Take a Cheap Flight…NOW!
Southwest Airlines started a massive airfare fire sale last week and most of the other U.S. based airlines scrambled to do the same in order to stay competitive. A weakened economy has reduced demand for travel and made it tougher for airlines to fill their seats. American, Continental, Delta, Jet Blue, Air Tran and U.S. Airways authorized dramatic cuts to their fares to match Southwest’s bargain fares, which start from $49 to $99 each way. United is still considering the fire sale, according to a spokesperson for the company.
For instance, here are a few sample round trip fares I found this morning out of Denver, Colorado:
- Denver, CO to San Francisco, CA - $99 (American Airlines)
- Denver, CO to Las Vegas, NV - $138 (Multiple Airlines)
- Denver, CO to Miami, FL - $148 (Air Tran)
These competitive offers come after most of the airlines reported losses in the fourth quarter of 2008. American Airlines announced a loss of $214 million, or 77 cents a share. United Airlines lost $547 million, or about $4.22 per share. Delta reported a whopping loss of $1.4 billion, or $2.11 per share. Even Southwest reported it’s second consecutive losing quarter after being profitable for 69 of them!
Moral of the story: now is the time to take a weekend getaway!!!! Prices are super cheap and you also benefit from accumulating miles or credits against your elite ‘09 qualification. So go book a trip now! Ask your boss later…
