Frommers.com Airfare Deals and News for the Week of September 13, 2006

JetBlue: Two or More Travelers Discount

JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) is offering a "More the Merrier Sale" that gives discounts to two or more travelers flying on the same itinerary. The prices are similar to the airline's usual sale fares, which means they're very good. Interestingly, on many routes to Florida we were able to book the lowest sale fares as a single adult, but on other routes, such as New York to San Juan $69 one-way, we did indeed have to specify two or more travelers to get the lowest fare. However, on that route and others, competing airlines have been matching the lowest fares without requiring that two or more travelers fly together.

Southwest Systemwide Sale

Southwest (www.southwest.com) has been having one sale after another lately. No sooner than one ends but another begins. Its newest sale is systemwide, and other airlines are matching or beating these fares here and there. Fares range from $49 to $159 one-way (no round-trip purchase is ever required). Book by October 19 midnight CST, for travel September 26, 2006 through January 9, 2007, online at Southwest.com. A 14-day purchase is required and don't forget to use their well-hidden flexible fare search engine, the curiously named Southwest Shortcut.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), partly in response to Airtran's recent sale, has discounted many of its fares. The critical difference between these two sales is that American requires round-trip travel whereas Airtran sell its fares one-way, which offers greater flexibility. Also, American covers many more routes in its sale, which other airlines have matched in some cases. We have listed below several sample round-trip fares before taxes and fees that work on both airlines:

• Baltimore to/from Boston: $98
• Bloomington, IL to/from Miami: $198
• Chicago to/from Minneapolis: $78
• Denver to/from Atlanta: $198
• Flint, MI to/from Miami: $198
• Indianapolis to/from New Orleans: $178
• Pensacola to/from Baltimore: $158
• Richmond, VA to/from Kansas City: $178
• Washington to/from Gulfport, MS: $178
• Wichita to/from Charlotte: $178

Travel Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday through February 1, 2007. A 1-night minimum stay may be required. Tickets must be purchased at least 10 or 21 days prior to departure, depending on destination. Purchase your ticket by September 19, 2006.

Cincinnati Sale

Delta Air lines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) is having a sale on flights from and to Cincinnati. Below are some sample round-trip fares including taxes and fees:

• Cincinnati to Freeport, Bahamas: $278
• Cincinnati to Montego Bay: $318
• Ft. Lauderdale to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Honolulu to/from Cincinnati: $538
• Jacksonville to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Miami to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Pensacola to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Sarasota to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Tallahassee to/from Cincinnati: $238
• Tampa to/from Cincinnati: $238
• West Palm Beach to/from Cincinnati: $238

Although other carriers are offering slightly lower fares on some routes, the critical advantage to flying Delta is their nonstop service from its Cincinnati hub. In addition, these fares are valid for travel through April 2007.

USA3000 $5 Discount

USA3000 (tel. 877/872-3000; www.usa3000.com) is again offering a $5 discount. We don't know when this one will expire, so act fast. USA3000 serves the Caribbean and Florida from Baltimore, Chicago O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or St. Louis. Use the discount to reduce their already low fares. This airline sells all its fares one-way. To redeem, type in the promo code FLYTV in the yellow box when booking online at www.usa3000.com.

Fall and Winter Sale to Europe

United Airlines (tel. 800/864-8331; www.united.com) is having a sale on fall and winter travel to Europe. Here are some sample fares including all taxes and fees:

Depart November 11, Return November 20

• Chicago to Munich: $615 vs. next lowest $646 on Delta
• San Francisco to Frankfurt: $562 vs. $576 on American

Depart February 2, Return February 12

• Washington to London: $542 vs. $411 on Continental
• New York to Hamburg: $485 vs. $424 on Emirates

As you can see, United has slightly lower fares in the early winter. However other airlines have lower fares for late winter travel. Depart October 30, 2006 through March 31, 2006. There is a Saturday night stay requirement. Purchase your ticket by September 18, 2006 with a 21-day advance purchase requirement.

20 Percent off Select Alaska Airlines Flights to Mexico

Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) is offering a 20 percent discount on flights to Canada and Mexico from select cities, and in most cases these Alaskair.com-only fares will be your best bets. Travel between September 27, 2006 and December 20, 2006. For more details including the specific lists, click here. To receive the discount, enter e-certificate code EC04906. This offer expires September 17, 2006.

Korean Air to Hong Kong

Korean Air (tel. 800/438-5000; www.koreanair.com) is offering discounted fares to Hong Kong from its U.S. Gateways. Seats are difficult to find. Below are some sample fares including taxes and fees:

Depart September 19, Return September 26

• Chicago to Hong Kong: $1,017 vs. $921 on Continental

Depart October 10, Return October 25

• Atlanta to Hong Kong: $1,009 vs. $1,352 on Cathy Pacific

Depart November 15, Return November 21

• New York to Hong Kong: $1,009 vs. $961 on EVA via Orbitz.com

As you can see, other airlines have beaten these fares in some cases, but there are deals to be found here and there if you have the patience. Travel outboundthrough November 30, 2006. Service does not operate daily. Purchase your tickets by September 17, 2006.

Airfare Advice Out of the Mouth of Babes

The rules of the low airfare search game are constantly changing, and a new E-Book entitled "Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline Ticket" ($10, free sample is an excellent new guide, written by 16 year-old Sam Sellers. "We were shocked when we learned that the author of the proposal was only 16 years old," said Adam Engst, publisher of Take Control Books. "He wrote a great proposal that gave no hint that he was a teenager. When we learned he had been blogging about airlines since 2004 and read his coverage, that sealed the deal." No doubt because airfare booking engines are constantly changing (recently, for example, Cheapair.com began including JetBlue's fares in its searches), there are a few inaccuracies here and there in this new work (Kayak does list US Airways fares, contrary to a claim in the book), but the beauty of publishing an E-Book is that is can be revised easily. And frankly, while we disagree with his assertion that Kayak.com is a better option than Sidestep.com (at least for travelers with inflexible travel dates) we take no exception to his statement that "Airfarewatchdog is the most useful single resource for travelers who want a great deal." Sam, who is obviously smitten by aviation, has written an opinionated, lively guide that will save people money on airfare.

Additional reporting by David Shan.

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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