June 10, 2004 -- If Northerners dream of Florida during the winter, the shoe's on the other foot during the summer, as Floridians flock north to get out of the sweltering subtropical heat. But there are still reasons to head down to Miami Beach in the heart of July: the people are still glamorous, the sands are still white, and the restaurants all have air conditioning.
Whether you're heading north or south, several airlines have major Florida sales on right now. The best rule of thumb: if you're paying more than $178 plus tax to fly between a major Florida city and anywhere else in the East, you're paying too much.
Just click the airline to be taken directly to the sale page for these dueling $178 sales from:
- American Airlines. These fares are good for flights through Sept. 30, as long as you buy your tickets 7 days before traveling. You must fly to Florida on a Monday-Thursday, and from Florida on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If you're specifically trying to fly to Miami International Airport, this sale is your best bet.
- US Airways. This sale only runs through today, so move fast if you want $178 fares between 25 Eastern states and 7 Florida cities. As always with US Airways sales, this sale is great for residents of mid-sized cities like Columbus, Nashville, Albany and Raleigh who don't see low fares all that often. As with the AA fares, these fares are good for flights through Sept. 30, as long as you buy your tickets 7 days before traveling. You must fly to Florida on a Monday-Thursday, and from Florida on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
- Delta.This sale also expires today, because Delta clearly laid it on so they wouldn't be left out. Details are exactly the same as the other two sales, but you might find cities here (such as Atlanta and Sarasota) that American and US Airways don't specialize in.
- Southwest Airlines.Fares here are $178 between four Northeast cities (Baltimore, Hartford, Manchester and Providence) and five Florida destinations (Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay and West Palm Beach) as long as you buy 14 days in advance. You can book tickets for now through early 2005.
And Now For The Sub-$178 Fares
Is $178 too much for you? We're seeing even lower fares from:
- JetBlue. They have $118 fares from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando or Tampa and $138 fares from New York or DC to various Florida cities they serve. These fares must be purchased by June 17 for travel by July 31 (or June 30 if you're flying to/from DC.)
- USA 3000. The extreme discount airline has $98 (!) roundtrip fares from Newark to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and St. Petersburg, and $118 (!) fares from Newark to Bermuda. Yes, Bermuda isn't in Florida, but what a fare, huh? To get these fares you must book by June 15 on USA 3000's Web site and use the promo code "Zoo Keeper."
- Southeast Airlines. Sure, this mega-discounter doesn't have the greatest service, but they're running $138 fares from Allentown, PA, Newburgh, NY, Columbus, OH and Gary, IN (near Chicago) to Sanford, FL (near Orlando) and St. Petersburg, FL.
Hey Canadians! Fares For You, Too!
Canadians can feel the Florida love emanating from discounter JetsGo (www.jetsgo.net/en/046hot.shtm). They've got flights from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and St. Petersburg for an unheard of C$108 (plus tax) roundtrip. That's amazing. That's less than people in Jacksonville pay to get to Orlando. Even if those low fares are sold out (as we found on several routes), the next highest fare of C$198 is still quite good. You must buy these fares today or tomorrow for travel through December 15, at www.jetsgo.net. Snap 'em up.