Delta’s fall fare sale — with a twist

Airlines traditionally come out with fare sales for travel in the fall, after the crowds of summer vacationers have abated, and Delta has just unveiled one, but with a new twist.

In Delta’s new sale — which sets an August 6 booking deadline for trips from August 6 through December 16 — customers can pay reduced prices in either dollars or miles. The promotion, good for travel within the 48 contiguous states, also requires that travelers buy tickets 14 days in advance and stay over a Saturday night. Some blackout dates also apply, and a roundtrip purchase is required.

The SkyMiles sale is part of a trend toward dynamic pricing in frequent flyer rewards — i.e., replacing fixed mileage prices with flexible ones that change by the rules of supply and demand.  As part of the changes to SkyMiles this year, Delta has promised to make more award travel available at lower mileage costs.

Here are some sample roundtrip fares in Delta’s fall sale for a Main Cabin ticket, in both dollars and miles (with mileage costs, taxes and fees are extra):

Portland-Seattle, $148 or 10,000 miles;

Seattle-San Francisco, $178 or 10,000 miles;

Atlanta-Tampa, $198 or 15,000 miles;

San Diego-Salt Lake City, $208 or 15,000 miles;

Ft. Lauderdale-New York JFK, $248 or 20,000 miles;

Atlanta-St. Louis, $248 or 15,000 miles.

What do you think? Will you take Delta up on its offer? 

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