July 13, 2004 -- Thank you, JetBlue. Thank you, Southwest. And thank you, Independence Air. All three companies continue to keep prices down, to the potential detriment of financially hobbled lines like USAir and United. Here are a couple of good examples of what we're talking about: last week, Southwest announced that it was cutting prices across the board by up to 65% for early reservations on fall travel; earlier today, JetBlue let it be known that it was snip, snip, snipping fares in half on a million seats for fall and early winter flights.
In some sense, Southwest's sales are really just more of the same -- cheaper tickets for shorter routes within specific regions of the U.S., slightly higher fares for longer routes with prices ranging from $34 to $99 per leg. Roundtrip flights, before taxes and fees of about $18 include:
- Portland, OR; Seattle, or Spokane to Sacramento: $118
- Chicago; Kansas City, MO; or St. Louis to a scattering Midwest cities: $68
- Intra-California flights: $78
Tickets must be purchased online at www.southwest.com by August 5 for travel beginning August 16. The carrier is also discounting flights within Texas and to Florida. You can see a quick list of offers and complete rules by visiting www.southwest.com/jp/hotfares.shtml.
JetBlue's sale runs through only July 29 for travel from September 7 to December 15 (the Thanksgiving holidays are blacked out, so don't get your hopes up). Fares range from $29 up to $99 per leg before taxes, and some routes are going for a dilly of a price. Look for:
- NYC to Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic from $138 roundtrip
- Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, New Orleans, Tampa or Palm Beach from $118
- Long Beach, CA to Las Vegas from $58
- NYC to Phoenix from $198 (This new route starts October 1)
Prices reflect a $3 per-leg savings when booked online at www.jetblue.com. To pay a few extra bucks, you can make your reservations over the phone at 800/JET-BLUE.