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Look, I’m not gonna lie—when I first started flying between Seattle and Los Angeles back in 2018, I thought it was just another boring domestic route. Two and a half hours in the air, how complicated could it be? Turns out, pretty complicated if you want to do it smart and cheap.

I’ve now flown this route 47 times (yes, I counted because I’m weird like that), and I’ve made pretty much every mistake possible. I’ve paid $340 for a seat I could’ve gotten for $49. I’ve missed connections because I didn’t account for LAX’s infamous traffic patterns. I’ve even ended up at the wrong LA airport once—Long Beach instead of LAX—which was honestly hilarious in retrospect but a nightmare at the time.

So let me save you from my mistakes and share what I’ve learned about making this Pacific Northwest to Southern California hop as painless and affordable as possible.

Why This Route Is Actually More Complicated Than You’d Think

Here’s the thing about the Seattle-LA corridor: it’s one of the busiest routes on the West Coast, which means you’ve got options. Like, a lot of options. Alaska Airlines alone runs something like 15 flights a day on this route. Add in Delta, Southwest, United, and occasionally some budget carriers, and you’re looking at flights leaving SeaTac basically every hour.

That sounds great, right? More options, more competition, better prices? Well, yes and no.

I learned this the hard way during a trip in January 2020 when I needed to get down to LA for a travel blogging conference. I saw a flight for $89 and thought, “eh, I’ll wait and see if it drops.” Two days later, every flight was over $200. Turns out, this route has some of the wildest price swings I’ve ever seen on a domestic flight. The difference between booking at the right time and the wrong time can literally be $150 or more.

The Best Times to Book (And When Everything Gets Expensive)

After tracking prices for this route obsessively for three years—I know, I need a better hobby—I’ve noticed some pretty consistent patterns.

The sweet spot for booking is usually 3-7 weeks out. Too early and you’re paying premium prices. Too late and you’re fighting with business travelers who expense everything and don’t care about cost. I’ve snagged flights for as low as $39 during flash sales, but my average is around $68 when I’m being strategic about it.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are your friends. I once paid $47 for a Tuesday afternoon flight when the Friday before it was $189. The route gets absolutely slammed on Mondays (everyone heading to LA for the week) and Fridays (the reverse, plus tons of weekend travelers). If you can swing a mid-week trip, you’ll save a chunk of change.

Also, and this might seem counterintuitive, early morning flights are sometimes cheaper. That 6 AM Alaska flight? Nobody wants to wake up at 4 AM to catch it, so airlines often discount it. I’ve become a morning person purely out of financial necessity, and honestly, there’s something kind of nice about landing in LA before noon with the whole day ahead of you.

Which Airlines Actually Get It Right

I’ve flown this route on five different airlines, and they’re definitely not all created equal.

Alaska Airlines is my go-to, and I don’t say that lightly because I’m not loyal to any airline without good reason. They run this route constantly, their prices are usually competitive, and—here’s the big one—they actually have decent legroom. As someone who’s 5’8″, I can’t tell you how much that matters. Plus, their flight attendants on this route seem to genuinely know what they’re doing. I’ve never missed a connection in LA because of an Alaska delay, which I can’t say for other carriers.

Southwest can be great if you’ve got their credit card or status because of the free checked bags. I flew them a lot in 2019 when I was moving stuff between cities. But their boarding process is chaos, and if you don’t pay for early bird check-in, you’re gonna end up in a middle seat watching everyone else board before you. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Delta’s fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing terrible either. They’re usually the most expensive option, though occasionally they have sales that are worth jumping on. I snagged a $52 Delta flight once during a random Tuesday sale, and it was honestly kind of luxurious compared to what I usually book.

United… look, I try not to be negative about airlines because they’re all dealing with a lot. But I’ve had three flight delays out of six trips with them on this route. Maybe I’m just unlucky, but I typically scroll past their options now.

The Airport Situation: SeaTac vs. LAX Reality Check

SeaTac is pretty straightforward. It’s one terminal, you can’t really get lost, and security usually moves at a decent pace. My only tip here is to get there earlier than you think you need to if you’re flying Alaska out of the north gates—that security line can get surprisingly long.

LAX, though? That’s where things get spicy.

