Mexico: Fall airfares to La Paz, Loreto and more on sale

Mexico’s ongoing wave of drug-cartel violence has kept some Americans away, but deep discounts in less-affected areas, such as southern Baja California, have helped keep tourism humming. Alaska Airlines has launched a sale on fall airfares from Los Angeles to beach cities La Paz and Loreto for $119 each way.

The deal: The Low Fare Fiesta deal includes each-way airfares from Los Angeles to Guadalajara for $92, Mazatlan for $109 and Loreto and La Paz in Baja for $119; prices exclude tax and fees.

When: The offer is generally good for travel Aug. 22-Oct. 7; service to some cities has different travel periods. Airfares must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. PDT Monday.

Tested: I checked availability on flights from L.A. to La Paz. I found a flight leaving Sept. 5 and returning Sept. 10 for $349 round-trip, including tax and fees, about $100 less than fares on other airlines, according to a quick check on Kayak.com.

The warning: The U.S. State Department issued an updated warning in April that detailed areas of Mexico where deadly violence continues to take a toll. It also contains this sentence: “Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes.”

Contact: Alaska Airlines, (800) 252-7522