Three Great Airlines Offer Three Great Sales

Airlines kick off 2010 with major sales.

If you are looking to plan that 2010 getaway, now might be a good time to check airfare. Virgin America, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all announced some pretty good sales this week.

Virgin America is offering discounted seats if you book by January 11 and fly between January 7 – March 10. There are even a few select seats available through June 20. A three day advance purchase is required. Some one-way fares include:

• San Francisco to Las Vegas – $39

• Seattle to San Francisco – $59

• Boston or Washington DC to Los Angeles or San Francisco – $99

• New York or Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles or San Francisco – $109

• For more information and fares, check out Virgin America’s website.

Southwest Airlines is offering “3 Days of Deals” with some pretty decent deals.  Hurry because you only have until  this Thursday January 7, 2010 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time to grab a seat on sale. Travel is good through May 14, 2010 and a 14-day advance purchase is required. A few one-way fares that caught my attention include:

• Chicago to Long Island – $80

• New York to Baltimore - $59

• Denver to San Diego – $92

• Milwaukee to Ft. Lauderdale – $101

• For more information and fares, check out Southwest’s website.

Finally, if you are looking to “shake up the new year” and jet for less, check out JetBlue’s first sale of the new year. What is great about this sale is that you can either purchase tickets or use your TrueBlue points. You must book by January 13, 2010, travel by March 24, 2010 and blackout dates do apply. Some of the one-way fares that stood out include:

• New York to New Orleans – $84/$89

• Austin to Orlando - $79/$89

• Fort Lauderdale to Nassau - $29

• Boston to Chicago - $67/$79

• For more information and fares, check out Jetblue’s website.

Tags: boston, chicago, fort lauderdale, jetblue, Las Vegas, los angeles, new orleans, new york, San Diego, san francisco, southwest airlines, virgin america, Washington DC

New Routes Coming Soon To An Airport Near You

Overhead view of Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. This November both Virgin America and JetBlue will debut here within a 24-hour span.

Some people get all worked up over the new fall season of television shows premiering, certain individuals get excited about a new motion picture hitting the silver screen, while others might get overstimulated by the combination of baseball playoffs and the return of the NFL football. But yours truly could care less about all of those distractions. Why? Because the announcement of new airline routes tops them all. While my wife (and a few of you) may think I am a loon for caring so much about the debut of new itineraries at airports, I just can not help myself.

Living in such a busy area like New York, with major airports like JFK, Newark, and La Guardia, I guess you can say that I have pretty much every city in the world available at my fingertips. But what I look for is an airline adding service to my area. My reaction to the news of Southwest debuting at La Guardia a few months ago was easily comparable to a sports fanatic finding out that his beloved team just acquired the number one draft pick or received a great new pitcher as a result of a multi-team trade. Yeah pretty pathetic, but I admit to being a 100% “Grade A” travel nerd.

But that doesn’t make me a bad person does it? Well I do get some rather odd looks from the wife when all I can talk about over dinner is how JetBlue is now jetting to the Caribbean and Virgin America is possibly thinking of flying in and out of Chicago soon. In any event, here are some new airline routes debuting within the next few months. Enjoy.

JetBlue:

• Barbados (BGI) and New York (JFK) starts October 1, 2009
• Saint Lucia (UVF) and New York (JFK) starts October 26, 2009
• Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) and New York (JFK) starts October 30, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and San Francisco (SFO) starts November 17, 2009

.

Virgin America:

• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and San Francisco (SFO) starts November 18, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Los Angeles (LAX) starts November 18, 2009

.

Southwest Airlines:

• Milwaukee (MKE) and Tampa Bay (TPA) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Phoenix (PHX) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Orlando (MCO) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Kansas City (KCI) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Baltimore (BWI) starts November 1, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Reno/Lake Tahoe (RNO) starts January 10, 2010
• Denver (DEN) and Spokane (GEG) starts January 10, 2010
• Denver (DEN) and Boston (BOS) starts January 10, 2010

.

United Airlines:

• San Francisco (SFO) and Kansas City (KCI) starts October 25, 2009
• Chicago (ORD) and Duluth (DLH) starts December 17, 2009
• Chicago (ORD) and Asheville (AVL) starts December 17, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Midland/Odessa (MAF) starts December 17, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Louisville (SDF) starts December 17, 2009

.

