I am thinking about visiting Alaska this summer, flying from the east coast i think 25k mile awards seem like an excellent value. I have the miles on CO, UA and NW. However I would like to use up the miles on UA.

When I tried to search on CO I could only find 'EasyPass' awards over the summer and a smattering of standard redemption First Class tickets. However when I look in February I see a lot more redemption opportunities including standard award coach seats. I couldn't find anything on UA and was asked to call for partner bookings.

What sort of luck will I have making the booking in April or May for June, July or August. I can make them for next month, but I am guess the summer months are a lot more popular then winter ones.

Exactly... summer is more popular (its when the tourism industry tries to make enough to stay dormant during the winter)... That said. were having a 'Do' in both ANC & FAI over 'spring break' this year... so if interested, this might be a cool idea...

Since summer is peak, everything costs more from rentals, to hotels, and award flights... you could try a shoulder season if you like - early May or September... and this should open some things up... but its still difficult and pricey...

UA stopped flying to ANC last summer/fall so your best bet is a flight on UScareways via PHX/LAS to ANC if using UA miles...

Good luck... might have to burn a few more then 25K unfort to visit the Last Frontier during the summer though... (Especially from the East Coast!)

Wait and see if UA restore service on a seasonal basis. In the past, they have had pretty nice availability to ANC.

I redeem quite a few miles for my AK trips (2-4 per year) and generally have very good success, even in the summer. I start looking early though and keep looking if a good connection/deal doesn't show up right away. Generally I use NW miles but when I want to make stops in Alaska en route, DL or AA miles are great because they allow that for no additional mileage charge.

If you are flexible, keep checking. I got tickets relatively last minute last summer to FAI with NW. Remember partners and often you must call since the online availability searches don't always turn up all the options.

John

Keep trying, I got 6 roundtrips (MSP - ANC) on NWA for 150k total. Granted, I booked early, but finaly got what I wanted.

I'll echo the others; summer peak availability can be difficult to find, but with a little patience and diligence, you can probably still dig up a 25,000 mile award. If you're flexible enough to go in a shoulder season, availability should still be pretty good. I burned 50k miles just last week for 2 round-trips (booked through NW) routing EVV-CVG-ORD-ANC-SLC-ATL-EVV on DL/AS metal in early May.

or if you have a sense of adventure just do the trip in feb. i did and LOVED IT!. you get to see AK at it's best - what it's known for - WINTER!

plus the northern lights are at their best in winter.....i can say i crossed the arctic circle with a thermometer bottoming out at -70F. saw the start of the yukon quest dog sled race and enjoyed all the ice sculptures around town in FAI.

Winter is a lot of fun. March is even better than February - Iditarod start in Anchorage/restart in Willow, Ice Art Championships are the end of February and beginning of March, it is not as cold as February and more daylight than in February. But in any case, a great time to visit as you said.

I signed up for the Alaska Air credit card, now have 25000 miles after $75 annual fee and 750 minimum spend.

Using Alaska miles, I can get to some really distant points,
along with a stop in FAI or ANC,
i.e. Kodiak Island in my case..