Jul 2, 2008
To bolster the case for flying Southwest Airlines, take a look at their $29 airfares -- yes, $29
Though I'll be ousted from high society for saying so, I recently touted the growing advantage of flying within the U.S. on the inelegant, crowded, and awfully unsophisticated Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com). It's the only major U.S. carrier to have remained profitable in 2008 to date, and its prices will continue to undercut all the others by a fair margin.
As further proof of that, you might want to know that Southwest is still charging only $29 for non-stop, one-way flights between close-in cities purchased at least 21 days in advance. Those amazing rates are available from: Austin, Texas (to and from Houston); Birmingham, Alabama (to and from Nashville or New Orleans); Boise, Idaho (to and from Spokane, Washington); Chicago Midway (to and from Indianapolis); Corpus-Christi, Texas (to and from Houston); Dallas, Texas (to and from Tulsa); Houston, Texas (to and from Austin or Corpus Christi or San Antonio); Indianapolis, Indiana (to and from Chicago); Jacksonville, Florida (to and from Tampa Bay); Nashville, Tennessee (to and from Birmingham); New Orleans, Louisiana (to and from Birmingham); San Antonio, Texas (to and from Houston); Seattle, Washington (to and from Spokane); Spokane, Washington (to and from Boise); Tampa Bay, Florida (to and from Jacksonville); and Tulsa, Oklahoma (to and from Dallas).
Now to those $29 oddities you'll have to add the federal excise tax of $3.50, a September 11 security fee of $2.50, and airport-assessed passenger facility charges of $4.50. And the far more usual Southwest one-way fares, nowadays, are $89, $149 and $179, not requiring such a long advance purchase as the $29 specials. Indeed, for a much longer flight requiring stops en route, you can even pay as much as in the low $300s nowadays on Southwest.
But you can almost always be sure of paying considerably less than the other airlines charge. Swallow your pride, travel to those out-of-the-way airports, and join the homey folks who rush to board each flight.
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As further proof of that, you might want to know that Southwest is still charging only $29 for non-stop, one-way flights between close-in cities purchased at least 21 days in advance. Those amazing rates are available from: Austin, Texas (to and from Houston); Birmingham, Alabama (to and from Nashville or New Orleans); Boise, Idaho (to and from Spokane, Washington); Chicago Midway (to and from Indianapolis); Corpus-Christi, Texas (to and from Houston); Dallas, Texas (to and from Tulsa); Houston, Texas (to and from Austin or Corpus Christi or San Antonio); Indianapolis, Indiana (to and from Chicago); Jacksonville, Florida (to and from Tampa Bay); Nashville, Tennessee (to and from Birmingham); New Orleans, Louisiana (to and from Birmingham); San Antonio, Texas (to and from Houston); Seattle, Washington (to and from Spokane); Spokane, Washington (to and from Boise); Tampa Bay, Florida (to and from Jacksonville); and Tulsa, Oklahoma (to and from Dallas).
Now to those $29 oddities you'll have to add the federal excise tax of $3.50, a September 11 security fee of $2.50, and airport-assessed passenger facility charges of $4.50. And the far more usual Southwest one-way fares, nowadays, are $89, $149 and $179, not requiring such a long advance purchase as the $29 specials. Indeed, for a much longer flight requiring stops en route, you can even pay as much as in the low $300s nowadays on Southwest.
But you can almost always be sure of paying considerably less than the other airlines charge. Swallow your pride, travel to those out-of-the-way airports, and join the homey folks who rush to board each flight.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
