You won't have to dip too far into your pot o' gold to take advantage of some of these current sales for domestic and international travel.
For starters, Irish skyhound Aer Lingus has put some of its most popular routes up for sale. You can fly out of Chicago, Boston or New York City to either Dublin on the east coast or Shannon on the west coast for as little as $198 roundtrip. These special fares are Internet-only, and to get them you'll need to go to www.aerlingus.com, then click "From USA" to get to the sale page. Flights are midweek with a Saturday stay required, and prices do not reflect taxes and security fees. Unlike most of the sales going on right now, this one is going on through October 15 for travel between November 15 all the way through March 29, 2003. If you're not comfortable buying your tickets online, you can call 800/IRISH AIR (press "8" to get to a reservations right away), but be warned, you'll $25 more each way for on-the-horn purchases.
British Airways is asking you to "save your moneypennies" in a sale associated with the impending release of the next James Bond film. No matter the reasoning or marketing spin, the prices are decent for fall and winter to London (but of course) and other points Continental. Roundtrip out of New York to London is going for just $278, Boston to London $288 and Los Angeles to London $398. BA also serves most major cities in Europe and Africa as well with fares for Philly to Paris starting from $318 for example. You must book by October 9, and valid travel dates run from October 16 to March 5, 2003. To read the full rules and regulations, find out about the additional taxes and fees and to check other itineraries go to www.britishairways.com/bond. You can save an extra twenty bones if you register and book online.
USAirways just announced a system wide sale that includes both foreign and domestic destinations. They're not giving you much time since international fares must be purchased by this Thursday, September 19 and domestic tickets by Friday, September 20. Travel dates vary slightly but generally are good from October 1 through March 2003 with the week prior to Christmas blacked out.
Sample roundtrip fares include:
- Buffalo to Los Angeles $218
- Seattle to Orlando $198
- Charlotte, NC to San Francisco $258
- Rochester to Tampa $168
- Indianapolis to Washington, D.C. $182
- Detroit to Montego Bay $284
- Philadelphia to St. Thomas $386
- New Orleans to Paris $508
- Seattle to Madrid $628
Extra domestic charges may run as high as $31 dollars; international can be as much as $95. Go to www.usairways.com or call 800/428-4322.
And a quick mention for... All you Buckeyes should take advantage of America West's hub sale out of Columbus, Ohio with roundtrip fares as low as $88 to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. up to $159 to NYC and $179 to Boston. You must purchase by September 22 with a seven day advanced purchase and a minimum one-stay for travel good from September 23 through December 15. They're also throwing in 3,000 frequent flier miles as a bonus for those who buy online at www.americawest.com.
The little airline that could, JetBlue, has just added two discount fares worthy of note. For $99 per leg, you can fly between NYC and San Juan, or you can fly all the way across the U.S. from Dulles Airport to Oakland. $198 roundtrip coast-to-coast is simply amazing. The Puerto Rico sale expires September 30, while the east/west ticket must be purchased no later than September 27. As usual, you get the standard $5 off when you buy online at www.jetblue.com.
And finally you have until this Friday to reserve yourself some seats during Airtran's extended summer sale. Sample cheapie r/t fares include Atlanta to Savannah for $88, Flint to Orlando for $198 and Philadelphia to Grand Bahama for $208. Exceptions, restrictions, blackout dates and other pesky rules can be found online at www.airtran.com.
