|
 |
|
Frommers.com Airfare Deals and News for the Week of November 21, 2008
Airfarewatchdog.com November 20, 2008
This week's column highlights winter sales on Alaska and Frontier airlines, free seats on VivaAerobus to Mexico, an announcement about Southwest coming to NYC and news about TSA rules for the holidays. Winter Escape Sale from Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskair.com) is having a little Winter Escape Sale, good for travel between December 3 and March 11, minus those inevitable holiday blackout dates of course. Though this sale is system-wide, we found some of the best fares were to/from Missoula MT and Pullman WA. The following sample fares are round-trip and must be purchased by November 24:
Frontier Winter Sale to Denver Looking for last-minute travel to and from Denver this holiday season? Do you want to make some last-minute turkey day plans without going broke? Then check out Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.flyfrontier.com) and their ongoing holiday sale. The Denver-based low-cost carrier has many great one way and round-trip tickets available for purchase right now. Whats even better is that the low fares are not just for Thanksgiving travel, but for Christmas and New Years as well. Here are a few sample fares (round-trip with taxes and fees included):
You must purchase by November 26 to lock in these low prices. For these and other fares, visit our Denver fare page. Southwest to serve New York LaGuardia Well, this is big news for New Yorkers! Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792; www.southwest.com) has just announced plans to begin serving New Yorks LaGuardia. Southwest has in the past avoided airports such as LaGuardia, which is prone to traffic and weather delays. Just this week, the airport was virtually shut down due to high winds, a fact I can attest to since my flight from Ft. Lauderdale via JetBlue this past Sunday was diverted to Kennedy. Free Seats to Mexico on VivaAerobus Oh, those lucky Euros and their many budget airlines! They need only run a hand under the couch, pull two coins from the dust bunnies, and the ticket is practically paid for. Yeah yeah yeah, you may have to cough up a little more to check that bag full of stuff you didn't need to pack in the first place, or endure a few hours strapped into a Denny's highchair teetering atop a stack of milk crates, but who cares? You probably spent more cash on hotdogs and Diet Coke seeing Beverly Hills Chihuahua two weeks ago. And when you came out, you were still in the same country, right? So unfair. Aside from a few limited sales from Spirit Airlines, you'd be hard pressed to find similar deals here in the States. Or almost. We do have VivaAerobus (tel. 888/935-9848; www.vivaaerobus.com), Mexican cousin to Ryanair, flying between Austin and their Monterrey hub, as well as non-stops to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Currently you'll find free seats available to all three destinations, leaving you to pick up only the taxes (around $110 or so). VivaAerobus also offers shuttle bus service between Austin and Houston/San Antonio for $20, and a $10 shuttle bus from El Paso directly over the border to Ciudad Juarez airport, where free seats on Monterrey bound flights are available for the price of taxes (about $49).
TSA Set To Open Family Lanes Holiday travel has become a real mess in the last few years. What with an estimated 24 million people flying during the week of Thanksgiving and airlines cutting back on about 10% of their capacity since last year, something had to give sooner or later. Luckily for passengers help is on the way. Starting later this week, airports will implement the "family checkpoint lane." The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is set to open these express "family lanes" at almost every airport checkpoint. Over 500 checkpoints will be available at every large and mid size airport during the busiest travel period of the year. Once they are open, families will be directed by screeners to use specific lanes in which they can move at their own pace through security screening. Although a few airports have been using the hugely popular family checkpoint lanes already, this Thursday will be the largest rollout to date. The family lanes will also have special scanning for large bottles of liquids (over the TSA's 3 oz. limit) that contain necessary items such as baby formula and medication. The TSA will be tracking the new idea to make sure that they get the most out of these new "express" lanes. In cases where there are no families going through security, the lane will be opened to all travelers. Know Before You Go! Is it a gel? Is it a solid? Who doesn't love a spirited debate with the TSA over the consistency of pie filling?! Answer: The people in line behind you, that's who. So, if it's been a while since your last flight, you might consider a quick review of current TSA rules for special items like food and gifts, carry-on no-nos, and the ever popular 3-1-1 rule for liquids and gels. But wait, you're not out of the woods just yet. We also suggest a quick read of your airline's baggage requirements, as to avoid any surprise fees at the airport. Just last week, we witnessed a number of folks checking in on our flight to Dallas, basically blowing smoke out of their ears and screaming at check-in agents after finding out what those checked bag fees would end up costing. So, don't be that person, and know before you go. Click here for our baggage fee chart and our general fee chart. Additional Reporting by Andrew Hickey and Tracy W. Stewart
Related Information:
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
