I do, and domestic flights for 3 people cost that much, and that includes the car rental, gas, parking, baggage fees. Luckily I did not have to pay for a motel, and dining out three times a day or the trip to Texas would have cost more than $3K.

Only one of those flights is domestic- to Texas. Your parent is flying three people, so $660 per person round trip.

When you consider the sheer size of the USA... It's an 8 hour flight from Anchorage, and a 3hr 20min flight from San Fran.