First off, you need to know which terminal you’re landing in before you book your next move. Alaska uses Terminal 6, Southwest is at Terminal 1, Delta’s at Terminals 2 and 3. This matters because if you’re connecting or meeting someone, LAX’s terminal-to-terminal situation is not great. I once had to sprint-walk (with luggage) from Terminal 6 to Terminal 1 because I thought “they’re all connected” meant actually connected. Spoiler: they’re not. Not really.

The LAX-it situation for rideshares is also something you need to mentally prepare for. They moved all Ubers and Lyfts to this consolidated pickup area that requires a shuttle bus ride. It adds like 15-20 minutes to your exit time. The first time I dealt with it, I was not happy. Now I just factor it in and bring a podcast to listen to while I wait.

My Actual Money-Saving Strategies That Work

Okay, here’s where I get into the nerdy stuff that’s saved me probably thousands of dollars over the years.

Set up price alerts on Google Flights for this route. I have alerts for three different date ranges—the specific dates I’m planning to travel, plus the week before and after. Sometimes shifting your trip by two days can save you $80, and if you’ve got flexibility, that’s huge.

Consider flying into a different LA airport. Burbank is closer to a lot of LA destinations than LAX, and sometimes flights there are cheaper. I flew Seattle to Burbank for $67 once when LAX was running $140+. Yeah, it’s a smaller airport with fewer flight options, but if the timing and price work, it’s totally worth it. Long Beach is another option, though it’s farther out.

If you’re checking a bag, do the math on Southwest versus the others. Alaska charges $35 each way for a checked bag, so a $79 Alaska flight is really $149 once you add baggage. A $99 Southwest flight with two free checked bags might actually be the better deal. I learned this after spending way too much on baggage fees like an amateur.

Book positioning flights smartly. Sometimes it’s cheaper to fly Seattle to somewhere random and then that random place to LA than to fly direct. I once saved $90 by booking Seattle to San Francisco to LA instead of direct. It added three hours to my travel time, but I was on a serious budget and had a book to finish, so it worked out fine.

What Nobody Tells You About This Flight

The weather situation can be weird. Seattle’s often cloudy and cool, LA’s usually sunny and warm. I’ve gotten on planes wearing a jacket and jeans and felt absolutely ridiculous landing in 80-degree LA sunshine. Now I dress in layers or just deal with being slightly cold at SeaTac because I’m not suffering through LAX in winter clothes.

The views can be incredible if you get a window seat on the right side of the plane. You’ll fly over Mount Shasta, and if it’s a clear day, it’s absolutely stunning. I’m usually too cheap to pay for seat selection, but I’ve lucked into that view a few times and it never gets old.

The flight feels weirdly short but also weirdly long? Two and a half hours is long enough that you kind of want a snack, but short enough that by the time they bring the drink cart around, you’re already starting your descent. I always pack my own snacks now—granola bars, trail mix, whatever—because airplane food on this route is either nonexistent or overpriced.

Making the Most of Your LA Landing

Here’s something I wish someone had told me earlier: where you’re staying in LA matters for which airport you fly into. If you’re heading to Westside or Santa Monica, LAX makes sense. If you’re going to Hollywood or Pasadena, Burbank’s actually way more convenient. If you’re heading to Long Beach or Orange County, well, Long Beach Airport exists for a reason.

I made the mistake of flying into LAX once when I was staying in Burbank, and the Uber cost me $67 in traffic. A Burbank flight would’ve been $15 more but saved me $50+ in ground transportation and like 90 minutes of sitting in traffic. Do the full math, not just the flight price.

Also, download the FlyLAX app if you’re going through LAX regularly. It’s actually useful—tells you security wait times, gate info, and where food options are. I’m generally skeptical of airport apps, but this one’s saved me from waiting in the wrong security line more than once.

Look, Here’s the Bottom Line

Flying Seattle to LA isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not as simple as just booking the first cheap flight you see. The route is competitive, which is good for us, but it also means you need to be a little strategic about timing and airline selection.

My advice? Be flexible with dates if you can, track prices before you need to book, and think about the full cost including baggage and ground transportation. And maybe, just maybe, try that 6 AM flight once. You might hate waking up early, but you’ll love having $100 extra in your pocket.

The Pacific Northwest to Southern California run is one I’ll probably keep flying for years—it’s just too convenient and honestly kind of essential if you’re living the West Coast life. At least now you can do it smarter than I did those first dozen times.

Safe travels, and seriously, set up those price alerts tonight. Your wallet will thank you.

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