Flights to Seattle look great, but what other deals are available in the current fare war?

True confession: I love a fare war.

That’s true, even if it’s just a tiny little fare war. Honestly, though, anytime airlines throw out an $88 one-way fare between Anchorage and Seattle, they’ve got my attention.

Mileage grubbers take note: If you want full mileage credit, the cost is a little more. If you’re angling for some SkyMiles from Delta before the end of the year, it will cost you $30 to get the points. With a main cabin fare, you’ll also get to pick your seat in advance.

If Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan is your game, it is $35 more to collect all 1,449 miles between Anchorage and Seattle. The seats aren’t any better in main. It’s just an upcharge for folks who play the loyalty game.

In this particular “Battle for Seattle,” the cheap fares are only available Dec. 3-18. But that’s a nice stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas to go check out what’s happening in Seattle.

At the top of my “to see” list is the new Overlook Walk that connects Pike Place Market and the waterfront. The giant Alaskan Way Viaduct (elevated freeway) used to slice through the area, along with the accompanying noise and exhaust. All that traffic got pushed underground in a tunnel. This new waterfront project is “the largest civic project in Seattle since the 1962 World’s Fair,” according to a news release from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

If you love Pike Place Market, it’s a great place to start your waterfront adventure. There’s a new waterfront-facing expansion of the market, which connects with the top of the steps.

Also connected to the steps is the Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion. I haven’t been there — but people are talking about it. It’s across the street from the main aquarium exhibits at Pier 59 and 60.

The new project further connects the neighborhood that includes the Seattle Art Museum, lots of downtown Seattle shops and the Olympic Sculpture Park at the north end of the waterfront.

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I scanned airfares across the country earlier this week. The Anchorage-Seattle fare is the runaway hit of this sale. But there are several other great deals available. There also are a couple of sticky kinks in the details that only airlines would think of.

Delta has the best offers for these sale fares up and down the West Coast, south of Seattle. Between Anchorage and Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas, the leader Basic Economy fare is $131 each way.

Again, these rates are available only from Dec. 3-18. In some cities, there are flights available one or two days earlier or later. It just depends.

Most travelers are going to pay the upcharge to main if only to choose their own seat. And that’s where it gets sticky.

The difference between basic economy and main keeps getting wider. Usually, the difference is $30 or $40 each way. But for these great rates, Delta’s upcharge to Main is running between $60 and $75 each way.

Other popular destinations cost a little more. Between Anchorage and Eugene or Palm Springs, the cheapest tickets start at $141 one-way, traveling Dec. 3-18 only. Delta’s upcharge to Main will cost an additional $120-$140 round-trip.

Farther east, there’s just a little bump in the price. It’s still a great deal from Anchorage to Chicago, Kansas City or Austin, Texas: $151 one-way. Anchorage-Denver costs more: $161 one-way. The upcharge to main costs $96-$150 round-trip.

While I truly enjoy a good fare war, airlines hate them. One way that airlines communicate with one another is through attack fares. Simply put, an airline will publish a low fare to a competitor’s hub city to register its displeasure.

So, as Delta offered Anchorage travelers some early-December deals to a dozen West Coast and Midwest destinations, Alaska Airlines filed attack fares to Delta’s hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Detroit for $146-$160 one-way.

Again, this is another flex point where it gets sticky. Sure, the fares are there. But the layovers are terrible.

For example, between Anchorage and Atlanta, there are only two days (Dec. 9-10) with a decent connection (one or two hours) in Seattle. Any other date requires a layover between five and 16 hours.

To take advantage of the sale price northbound from Atlanta to Anchorage, the only available date is Dec. 11, which requires a 20-hour layover in Seattle.

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Similar hijinks are in play for Alaska’s offers between Anchorage and Delta hubs at Minneapolis and Detroit: eight- to 18-hour layovers to Minneapolis and eight- to 11-hour layovers in Seattle on the way to Detroit. The northbound flights are just as bad or worse.

From Detroit to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines, the only available date for the sale fare is Wednesday, Dec. 11. The layover in Seattle is 11 1/2 hours. From Minneapolis to Anchorage, when sale seats are available Dec. 8-16, layovers in Seattle range from 13 to 24 hours.

Every fare war is different and this is not the first time an airline has published a fare without available seats, or only with ridiculous routings and lengthy layovers. After all, these bargain fares are not advertised to travelers. They are designed specifically to send a message to other airlines. It’s just disappointing to see the promise of a good deal disappear before your eyes. The devil is, indeed, in the details.

For this particular sale, set your sites on Seattle and check out the Overlook Walk on the waterfront.

Sources: google.com/flights, alaskaair.com, delta.com, visitseattle.org