fare deal Archives - TravelSkills

Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities

October 24, 2017

Fares to Hawaii take a dip. Need to act fast, though. Kauai pictured here. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

UPDATE! United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. And there’s even more: How about SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtrip in basic economy, $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February. Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.

>>Here’s the original post from last week.

Whenever we see fares to Hawaii from the west coast dip below $400, we jump. Over the last year it has been rare to see anything below $399. That changed this week when roundtrip fares dipped quietly closer to $300.

The airlines are not making a big deal about this, but we are!

Today we are seeing some very nice deals for winter travel to the islands– most at around $325 round trip between the Bay Area, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle and Honolulu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. (This applies to both nonstop and one stop flights.) Interestingly, this does not apply (yet) to flights from LAX where fares remain above the $400 mark, but not by much, at around $410.

UPDATE #2: As of 3 pm on Oct 24, these fares are already drifting higher– most $325 fares are now closer to $350.

UPDATE #3: We are now finding flights available for deep peak summer for just $325-$345, mostly SFO-HNL in late August and early September

UPDATE #4: Weds Oct 25 7 am– the lowest roundtrip fares are now in the $375 range- not $325 any more, but still a good deal for winter trips to Hawaii. Most remaining discounts appear to be on flights to Maui (OGG).

Update #5: Weds 5 pm This sale appears to be slowing down however we are still finding SFO-Honolulu or Maui on Virgin America for $345 Nov-May and also in late August. That’s a very good deal.

Fares for mid-Late November between SFO and Hawaiian Islands (Google Flights)

What’s even better about this is a nice big window for travel– it starts in November and goes all the way to May. Of course this does not include the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, but it does include spring break months of March and April (excluding the week before Easter). First class fares from the west coast are at about $1,000 roundtrip.

As of today, its mostly United and Hawaiian that are offering the low fares, but keep an eye out for matches from Alaska Air and Virgin America.

As of this morning (Tues Oct 24) we have found the following deals on Google Flights and as always clicked thru to airline sites to confirm:

San Francisco or San Jose to Maui: $325
San Francisco to Honolulu or Kauai: $333
San Diego to Honolulu, Maui or Kauai $338
Sacramento to Honolulu or Maui: $366 (one stop in SFO)
Seattle-Honolulu $348 (one stop in LAX)
Portland to Honolulu $333 (one stop)

San Francisco to Maui nonstop for just $325 in February is a great deal. Go grab it! (Google Flights)

Right now it appears that United is leading this sale with the most sale fares. Keep in mind that this could change rapidly– the airlines might just be “testing the waters” to see how low they must go to stimulate demand.

As always during the slower fall and winter months, it’s important to act fast on these un-publicized sales. If you see a fare that works for you, grab it because it likely will not last.

What’s a “good” deal to you when it comes to Hawaii? What’s the least you’ve ever paid to fly there? Please leave your comments below.

Get that $325 roundtrip fare nearly every day in cold dark Jan and Feb and get to paradise! (Google Flights)

Aloha!

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Big late summer/fall airfare sale takes off

June 6, 2017

Southwest kicks off big summer sale- we expect others airlines to match it (Image: Southwest Airlines)

While fares to Europe have tumbled this summer, domestic tickets have remained stubbornly high on many routes.

If you feel priced out of peak summer season, or have plans for trips in late summer or fall, Southwest Airlines has an airfare sale for you– on its domestic as well as its growing list of international destinations.

Southwest kicked it off today with with fares starting at $100 roundtrip. From there, roundtrip fares rise in three more steps: $160, $200, and $260.

As usual, expect other airlines to match this sale. TravelSkills will monitor their responses at the bottom of this post. (Scroll down…)

What’s nice about this sale is that it’s good for late summer trips starting as early as August 22— keep in mind that Labor Day is on Monday, September 4 this year.

And summer is not officially over until September 21. That’s a nice window for a late summer trip!

Take a look at what Southwest has on offer during the slower fall months as well as the “dead weeks” before and after Thanksgiving.

Sample approximate round trip fares include:

$100 Between San Francisco & Oakland and Burbank, Los Angeles, Portland, Reno, San Diego (and most other intra-California and Vegas routes)
$116 Boston-Atlanta
$160 Atlanta-Washington DC Reagan National, Orlando, Ft Lauderdale
$200 New York LaGuardia-Nashville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, St Louis, plus Sacramento-Portland, Austin-Atlanta
$208 between Oakland and Puerto Vallarta
$260 between Houston and Phoenix, or Oakland, Austin
$300 between Oakland and Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans (Most transcon in the $300 range)

Keep in mind that Rapid Rewards redemptions are cheaper now, too because the SWA program is based on ticket prices.

