AirTran sale brings other airlines' prices down

Glen Stubbe

The feisty, low-fare, Atlanta-based airline has announced its fall and winter sale. And it's not alone.

By Troy Melhustmelhus@startribune.com, Star Tribune

Last update: September 10, 2009 - 7:55 AM

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Last week I decided to give Bing.com a try on an airline route I know pretty well: Florida. With relatives there I try to make it to the Panhandle State at least once a year.

So last week I plugged in my destination, with less than satisfactory results: $250 roundtrip to Tampa - and that included a layover. Bing's advice: Wait. Knowing that route myself, I agreed. This week that patience paid off.

That's because this week AirTran announced its fall and winter sale. ( I saw fares there for as low as $69 each way to Boston.) And as is usually the case, this feisty, low-fare, Atlanta-based airline manages to get the major airlines to pretty closely match its sale fares.

Example: My fare to Tampa via AirTran was down to $150, plus tax and fees. (Came to about $190).

I liked what I saw, but I also know I'm not much for layovers. (Who is?) So I plugged the same route into Bing. With a quick click to nonstop flights, I found the same flight I'd seen the week before, to Tampa, down to $188 plus tax, for a total of $209. Is saving more than two hours and having a direct flight worth $20? I said yes. Tampa here I come.

Details of AirTran's latest fare sale are here: www.airtran.com/sale/

That's not the only fare sale out there. United Airlines continues with its last-minute air travel deals out of Minneapolis, with flights this weekend going as low as $112 to Chicago (roundtrip!), to Vail, Colo., for $196. (Not to mention the fare to Chicago next week: $88 round trip.) Only hitch hiking could be cheaper. The usual fine print applies. Find out all the details here: travel.united.com/ube/efares/us/eFares.do

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