Thank you for subscribing!
Got it! Thank you!

Fares Are Up in the Air with a Mixed Bag of Sales

In this roundup, we take a look at some recently-announced global sales, plus point out a couple of doozies that take you to either Stockholm or Nagoya, Japan for under $500.

First up, a spate of sales from USAirways (www.usair.com) and United (www.united.com) that came out this week offer discounts fares on domestic and international flights (with each sporting a labyrinth of conditions, so be sure to read the fine print before booking).

For USAir's spring promotion, you have until Sunday, March 13, to purchase tickets good for travel from March 28 - April 30 for Europe or now through May 19 for domestic, Canadian and Caribbean routes. You can see sample itineraries and search for other fares at www.usairways.com/pro/specials/warmer_all.htm.

United's "Fly Around the World" sale requires you to purchase a little later, and features more international routes in addition to its Caribbean, Canadian and European routes. For domestic travel, you must purchase 21 days in advance of your departure date between April 4 and June 10; some itineraries require either a 3-night minimum or a Saturday stay. The buy-by date is March 18. International sales must be purchased by March 22, with either a 3-day or 7-day advanced purchase. You can read a full set of rules and sample fares by clicking here.

Don't immediately assume that the final price you come up with on either of these sales is necessarily the best fare going. Before you purchase, be sure to do some comparison shopping with bots like www.mobissimo.com and www.kayak.com.

Two Deals Only for New Yorkers

If you're in the New York City area, you can take advantage of two separate stunners. SAS (tel. 800/221-2350; www.scandinavian.net) is selling roundtrip fares out of Newark's Liberty International to Stockholm from a low $225 before taxes. Travel is good through May 31, but must be purchased by March 21 with a minimum 7-day advanced required. These tickets are non-transferable and changeable only for inbound flights for a $200 fee.

Finally, we received an excited call yesterday from the Japan National Tourist Organization informing us another great fare to Nagoya's new Centrair International Airport. Starting from just $399 roundtrip for departures out of NYC, you can fly on American Airlines between April 3 to May 31 or on Northwest Airlines from March 26 to May 31. Taxes are not included, and vary slightly per carrier. Northwest is also throwing in free tix to the Aichi World Expo 2005. These deals are being offered by Kintetsu International Travel Consultants (tel. 800/422-3481; www.japanforyou.com).

Talk about these carriers and other flying issues on our Air Travel Message Boards today.


advertisement