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Head East to Stockholm from $624 or Far East to Tokyo from $511, Plus Other Air Sales

This week sees stunning sales from multiple carriers on flights to Asia and Scandinavia, a scattering of discounts for large- and medium-sized American cities, and a brand new inter-island carrier for Hawaii.

Discounts Out of Denver

Frontier Airlines (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com) is offering a huge sale from Denver to multiple cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Below is a sampling of available round-trip fares with all taxes and fees included.

  • Atlanta: $219 vs. $236 on US Airways (depart April 25, return May 2)
  • Calgary: $332 non-stop vs. $374 on Alaska with a connection (depart September 7, return September 14)
  • New York LaGuardia: $229 vs. $218 on United(depart September 7, return September 14)
  • Salt Lake City: $119 vs. $136 on United (depart June 6, return June 13)
  • San Jose del Cabo, Mexico: $313 non-stop vs. $328 on Continental with a connection (depart June 6, return June 13)
  • Washington National: $239 non-stop vs. $214 on Northwest with a connection (depart April 25, return May 2)

It would appear that this is a legit sale, and almost all of the fares are lower than other published fares right now, or very comparable. Perhaps the only destinations that aren't such hot deals are in Florida, where American, United and others offer fares that are lower than Frontier's. So we say check this sale out while seats are still available.

The fine print includes a 14-day advance purchase required for travel through October 4, 2006 with a purchase-by date of April 6. Varying black-out and restricted travel days apply.

Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Charlotte Sale

Some of the best, most flexible fares in the nation right now are on Continental Airlines (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com) to and from US Airway's hubs. A couple of weeks ago, the two carriers were in a fare war involving each other's hubs. US Airways cried uncle, but it seems like Continental doesn't forgive and forget. What's remarkable about these fares is that they're all sold one-way without the usual round-trip purchase requirement, and they're good for travel almost any day through March 1, 2007, with a few days sold- or blacked-out. Fares range from $74 to $104 one-way, although some routes are $10 less for travel through June 14 only. They're definitely the lowest one-way, long-term fares in the market. We've listed many of these one-way deals on the Airfarewatchdog.com Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Pittsburgh pages.

Sale on Seasonal Fares to Lisbon and Stockholm

US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) is having an introductory sale to Lisbon, Portugal and Stockholm, Sweden from various cities around the U.S. A sample of round-trip fares (with all taxes and fees) include:

  • Charlotte to Stockholm: $875 vs. $1,161 on Continental (depart October 6, return October 13)
  • New York to Lisbon: $958 vs. $1,008 on KLM (depart June 9, return June 16)
  • Philadelphia to Lisbon: $935 vs. $1,276 on Delta (depart June 9, return June 16)
  • Phoenix to Stockholm: $998 vs. $1,158 on Continental (depart October 6, return October 13)

Based on what we've found, this does seem like a good sale. But keep in mind that these fares may not always be the best deal, depending on your itinerary and even the departure times you choose. For example, in the Phoenix to Stockholm example above, taking the 8:45 AM vs. the 7:15 AM flight on the same day would result in a $100 difference.

Tickets must be purchased by April 14, 2006 with a minimum Saturday-night stay required up to 90 days maximum. Non-stop departures to Stockholm operate June 3 through October 7; Lisbon flights depart from June 7 to October 28.

Summer Sale to Scandinavia

Scandinavian Airlines (tel. 800/221-2350; www.flysas.com) is having a summer travel sale between Chicago or Newark and Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki starting from $550 round-trip. Below are some samples with all taxes and fees included:

  • Chicago to Helsinki: $704 vs. $872 on American (depart May 21, return May 28)
  • Chicago to Copenhagen: $714 vs. $1,135 on Continental (depart June 4, return June 11)
  • Newark to Oslo: $654 vs. $989 on Continental (depart July 8, return July 15)
  • Newark to Stockholm: $624 vs. $944 on Continental (depart August 19, return August 26)

As you can see, this is a great sale, and you should grab it while you can. Plus, the SAS booking engine is a breeze to use, since it'll list a calendar with available dates, so you won't have to keep going back and forth changing the dates wondering if the fare you're quoted is part of the sale or not.

Tickets must be purchased by April 30, 2006, for travel between May 1 and August 31, 2006. A Saturday night stay is required with a one-month maximum stay.