Southwest Airlines jets at Oakland International Airport (Photo: Port of Oakland)

We expect other major airlines to match these low fares over the next 24-48 hours. (We’ll update this page with competitive matches as they roll out…see below)

Note that Southwest does not charge for the first or second bag, and does not impose change fees like most other airlines. When major airlines match these fares, they’ll likely do it with “basic economy” fares that have even more fees and restrictions.

Details of Southwest’s 72-hour sale:

>Must buy your tickets between now and Thurs, June 8 at 11:59 p.m. (in originating city).

>Travel window: August 22- December 13

>Lowest fares not available on Fridays or Sundays

>Blackout dates for domestic flights: September 1 and 4, and November 17-28, 2016 (this varies on a handful of routes)

>International fares are only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays; blacked out Sept 4-6, Nov 25-28

>Only a handful of seats on each flight are on sale- you snooze, you lose.

>See Southwest website for other rules and restrictions, or to book trips.

Stay tuned for UPDATES: Airlines matching this sale so far include: Alaska Air | Virgin America (with slightly higher fares) | United

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Deal: Transcon fares plunge to near $200 roundtrip

December 12, 2016

Sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

If you have cross-country flying in your future, now’s the time to book your winter flights. Today nearly all airlines are heavily discounting transcon flights between New York and California, California and Florida, California and Atlanta, Seattle and New York or Boston.

What’s nice is that these these fares apply to nearly all flights from January through March– and all major carriers are participating. And what’s unusual is the time frame of this sale– these fares are good all the way into March, which means they’ll apply during the busy and expensive Spring Break period, too.

Anytime we see fares below $300 for transcontinental flights, we know that we have a very good deal on our hands. Now’s the time to book if you have business on either of the coasts, or would like to visit Florida for some mid-winter sun!

A few examples of great deals on transcon nonstops:>

>SFO/LAX-Miami or Ft Lauderdale: $275-$295 roundtrip (all) UPDATE: $217 roundtrip on AA, UA (!)

>LAX-Atlanta: $215 roundtrip (including American)

>Seattle-Boston: $217 roundtrip (Delta)

>SFO-New York/Newark: $237 roundtrip (all)

>LAX-New York: $257 roundtrip (all)

>Seattle-New York: $267 roundtrip (Delta, JetBlue)

>San Jose-Boston $277 (JetBlue)

>SFO-Atlanta: $276 roundtrip (Delta, United)

TravelSkills researchers found all these fares on Google Flights & verified them on airline websites on Monday December 12- they are subject to change.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Biz class holiday sale + Vegas + United Polaris rollout + Credit card deals + Ugly incident

November 27, 2016

United & other carriers discounting business class across the pond for the holidays. (Image: United)

Before we get to the Top 10, let’s take a look at something exciting. Over the weekend, airlines have started to put business class on sale for Christmas/New Year’s flights. Since business travelers typically shy away from travel during the holidays, airlines will lower fares signficantly to fill up those empty flat beds. So if a lie-flat flight to Europe sounds nice, check out a few sample roundtrip business class holiday season fares that caught our eye when taking a spin through Google Flights on Saturday. Keep in mind that business class fares to Europe usually run in the $5,000+ range.

New York or Washington DC – Paris: $2,118 (United)
Atlanta-Paris: $2,368 (Air France)
San Francisco-Paris: $2,618 (United)
Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose-London $2,800 (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic) First class is $3,800
Boston-Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon: $2,250 (Delta, KLM, TAP)
New York-Amsterdam, Frankfurt: $2,345 (KLM, Delta, Lufthansa)
Miami-London: $2,625 (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic)

British Airways also has a nice business class sale going on with fares from east coast cities at just under $2,000, but it’s a two-for-one sale. Details here.

Note: These fares available on Google Flights on Saturday, Nov 26 and subject to change.

