Booking a flight after cruise

[acct1975]

Our Jul 2024 cruise ends in Whittier and we would fly out of Anchorage. I'm trying to figure out logistics about what time to book a flight home (same day probably). How long is the commute from the port in Whittier to Anchorage?

 

What are people suggestions for booking a flight home to Chicago? I don't want to book too early of a flight. If it has to be late, so be it, that's what hotels are for but I don't want to book and miss our flight because transport took longer that I thought.

 

Thanks 

[Gardyloo]

All of the nonstop flights from Anchorage to Chicago (Alaska Airlines, United, American) are "red eyes" that leave late at night and arrive in the early morning.  For example, in July the Alaska flights depart at 10:25 and 11:40 PM, arriving at O'Hare at 7:42 AM and 8:57 AM respectively.  That's the case with most flights from Anchorage to the Midwest or East; the length of the flight plus the 3- or 4-hour time change rules out any mid-day departures from Anchorage.  If you route through some west coast hub like Seattle, the flight times are even longer and the time change is no better.  

[acct1975]

I was seeing that too. I'm starting to consider that getting a hotel until flight time might be the only way to go.

 

I did see a 1 stop flight  (layover for 2h in Seattle) at 11am but I'm worried that cuts too close. There are also some Monday am flights but those layovers are much longer and I don't think really save us anything.