American Airlines:

• Miami (MIA) and Charleston (CHS) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Knoxville (TYS) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Treasure Cay, Bahamas (TCB) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Governors Harbour, Bahamas (GHB) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Eleuthers, Bahamas (ELH) starts November 19, 2009
• Los Angeles (LAX) and Santa Fe (SAF) starts November 19, 2009

.

Continental Airlines:

• Houston (IAH) and Edmonton, AB Canada (YEG) starts November 1, 2009
• Houston (IAH) and Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) starts November 1, 2009
• Houston (IAH) and Washington DC (IAD) starts November 1, 2009
• Cleveland (CLE) and Washington DC (IAD) starts November 1, 2009
• Honolulu (HNL) and Guam (GUM) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN) starts November 1, 2009

.

Delta Airlines:

• Memphis (MEM) and West Palm Beach (PBI) starts December 17, 2009
• Philadelphia (PHL) and Paris, France (CDG) starts October 5, 2009
• Atlanta (ATL) and Brasilia (BSB) starts December 17, 2009
• Atlanta (ATL) and Fortaleza (FOR) starts December 21, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) starts December 12, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Freeport, Bahamas (FPO) starts December 18, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Puerto Plata, DR (POP) starts December 19, 2009
• Detroit (DTW) and Punta Cana, DR (PUJ) starts November 21, 2009
• Minneapolis (MSP) and Punta Cana, DR (PUJ) starts December 19, 2009
• Cincinnati (CVG) and Punta Canada, DR (PUJ) starts December 19, 2009

.

AirTran Airways:

• Atlanta (ATL) and Aruba (AUA) starts December 19, 2009
• Orlando (MCO) and Aruba (AUA) starts February 13, 2010
• Orlando (MCO) and Key West (EYW) starts December 17, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Harrisburg (MDT) starts November 5, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Pittsburgh (PIT) starts October 6, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Indianapolis (IND) starts October 6, 2009
• Baltimore (BWI) and Indianapolis (IND) starts October 6, 2009
• Baltimore (BWI) and New Orleans (MSY) starts October 6, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Flint (FNT) starts November 4, 2009

.

US Airways:

• Phoenix (PHX) and Montego Bay (MBJ) December 17, 2009
• Philadelphia (PHL) and Barbados (BGI) starts October 1, 2009
• Charlotte (CLT) and Honolulu (HNL) starts December 17, 2009
• Charlotte (CLT) and Rio de Janeiro (GIG) starts December 15, 2009

.

Alaska Airlines:

• Atlanta (ATL) and Seattle (SEA) starts October 23, 2009
• Oakland (OAK) and Kahului (OGG) starts November 9, 2009
• Oakland (OAK) and Kona (KOA) starts November 10, 2009
• Portland (PDX) and Chicago (ORD) starts November 16, 2009

Tags: airtran airways, american airlines, aruba, atlanta, baltimore, brazil, california, colorado, continental airlines, delta, Denver, detroit, dominican republic, florida, fort lauderdale, georgia, indianapolis, jamaica, jetblue, jfk airport, key west, kingston, los angeles, maryland, memphis, michigan, milwaukee, minneapolis, minnesota, new york, orlando, san francisco, southwest airlines, spokane, tennessee, united airlines, virgin america, washington, west palm beach, wisconsin

3-Day Southwest Sale & Virgin Is Headed To Florida…But So Is JetBlue

Another Southwest sale is upon us my friends. I feel like I am writing about a SWA sale every other week around here. Well this one is good for travel through November 1, 2009 and tickets must be purchased by Thursday at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Some cities Southwest flies to include New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Denver, and starting this Sunday Boston. Click here for more information on this 72-hour sale.

SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, maybe not exactly what you would hear people screaming in late Fall around Fort Lauderdale (FLL), but starting November 18, 2009 you can fly to this popular Florida city from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) for $99 one-way (with taxes and fees that comes to $109.60). That is one hell of a sweet deal. So maybe when you arrive Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, you can walk off the plane and scream FALL BREAK!!!!!!!!!

Or maybe not. In any event, click here for full details on Virgin’s latest offering.

UPDATE (4pm): Just got word from the good people at Gadling.com that JetBlue, upon hearing the VA Florida news, has announced that they too will start service in November between San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale. Announcing this news on the same day as your competitor is both brilliant and devilish…well played JB, well played indeed. You will even be able to “jet” between the “City by the Bay” and the “Venice of America” one day sooner. Yup that’s right, JetBlue will begin their new route on November 17, 2009. Meow JetBlue!

