July 23, 2002 -- Atlanta's becoming quite the low-fare hub. First, AirTran moved into Delta's hometown, bringing cheap flights to destinations such as New York, Los Angeles and Wichita. Then JetBlue made Atlanta-LA flights even more competitive. (They've since said they'll cut two of their three daily Atlanta-LA flights, but they're at least keeping the route open.)
Now JetBlue is raising the ante -- and lowering prices -- with $148 roundtrips from Atlanta to Oakland, CA, just outside San Francisco. (The flights are $173 including taxes.) This is a ridiculously low fare, and we're eager to see what Delta's going to do to fight back.
JetBlue's single nonstop flight will leave Atlanta at a painful 6 AM and depart Oakland as an overnight red-eye at 10:40 PM, but that's what you get for $173. Think of it as making San Francisco into a day trip from Georgia.
Flights begin Sept. 8, and these fares are available for sale through August 15 for travel through Sept. 30. As seats are limited, we're pretty sure they'll sell out quickly, so book now at www.jetblue.com. Regular fares will start at $228 roundtrip before taxes, more in line with Delta's prices.
JetBlue continues to buck airline industry trends, expanding flights while keeping fares down and service quality up. They've been getting kudos recently on our discussion boards for being an airline that actually seems to care about flyers.
The swiftly-growing airline is also boosting their flights from New York to San Diego from once-daily to thrice-daily by September 3, with impressive $228 round-trip fares for trips between then and December 17 if you book on jetblue.com by August 15.
Other top fares we found on their site include $138 roundtrips from New York City and $158 roundtrips from upstate New York to New Orleans, and $198 roundtrips from Atlanta to Long Beach, near Los Angeles.
