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Frommers.com Airfare Deals and News for the Week of August 30, 2006

George Hobica reports on Delta's San Diego sale, ATA's Chicago sale, JetBlue's Caribbean sale and more!

Delta's San Diego Sale

Delta Air Lines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) has discounted many fares to and from San Diego Airport. Click on the links below for more details:

Travel beginning September 5, 2006. Complete all travel by November 15, 2006. October 6, 2006 and October 8, 2006 are blacked out.

ATA's Chicago Sale

ATA (tel. 800/435-9282; www.ata.com) has launched a sale on travel to and from Chicago-Midway for travel through the end of September. Below are some sample one-way fares before taxes and fees. Click on the links for more information.

These are very good fares that many other airlines have already matched. Seats will sell out fast so buy your tickets now. Travel any day through September 30, 2006. Purchase your ticket by Midnight (EST), August 30, 2006.

Jetblue Caribbean Sale

Jetblue Airways (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) is having a fall sale on travel to the Caribbean. Below are some sample one-way before taxes and fees. Click on the links below are more information about travel dates.

Connecting service is available to many other cities. Travel through November 15, 2006. Book your ticket by September 1, 2006.

Aloha's Labor Day Sale

Aloha Airlines (tel. 800/367-5250; www.alohaair.com) is offering special fares over Labor Day weekend on flights to Hawaii. For the lowest fares, register for a free membership in the AlohaPass program. There is limited availability on these fares so act fast. Below are some sample one-way fares before taxes and fees. Click on the links for more information.

These fares are valid on nonstop flights. Travel September 1, 2006 through September 7, 2006. There is an additional charge of $20 one-way for non AlohaPass members. Book your ticket by September 5, 2006.

US Airways So-So Caribbean Sale

US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) has discounted fares to and from the Caribbean. Seats are very easy to find, but the fares may not be the lowest in the market. Below are some sample round -rip fares including taxes and fees:

Depart September 13, Return September 20

  • Boston to Freeport: $384 vs. $344 on American
  • Chicago to Cancun: $403 vs. $347 on ATA

Depart October 24, Return November 2

  • New York to Aruba: $355 vs. $303 on Jetblue
  • Philadelphia to San Juan: $321 with American matching

As you can see most of these fares have been beaten by other carriers, so Airfarewatchdog recommends you shop around to find better deals. Travel Monday through Thursday. Complete all travel by November 15, 2006. Minimum stay requirement varies by destination.

20 Percent Off Select Alaska Airlines Flights

Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) is offering a 20 percent discount on flights between Canada and Miami or Orlando and flights between Washington State and Denver or Reno. To receive the discount, enter e-certificate code EC04706 when making reservations at www.alaskaair.com. Travel between September 27, 2006 and November 15, 2006. This offer expires September 3, 2006. And you can book only on Alaska's website. In almost all cases, these fares are lower than what competitors are offering.

JAL's Enhanced Super Sale Fares

Japan Airlines (tel. 800/525-3663; www.japanair.com) is having a sale to most cities in Japan from its U.S. gateways. Below are some sample fares including all taxes and fees:

Depart August 29, September 18

  • New York to Osaka: $1,044 vs. $902 on American
  • San Francisco to Tokyo: $898 vs. $962 on American

Depart September 18, Return September 25

  • Los Angeles to Osaka: $853 vs. $871 on American
  • Orlando to Tokyo: $968 vs. $912 on American

Depart October 11, Return October 19

  • Chicago to Nagoya: $1,188 vs. $1,049 on United
  • Philadelphia to Tokyo: $1,098 vs. 913 on American

As you can see, most of the fares are being matched or beaten by American, at least on the days we checked at random, so it pays to shop around before purchasing tickets. Depart through October 28, 2006. Stopovers in Japan are available at $100 each. Purchase your ticket by September 12, 2006.

Korean Air to Seoul

Korean Air (tel. 800/438-5000; www.koreanair.com) is offering discounted fares from Chicago and San Francisco to Seoul. Below are some sample fares including taxes and fees:

Depart September 10, Return September 14

Depart September 14, Return September 28

  • San Francisco to Seoul: $855 vs. $988 on EVA

Depart November 16, Return November 21

So while the fare from San Francisco is very good; those from Chicago are being closely matched by Asiana, which doesn't mean that they're not good, just that they're not spectacular. Travel outbound between August 21, 2006 and November 30, 2006. Service does not operate daily. Purchase your tickets by August 31, 2006.

ITASoftware

Now that Travelocity no longer lists international fares in its flexible date searches, our new favorite way to find low fares on international routes is the airfare pricing tool at www.itasoftware.com. This is the technology that powers Orbitz, and although you can't book on ITA, a software company based in Cambridge, MA, we find it easier to use than Orbitz when doing a flexible date search.

Once on the home page, click on "Looking for Airfares?" and then activate the "Month-long search" radio button. Enter the "from" and "to" cities; choose the "between" date for the month you want to travel (it's easy to hit the back button and select a previous or subsequent month) and select "staying about a week" so that you'll be able to take advantage of any Saturday night stay requirements for the lowest fares. Hit "Go". The fares you'll see include all taxes from the get-go, which is really nice. Sometimes the routings suggested are pretty crazy, but they do warn you of changes of airports, lengthy layovers, and so forth. You can also check infant and senior fares. Once you find the fare you want, go over to Orbitz where you'll find the same fares with a service fee tacked on.

George Hobica is a syndicated travel journalist and blogger whose website, www.airfarewatchdog.com, tracks unadvertised airfare wars and other fare sales.

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