Airfare Deals and News for the Week of October 30, 2009

Sun Valley & Mammoth Sale from Alaska Airlines

It’s time to pull the skis down from the attic and start planning your winter trip to the slopes. Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskaair.com) is having a sale on round-trip travel to ski town hot spots like Sun Valley and Mammoth, from December 17 through March 21 (or April 11 for Mammoth) , on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Service to Sun Valley starts December 17, and service to Sun Valley starts December 19.

Beware of blackout dates December 18-21, 23 & 26-28; and January 2-4.

• Boise to Sun Valley: $112
• Los Angeles to Mammoth: $147
• Los Angeles to Sun Valley: $332
• Portland to Mammoth: $304
• Reno to Mammoth: $107
• Seattle to Sun Valley: $255
• San Jose to Mammoth: $147

AirTran Sale Through February

Book by November 10, 2009, to take advantage of the latest sale from AirTran (tel. 800/AIR-TRAN; www.airtran.com). Fares are valid for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday travel through February 10. Avoid blackout dates November 25 & 28-30; December 18-20 & 22-30; and January 2-3.

You'll also find sale fares to one of AirTran's most recent destinations, Key West. Service begins December 17, with nonstop flights operating between Orlando and Key West on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with direct same plane service from Atlanta as well. AirTran is the only major budget carrier to serve Key West, so if you're looking to cuddle up with some (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyl_cat) polydactyl Hemingway cats on the cheap, this is your carrier. And for those not so keen on flying on itty bitty commuter planes and prop jets, rest assured that AirTran will fly roomy Boeing 737-700s on these routes.

Round-trip fares require a 10-day advance purchase and include:

• Atlanta to Atlantic City: $138
• Boston to Jacksonville: $128
• Charlotte to Pittsburgh: $128
• Ft Lauderdale to San Antonio: $128
• Houston to Rochester: $168
• Jacksonville to Rochester: $148
• Chicago to Raleigh/Durham: $148

For a complete listing of all sale fares to Key West, click here.

Island Joy Sale from JetBlue

JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) is having a sale on travel to their most beachy-keen destinations, including Nassau, Santo Domingo, Cancun, Aguadilla, Ponce, Bermuda, and St. Maarten. Sale fares are one-way only, valid from U.S. point of origin only, but you can still combine them with a reasonably priced return fare. Travel dates vary by route, but most are good from late October through mid December.

Book by midnight MT, October 30. Fares are round-trip and include all taxes.

• Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun: $201
• Orlando to Nassau, Bahamas: $171
• San Juan to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: $159

Pre-Halloween Sale on Midwest Airlines

Hurry and you can just make the pre-Halloween sale from Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com). Fly from November 6 through December 16, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Fares require a 10-day advance purchase, with a possible minimum stay of 3-nights. Fares must be booked by midnight, Central time, October 30. Avoid blackout dates November 21, 24-25, and 28-30.

Round-trip fares include:

• Atlanta to Madison: $188
• Appleton to Nashville: $168
• Nashville to Des Moines: $178
• Boston to Grand Rapids: $158
• Cleveland to Green Bay: $168\
• Columbus to Omaha: $128
• Dayton to Minneapolis: $178
• Washington DC to Green Bay: $158
• Dallas to Green Bay: $208

Don't Overlook Spirit's "Big Front Seat" Fares

If you're a big guy or gal, or simply want more room when you fly, we've noticed that on some routes and dates, Spirit Airlines' (tel. 800/772-7117; www.spiritair.com) fares for their "business class" two-by-two seats at the front of their Airbuses cost only a few bucks more than the cramped seats in the back. There are 8 wider seats at the front of the plane on Spirit's aircraft, and although you don't get free meals or drinks or anything else but more room, they're often an amazingly good value.

On a flight from Boston to Myrtle Beach in November, for example, the Big Front seats were going for just $15 more each way. And if you apply one of their frequent promo code deals (such as 50OFF) you'd have saved $50 round-trip on this fare, giving you a comfy seat for even less.

What Will 2010 Bring for the Airline Business?

Will they continue to heap on the fees? Will we see more mergers, like Delta and Northwest? And what, if anything, will be done about passenger rights? Find out.

Coming Soon: A New Look for Airfarewatchdog

Once again, we've been tinkering under the hood here at Airfarewatchdog, trying to get beautiful. And because you've proven to be such a whiz at this stuff in the past, our new features are based on your genius suggestions for the site. So, hey, thanks!

Don't worry, you'll still find oodles of amazing fares. We've just made it easier to sort through and find exactly the kind of fare you're looking for. And we think you'll really like the new customized home page, which will feature content based on your alert settings. See? More of what you want!

Be sure to check out our sneak peak redesign tutorial for a detailed look at these and all the other new features we'll be rolling out next month! Till then, sit tight!

Additional Reporting by Tracy W. Stewart

George Hobica is a syndicated travel journalist and blogger whose website, www.airfarewatchdog.com, tracks unadvertised airfare wars and fare sales, including the most helpful and always updated Top 50 Airfares.

Talk with fellow Frommer's travelers on our Air Travel Forums today.