Tags: boston, chicago, Denver, florida, fort lauderdale, Las Vegas, los angeles, new york, san francisco, southwest airlines, virgin america

Sales, Sales And More Sales: Airlines Looking To Lure In Fall Travelers

With the summer travel season almost over (sigh), it is time for the airlines to look towards fall travel. Now while fall has always been a soft season for the travel industry, it is going to be especially hard this year to convince people to spend money that many just do not have. Everyday we see on the news or read in the papers about thousands of job losses per month. Many people I know have been given the pink slip this year and the last thing they want to do is spend big moolah on a plane ticket.

So the airlines have all been announcing sales for later this year and I have to admit many are looking pretty nice. Here are just a few that have caught my eye over the last week or so.

JetBlue: “The But Wait, There’s More!” sale is offering up cheap fall travel on more than 56 destinations that the low-cost carrier serves. Some of the great fares include:

• Long Beach and San Francisco for $39 one-way
• Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, Bahamas for $29 one-way
• New York (JFK) and Boston for $49 one-way
• Chicago and Long Beach for $109 one-way
• Austin and Orlando for $99 one-way
• Plus many more! Book by Wednesday August 5, 2009 for travel between September 8 & December 16, 2009

.

To see where else you can Jet to this fall and for full details and restrictions, visit JetBlue.com.

Southwest Airlines: “It’s On” at Southwest as they prepare for fall travel with a summertime sale that ends this week. Some of the great fares include:

• Albany and Orlando for $99 one-way
• Austin and Chicago for $99 one-way
• Burbank and Las Vegas for $49 one-way
• Denver and San Francisco for $99 one-way
• New York (LGA) and Baltimore for $49 one-way
• Plus many more! Book by this Thursday July 30 for travel between August 18 and November 18, 2009

.

For more information on this sizzling Southwest sale, plus rules and restrictions, check out Southwest.com.

Virgin America: To see what Sir Richard Branson and company has “On Sale Now” for fall travel, check out their website. But in the meantime here are some fares VA are offering customers:

• San Francisco and San Diego, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or Orange County for $49 one-way
• Seattle and Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Orange County for $69 one-way
• Boston and San Francisco or Los Angeles for $119 one-way
• New York and Los Angeles or Las Vegas for $119 one-way
• Washington DC and Los Angeles or San Francisco for $119 one-way
• You must book by Tuesday August 11 for travel between August and November 18, 2009

.

For full details on this VA sale, check out VirginAmerica.com.

Tags: airfare, airlines, albany, austin, bahamas, baltimore, boston, burbank, california, chicago, colorado, Denver, florida, fort lauderdale, jetblue, jfk, Las Vegas, long beach, los angeles, maryland, massachusetts, nassau, nevada, new york, Orange County, orlando, San Diego, san francisco, seattle, southwest, texas, Travel, virgin america, washington, Washington DC

JetBlue Offers “Cheep” Seats Via Twitter

Just another reason to love Twitter. Starting today JetBlue is offering a great new way to score cheap airfare via the interwebs. When you follow the low-cost carrier’s new JetBlue Cheeps Twitter page, you will be notified of insanely low weekend airfare.

The first group of “Cheeps” were announced this morning at 10am EST and they were pretty damn sweet.

• Boston to New York, New York to Nantucket, and Fort Lauderdale to Nassau for $9 one-way
• New York to Chicago and Boston to Washington Dulles for $19 one-way
• Orlando to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for $29 one-way

.

But before you hand over a few bucks to go Jetting around the country, realize that these prices are before tax and you still need to fly home at a regular price. But if you were to plan say a Boston-New York weekend escape, you could fly one-way and take one of those cheapo transportation like Megabus or Boltbus the other way. Also there is a limited amount of seats available with each “Cheeps” deal, so you will need to be quick with plucking a seat online.

In any event, it is definitely another reason why airlines like JetBlue, Southwest, and Virgin America “get it” by using sites like Twitter to interact with their customer base. Something the “big boy” airlines like Continental, United, and US Airways seriously are lacking in this media age.

Tags: aguadilla, boston, chicago, florida, fort lauderdale, illinois, jetblue, massachusetts, nantucket, new york, puerto rico, Washington DC