October 10, 2003 -- It's a battle of the giants, and travelers will be the winners. Hot on the heels of United's massive worldwide sale, American Airlines is coming through with a similarly wide-ranging set of deals to destinations all around the globe. This sale doesn't necessarily offer the lowest fares we found, but it's doing a great job to help keep fares down -- andit's helping make right now a great time to book international trips.
Sample fares and booking options are available online at www.aa.com. Fares we liked included:
- From Boston: London $234, Paris $242, Santo Domingo (DR) $372
- From Chicago: Manchester (UK) $242, Tokyo $598
- From Dallas: London $318, Brussels $336, Bermuda $422, Tokyo $660
- From LA: Los Cabos $208, London $282, Tokyo $480
- From Miami: Aruba $288, Santo Domingo (DR) $248, Zurich $360
- From New York: London $198, Paris $248, Tokyo $510
- From St. Louis: Brussels $330, Montego Bay $364, Paris $328
- From San Francisco: Los Cabos $348, Madrid $456, Zurich $382
When we checked nine sample routes, though, we found other airlines matching or beating American's fares.
New York-London fares are being beat by Virgin Atlantic and matched by British Airways and United right now.
- On Chicago-Tokyo, American's fare was matched by United Airlines.
- On Chicago-Manchester, their fare was matched by bmi British Midland.
- On LA-London, the fare was matched by both United and Virgin.
- From LA-Los Cabos, Alaska Air offered a fare $10 cheaper.
- St. Louis-Paris fares were matched by Continental and United.
- San Francisco-Zurich fares were matched by Continental and Delta.
- New York-Tokyo fares were matched by Continental, Northwest and United.
- Boston-Santo Domingo fares were matched by US Airways
All this fare-matching isn't a bad thing, though. It just means you should shop around. Check travel-agency sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Sidestep, and pick the airline that offers the best flight times or that you have the most frequent-flier miles on. With this many sales around, everyone wins.
Of course, a sale this big comes with a huge tome of restrictions. Stick with us here.
- If you're planning to head to the UK, you must book by October 21 for flights departing Mon-Wed and returning Tue-Thu, flying out between Nov. 1 and March 31 (except for Dec. 18-23) and returning by May 31. A Saturday night stay is required, and you can stay up to two months.
- If you're planning to head to Europe, you must book by October 21 for flights on Mondays through Thursdays, flying out between Nov. 1 and April 1 (except for Dec. 18-23) and returning by June 1. A Saturday night stay is required, and you can stay up to two months.
- If you're planning to head to the Caribbean, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, you must book by October 29 for flights departing Mon-Thu and returning Tue-Thu, completing all travel by March 31. Holiday weekends are blacked out. You must stay at your destination between 3 and 30 days.
- If you're planning to head to Mexico, you must book by October 29 for flights on Mondays through Thursdays, completing all travel by March 31. You can't fly between Dec. 12 and 27, and Jan. 1 through 12. You must stay over a Saturday night, and no more than 30 days.
- If you're planning to head to Latin America, you must book by October 29 for flights on Mondays through Thursdays, completing all travel by March 25. There are various blackout dates depending on the individual country. You must stay at your destination between 3 and 30 days.
- If you're planning to head to Tokyo, you must book by October 30 for flights on Mondays through Thursdays, completing all travel by March 31. You can't fly between Dec. 12 and Jan. 11. You must stay at your destination over a Saturday night, and no more than 30 days.
