Opposites attract: Alaska and Hawaii do have common threads.

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On the surface, Alaska and Hawaii are polar opposites. One state offers fire (volcanoes), tropical weather and beautiful beaches, while the other offers ice (countless glaciers), a range of weather systems (sometime within the same region), and rocky beaches. But

if you look closer, it becomes apparent that the 49th and 50th states have a lot in common. First of all, America's two youngest states attract more tourists than any of their older siblings. On the national political front, they have a perennial seat at the kids' table and rarely receive visits from the statesmen (and women) vying for the country's top spots. And since both have the distinction of being non-contiguous (one refers to the landmass known as the contiguous U.S. as the "Lower 48" and the other as the "Mainland,") they seem to band together as many young kids of much older siblings will do.

But most importantly, Alaskans love Hawaii. Sure, Alaskans love long summers and abundant wildlife and even winters, but go ahead, conduct an unscientific poll. Ask 10 people where they will--or where they are going to go during the winter months and Hawaii will come up multiple times.

HEAD TO THE ISLANDS

While there's no hard data on how many Alaskans vacation, have time-shares or second homes in Hawaii, there's still enough residents heading toward the seven islands that comprise the Aloha State, to keep Hawaiian Vacations, an Alaskan-owned and -operated business, and now Alaskan Airlines, in the market to fly from Anchorage to Hawaii.

In its 25th year of operation, Hawaiian Vacations offers flights chartered by Hawaiian Airlines from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Honolulu on a year-round basis.

"Hawaii is all that we do," said Hawaiian Vacations Marketing Director Blake Arrington. "We focus exclusively on the Hawaiian market for Alaskans by providing Alaskans with air and package options for the Hawaiian Islands. Mostly, our customers are buying airline tickets but 40 percent of our business is comprised of packages-air, hotel and car."

According to Arrington, the most popular island for Alaskans to visit is Oahu (also known as Honolulu, which is a city on the island and Hawaii's capital) with Maui coming in second, and the Big Island and Kauai running in a tie for third place.

Alaskans not only visit Hawaii, they stay longer than most Americans and also become repeat visitors, he added.

STAY OFTEN, STAY LONG

The data states that Alaskans stay an average of about 11 days in Hawaii while (residents of) the West Coast go to the islands for an average of five days, explained Arrington from his office in Anchorage that employs a full-time staff of 25. "But many Alaskans stay longer than the average reported stay."

"Plus, Alaskans frequently choose Hawaii year after year as their vacation destination," he said. "Our number of repeat customers is very high. We feel that Alaskans have come to appreciate and expect a great experience and value with our company."

The newest addition to the Anchorage-Hawaii market is the state's biggest player when it comes to air travel--Alaska Airlines. With a 70-year history and a monopoly in many areas throughout the state, Alaska Air offers more flights in and out of Alaska (as well as within) than any other airline. This past summer, the company announced its new year-round Anchorage-Honolulu service that will begin this December.

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SNOW BIRDS

Our customers will now be able to enjoy Alaska's special brand of service when visiting the Aloha State," said the airline's executive vice president of flight and marketing Greg Saretsky, in a press release. "These long awaited routes expand the leisure travel options we can offer our customers and Mileage Plan members."

So far, Alaskans have been responsive to the new service, said the airline's spokesperson Amanda Tobin Bielawksi.

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"We added these flights to Hawaii after a groundswell of support from the Anchorage community," explained Tobin Bielawski, from her office at Alaska Airlines headquarters in Seattle. "Many of our Alaska customers and travel agents have been requesting Alaska Airlines to start service to Hawaii for a number of years. Hawaii has always been a popular destination for Alaskans, especially during the winter months. Many Alaskans have timeshares, condos and even second homes in Hawaii, and our new flights to Hawaii are designed to support those travelers and countless others."

Along with the new flights, Alaska Airlines will continue to offer vacation packages to the Aloha State.

"Alaska Airlines Vacations has offered vacation packages for travel to Hawaii for several years," Tobin Bielawski said. "These packages have included flights on Northwest (which pulled its Hawaiian flights from Alaska). Now we offer our own flights to Hawaii while continuing to offer a wide range of quality vacation packages to the Hawaiian Islands."

So, when you're done taking your unscientific poll about what your friends and neighbors would like to do this winter, you may want to book a flight to Hawaii yourself. Why not? The list of options on how to get there just got longer--and that's good news for the Alaskan consumer.

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Northwest Cancels Alaska-Hawaii Route

Passengers put on different airlines.

Northwest Airlines, which had run seasonal service from Alaska to Hawaii and back December through May, announced in early September that it had cancelled all flights for the upcoming season and long-term future.

Passengers who have purchased tickets on Northwest to Hawaii should have been contacted by Northwest to reschedule their flights on another carrier. There are two other companies serving the Alaska market: Hawaiian Vacations and Alaska Airlines.

The reason, according to Northwest, is that their planes are needed elsewhere. According to a report from a Pacific Northwest publication, they will either provide service through Alaska carriers, or re-accomodate them through gateways on the West Coast.

Northwest had been providing flights from the Great Land to the 50th state for two years, offering nonstop flights to Maui, and more recently, Kona.

In June and July, the airlines cancelled 4,000 flights nationwide due to staffing problems.

According on an online report, a dispute with overworked pilots was the cause of the cancellation.

"When you're faced with an absolute disaster of that magnitude, senior management has to drill down and find out what caused it," said Darren Shannon, Northwest Airlines spokesman, to Crain's Detroit Business.

Calls to Northwest were not returned by press time.