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More flexible flight-search options surface

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More flexible flight-search options surface

SmarterTravel

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

Follow him on Twitter (@joshwhowrites) and Instagram (@joshwhowrites), and visit his website (joshrobertsbooks.com) or Goodreads page to learn more about his forthcoming novel.

Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

See recent posts by Josh Roberts
joshwhowrites @joshwhowrites

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Alaska Airlines became the latest carrier to add a flexible travel dates search to its website when it introduced the “Low Fare Finder” option on its homepage earlier this week. It works similarly to most other flexible-search tools by allowing travelers to check airfare prices for days on either side of their preferred itineraries.

With the move, Alaska joins AirTran, ATA, JetBlue, Southwest, and other low-fare carriers in an industry-wide effort to consolidate purchases to their websites—and away from third-party sellers like Expedia and Travelocity, where consumers can compare fares from multiple airlines at the same time.

So how does Alaska’s search tool stack up? My verdict: It’s okay but nothing special. It certainly doesn’t hold a candle to either Orbitz’s “Flexible Search Tool” (great for finding the best weekend travel prices) or Travelocity’s “Flexible Dates” search (the gold standard of flexible searches). In an article last March, SmarterTravel.com’s airfare editor, Jessica Labrencis, evaluated the various flexible-search tools available to travelers. Give it a read for more on the top airfare search tools.

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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