were embarking on a one-way trip straight into the pages of a pulp Western novel. One equipped not merely with economy class frugality, but a frequent flyer program that would bring a tear to the eye of the most seasoned globetrotter.

Now, you wouldn’t think an airline named after a state where a quarter of the land area is covered by rivers and lakes, would be so adept in orchestrating their worldly affairs. In fact, the highest recorded temperature in Alaska is a comically woeful 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It almost sounds as if the thermometer was playing a game of 'the floor is lava' with the mercury. But, my dear wayfarers, do not let the silly geographies and thermometric shenanigans fool you. Flying Alaska Airlines is an experience.

Imagine, if you will, boarding one of their direct flights in the dead of night, which in airline parlance is referred to as a "red-eye" flight, quite possibly because of the zombified gaze such nocturnal journeys give you.

If you are looking for cheap flights, here’s a word to the wise: the best time to book is not in the merciless chokehold of the last-minute flights. Far from it, my good traveller. Our beloved Alaska Airlines, like a prudent miser, rewards the early bird or more accurately, the early booker, with the worm of cost effectiveness. It might not be a very appealing bit of imagery but I assure you, in the context of airfare rates, the analogy is quite the money saver.

Before you start packing your bags and checking baggage allowance, let me hint at one more delightful aspect of Alaska Airlines. You see, some say that the In-flight services are so good that the flight duration, instead of a ticking time bomb of ennui, flips in to a time of tantalizing tranquility. And, if hapless fate conspires against you and your flight falls prey to a flight cancellation, the airline’s flight cancellation policy rides in to save the day like a gallant white knight. An ERP-armed, legally obligated white knight, but a white knight nonetheless.

Parting words, dear traveller, are to encourage you to check out the airline reviews. You wouldn't trust a fox to guard your henhouse, so why leave your travel plans in the hands of an airline without checking out the facts first?

So buckle up, embrace the joie de vivre of air travel and bid adieu to your old perception of Alaska as merely a state of glaciers and gold, expand your horizons and regard it as a purveyor of comfort in the ethereal realm of the cloud dwellers. Happy journeying!