Frontier & Midwest Sale
Frontier's (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com) latest sale is good for off-peak travel Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, through June 9. Fares must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. ET, March 26, and require a 14-day advance purchase. Beware of blackout dates May 27, 28 and 31.
Take note of scheduled seasonal service: Milwaukee-St. Louis service begins March 1; Milwaukee-Raleigh/Durham service begins April 1; Louisville, KY service begins April 19; Denver-Anchorage, Denver-Fairbanks and Denver-Jackson Hole service begin May 14. Nonstop service Denver to/from Green Bay, WI; Branson, MO begins April 20; nonstop service Denver to/from Newport News, VA and Madison, WI begins May 3; nonstop service Denver to/from Grand Rapids, MI; and Long Beach, CA begins May 14; nonstop service Denver to/from Santa Barbara, CA begins June 4. Denver-Fargo and Denver-Tulsa service ends April 5; Kansas City-Ft. Myers, Milwaukee-Ft. Lauderdale and Milwaukee-Ft. Myers service end April 18; and Denver-San Jose CA service ends May 13.
Round-trip fares include:- Albuquerque to Madison $198
- Aspen to Grand Rapids $238
- Austin to Madison $218
- Branson to Santa Ana $258
- Colorado Springs to Newport News $238
- Dallas to Grand Rapids $278
- Grand Rapids to Portland, OR $278
- Madison to Santa Ana $218
You'll find Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com) is matching Frontier on many routes, with the very same fare rules and travel restrictions. Book by March 26. Round-trip fares available from both Midwest and Frontier include:
- Aspen to Boise $218
- Billings to Denver $158
- Colorado Springs to Austin $198
- Denver to San Francisco $148
- Durango to Nashville $218
- Ft. Lauderdale to Aspen $298
- Wichita to Minneapolis $218
- Nashville to Las Vegas $258
- New York to Colorado Springs $258
- Los Angeles to Wichita $218
Spring Fling Sale to/from Alaska
Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskaair.com) has some excellent fares for travel to/from/within Alaska this spring. Fly between April 6 and June 18, with fares starting at $79 one-way, before taxes. Sale fares are valid for travel Tuesdays through Thursdays, as well as Saturdays. Tickets require a 14-day advance purchase and must be booked by April 2.
Round-trip fares include:
- Anchorage to Denver $436
- Anchorage to Fresno $476
- Dallas to Anchorage $536
- Anchorage to Las Vegas $476
- Portland to Anchorage $474
- Newark to Anchorage $656
- Boston to Anchorage $516
- Oakland to Anchorage $476
- Orlando to Anchorage $516
- Seattle to Anchorage $416
California Sale from Alaska Airlines
Also from Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskaair.com) comes a pretty snazzy sale for travel to/from California. This sale is good for travel Mondays through Thursdays, as well as Saturdays, between April 6 and June 20. Fares must be purchased at least 14 days prior to departure. All bookings must be made by March 29.
Round-trip fares include:
- Walla Walla to San Francisco $248
- Seattle to Fresno $278 round-trip
- Las Vegas to Santa Rosa $168
- Los Angeles to Walla Walla $288
- Yakima to San Jose $268
- Wenatchee to San Francisco $248
Aer Lingus Sale for May
Aer Lingus (tel. 800/223-6537; www.aerlingus.com) pulls through with another great sale to Europe, this one for travel even later in the season. We've found these to be available from May 1 through May 31. Be warned, this sale has no expiration date, and these fares will likely go quick, so pounce now. And please note: some routes are available for earlier spring travel for about $25 less.
Round-trip fares include:
- Boston to Amsterdam, Netherlands $633, incl. all taxes
- Boston to Birmingham, England $691, incl. all taxes
- Boston to Brussels, Belgium $644, incl. all taxes
- Boston to Dusseldorf, Germany $642, incl. all taxes
- Boston to Manchester, England $673, incl. all taxes
- New York to Amsterdam, Netherlands $625, incl. all taxes
- New York to Birmingham, England $619, incl. all taxes
- New York to Paris, France $641, incl. all taxes
- New York to Dusseldorf, Germany $628, incl. all taxes
- New York to Edinburgh, Scotland $629, incl. all taxes
- New York to London, England $630, incl. all taxes
- New York to Manchester, England $623, incl. all taxes
Once a Free Perk, Many Airlines Now Charge for Advanced Seat Selection
A recent Airfarewatchdog poll revealed that after checked bag fees, the most hated airline fee is the one extracted for advanced seat selection. This used to be entirely free, but no more. Say you log on to JetBlue's website to book a flight. You choose one, you select a seat you like -- paying $10 or more per leg for more room up front or in an exit row. Bang. You're done. Now try doing the same on Delta.com -- what, you want an exit row? You want to sit up front? Better have your SkyMiles number handy. Got none? Back of the bus, sir. Let's say you're surfing the site of Denver-based low-fare flyer Frontier. Here, you book the lowest fare available -- clever you! -- but alas, there will be no getting anywhere near a seating plan, let alone selecting any of your favorite aisle seats up front. Not at least until 24 hours before takeoff -- and then, let's hope that all that's left isn't the dreaded middle seat. Still, things could be worse. How so? More on the wonderful world of advanced seat selection on Airfarewatchdog.Additional Reporting by Tracy W. Stewart and David Landsel
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.
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