Time to fly: Airlines post fare sales for fall travel

From Minneapolis-St. Paul, one-way fares were as low as $30 to Chicago on Southwest and to Milwaukee on AirTran.

Last update: July 8, 2009 - 9:14 AM

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Discount carriers Southwest, AirTran and Frontier touched off a round of fare sales with prices below $100 on many shorter routes.

From Minneapolis-St. Paul, one-way fares were as low as $30 to Chicago on Southwest and to Milwaukee on AirTran.

Most other carriers quickly matched the sale prices Tuesday, which cover a limited number of seats and must be purchased in the next couple of days.

The moves marked an early start to the usual discounting of travel during the weak fall season and came after a couple of recent fare increases for summer travel.

On Tuesday, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines announced a two-day sale with fares of $30 each way on flights of 400 miles or less. It also offered $60 one-way fares for flights between 401 and 750 miles and $90 one-way for longer trips.

Seats at those prices for travel between Sept. 9 and Nov. 18 were limited, however, and weren't offered at all on Fridays and Sundays.

Tom Parsons, CEO of travel website Bestfares.com, said most other airlines, including giants American, Delta and United, had matched prices on routes where they compete with Southwest.

AirTran Airways offered its special fares from mid-July through Nov. 11, with the lowest prices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tickets must be purchased by Thursday.

Frontier's sale covers travel from Aug. 10 through Jan. 15, with a deadline of next Tuesday for buying tickets. There are blackout dates around the December holidays, but the sale's unusual length could make it appealing to skiers.

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