April 28, 2004 -- Atlanta residents are lucky. Not just because of their blessed weather, or because they live in the greatest cultural hub for miles around. Thanks to the bloody cutthroat battle between Delta and AirTran, Atlantans see frequent, refreshing airfare sales, like the one going on right now.
Delta leads the way with a delightfully flexible sale making dozens of destinations $198 or less, roundtrip, from Atlanta. These fares are good for travel through Oct. 6, any days except Fridays and Sundays. You'll need to buy them 7 days before traveling, but there's no minimum stay required. And you have to buy your tickets by May 7 to get these fares. Fares we like include (roundtrip, before taxes):
- Greensboro, Gulfport, Raleigh, Savannah, Tallahassee: $110
- Memphis, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh: $130
- Akron, Buffalo, Chicago, Dayton, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Moline, Newport News, Wichita: $140
- Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Flint, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Rochester (NY), Tampa, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach: $150
- Houston, New York, Philadelphia: $160
- Denver, Las Vegas, LA, SF: $198
If you're interested in these fares, buy them online at www.delta.com/travel/sp_offers/atl_042004/index.jsp.
AirTran's not one to let a Delta sale go by without competition, so they've put a very wide range of routes on sale. On their sale page (www.airtran.com/specials/sale/index.jsp), you can find discounts for travelers heading anywhere from Akron to Wichita. As with the Delta sale, these fares are good for flights through October 6 on days other than Fridays and Sundays -- but you need to buy your tickets by this Thursday, April 29.
Rather than blowing Delta away, AirTran seems content to match many of the larger carrier's Atlanta fares (all fares roundtrip, before tax)
- Milwaukee: $130
- Chicago: $140
- Baltimore, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach: $150
- Dallas, Houston, New York: $160
If you're interested, buy online at www.airtran.com/specials/sale/index.jsp.