LA, San Francisco and NYC to Asia and Frankfurt

Singapore Airlines (tel. 800/742-3333; www.singaporeair.com) is offering their monthly Internet-only sale to Asia plus Frankfurt. Below is a sample of fares with all taxes and fees included:

  • Los Angeles to Taipei: $782 vs. $795 on United (depart June 6, return June 13)
  • Los Angeles to Tokyo: $680 vs. $574 on Delta (depart April 19, return April 26)
  • San Francisco to Hong Kong: $788 vs. $807 on China Airlines (depart May 15, return May 22)
  • San Francisco to Seoul: $751 vs. $708 on United (depart April 19, return April 26)
  • New York JFK to Singapore: $895 vs. $990 on ANA (depart May 15, return May 22)
  • New York JFK to Frankfurt: $736 vs. $1,033 on Delta (depart June 8, return June 15)

As you can see, the sale is pretty good for most of the city pairs we looked up, with a few exceptions. Perhaps the best deal is between New York and Frankfurt, as those dates coincide with the first two weeks of FIFA World Cup soccer, and if you want attend and haven't bought your tickets yet, that is indeed a good price.

Travel dates vary, depending which city you fly to, but generally are valid through May. This sale covers over 30 cities in Asia from as far West as India all the way east to the Philippines. And the booking engine is rather easy to maneuver, as you can select the "Flexible with travel dates" option, and you'll be given a chart with five departure and return dates around your dates of choice.

Generally, the fares are lower if you avoid travel on the weekends, although this is not always the case. A 30-day maximum stay is stipulated.

Japan Sale

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) is having a sale to Tokyo and Osaka that will save you a few bucks, depending on when you need to fly. Departures are through May 31, and you can stay up until July 15. Many cities are included. In addition, though, AA and other airlines are having a better, unadvertised sale for outbound travel April 25 to May 2, with returns through May 11, on some routes. For example, Atlanta to Tokyo leaving May 2 and returning May 11 is $635 with taxes using the unadvertised fare. The advertised AA sale price is $606 before taxes, which generally add about $100. Other airlines are also having unadvertised sales to Japan during the same April 25-May 11 time period. San Francisco to Tokyo is as low as $511 with taxes on United during that time for example, on non-stop flights. So if you can travel during the April 25-May 11 dates valid for the lower fares, you'll obviously save some money.

Spring Travel to Asia and Australia

United Airlines (tel. 800/538-2929; www.united.com) is having a big sale for spring travel to Asia and Australia, including Melbourne, Osaka, Tokyo and Sydney. Below is a sample of round-trip fares with all taxes and fees included:

  • Chicago to Osaka: $630 non-stop vs. $644 on American with a connecting flight (depart April 26, return May 3)
  • Seattle to Tokyo: $574 vs. $805 on Air Canada (depart April 26, return May 3)
  • Los Angeles to Melbourne: $1,046 vs. $1,184 on Qantas (depart April 30, return May 9)
  • San Francisco to Sydney: $1,060 vs. $1,107 on Qantas (depart April 30, return May 9)

This is a legit sale, but the savings may vary depending on your itinerary. For example, the $14 savings between Chicago and Osaka might not be worth it if you generally collect miles on American and not United, but United's fare is on a non-stop and American's is not. And the $47 difference for San Francisco to Sydney might not be enough to sway you if you prefer the in-flight service on Qantas (both airlines offer non-stop flights on that route). So the bottom line here is to still check out the sale, and you'll probably save money.

A seven-day advance purchase is required, and all tickets must be purchased by April 11, 2006. Travel through May 18, 2006, and travel to/from Asia is Monday through Thursday; travel to/from Australia is Sunday through Tuesday. Travel on other days will result in a higher fare. These fares also require a six-day minimum and a 30-day maximum stay.

New Inter-Hawaiian Island Airline

go! (tel. 888/435-9462; www.iflygo.com) a new inter-island airline in Hawaii (operated by Mesa Airlines and a part of Mesa Air Group) is starting service on June 9 (or later for some airports), and is offering one-way fares from $39 one-way (with taxes and fees, that's $44.80) with no round-trip purchase required. The one-way specials are between Honolulu and Kahului on Maui, Kona, Hilo on the Big Island, and Lihue.

Aloha Airlines (tel. 800/367-5250; www.alohaairlines.com) and Hawaiian Airlines (tel. 800/367-5320; www.hawaiianair.com) quickly matched these fares.

However, another inter-island carrier to check out is Island Air (tel. 808/484-2222; www.islandair.com), where you might get fares as low as $39.55 one-way, with taxes and fees included, on certain routes.

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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