United’s new Polaris business class rolls out December 1! Stay tuned to TravelSkills for details. Any guesses on the first route to get it? (rendering courtesy United Airlines)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 This lucky post has topped our list for 3 weeks! 5 fabulously free things to do in Las Vegas

2 Deal Alert: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic to London

3 5 ways to find cheaper flights

4 On pins & needles for first look at ORD Polaris Club this week! Stay tuned Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 1 of 3)

5 Time is right for a new credit card. Why?

One of my favorite meals: Virgin America’s economy class protein plate! (Chris McGinnis)

6 12 most tempting airline meals (slideshow)

7 Fly thru new $1.3 billion concourse at LAX (VIDEO)

8 Routes: Easier to fly Korean + Norwegian, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Fiji, more

9 Airport news: Newark, JFK, San Francisco, Baltimore, Miami

10 Should I tip my Uber or Lyft driver? [Poll]

UGLY: This happened on Delta this week- and has already received 2 million views on Facebook. Yuck. Delta has apologized for the incident. Foul language warning! Click on video below or see full Facebook post here. Interview with witness here.

Delta’s statement on the incident: “Our responsibility for ensuring all customers feel safe and comfortable with Delta includes requiring civil behavior from everyone….The behavior we see in this video does not square with our training or culture and follow up will continue so we can better ensure our employees will know they will be fully supported to make the right decisions when these issues arise.”

How would you react if a passenger went off the hook like this on your flight? Leave your comments below.

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

United to shift focus to domestic operations, starting with Newark Airport

Cheap gasoline could be around a while> Mammoth Texas oil discovery biggest ever in USA

MSP has best airport bathrooms

Canadian airline to serve McDonald’s McCafe coffee onboard

London’s spectacular new Design Museum opens in Holland Park

You go, Bettie! USA’s Longest-Serving Flight Attendant has some GREAT stories!

Guess what? Thanksgiving is NOT the busiest time of the year at the airport

Aer Lingus could return to Oneworld alliance next year

The airport of 2040–No more security screening lines?

San Francisco’s largest taxi company up for sale

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Deal: Australia on sale! $914 round trip

October 10, 2016

Take off for Sydney this winter for less than $1,000 round trip on Air New Zealand- Bondi Beach pictured (Chris McGinnis)

Air New Zealand is offering fantastic fares for travelers hoping to go to Australia in 2017. This is a great opportunity to explore the country as these fares are good for travel to seven different Australian destinations: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide, Perth, and Gold Coast.

Roundtrip travel from SFO or LAX to any of these 7 cities starts at just $995 but you have to book by October 24 to get the discounted fare. This deal is good for travel between January 26 and May 31 (mid summer to fall down under!) so there’s plenty of time to get ready for your adventure. The only catch: You must make a stop in Auckland, New Zealand to get there.

Anytime you see fares drop below $1,000 to Australia, you know you’ve got a good deal on your hands.

Google flights showing SFO-Perth for just $914 in March and April

When we checked fares on Google Flights, we were able to book sub $1,000 fares starting in February. The closer to May you get, the more likely you are to find the really low fares. We were even able to find fares as low as $914 round trip from LAX or SFO for flights (in March) as far away as Perth! (High on my bucket list!)

You can book online through www.airnewzealand.com. Looking for loyalty points? When you book this deal you can accrue points toward your Air New Zealand Airpoints or United Airlines MileagePlus account.

Summer in Australia doesn’t end until March so snag one of these deals if you’re looking for a sunny getaway during our cold and hopefully wet winter.

–Chris McGinnis

*Fare(s) available at time of publication and subject to change.

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Deal Alert: Major domestic fall winter fare sale

October 4, 2016

Southwest Airlines recently painted a 737 based on the Colorado state flag.

Southwest Airlines kicked off a good fall winter sale- including flights to Colorado for ski trips! (Photo: Stephen Keller/Southwest Airlines)

Travel demand and fares always tumble during the slower fall and winter months, and this year is no exception.

Today, Southwest Airlines kicked off the first big late fall and winter fare sale, and I expect other airlines to start matching these low fares in the next 24-48 hours. (see below for links)

So if you felt priced out of peak summer season, take a look at what Southwest has on offer during the “dead weeks” between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and into the cold, dark early winter months.

Southwest kicked it off today with with fares starting at $100 roundtrip. From there, roundtrip fares rise in several steps to around $300. These fares are about $10 more than a similar sale Southwest offered in October 2015.

Sample approximate round trip fares include:

$100: All intra-California and CA-Las Vegas flights, Atlanta-Chicago, Raleigh or Richmond; Washington DC-Boston

$160: SFO/OAK/LAX-Denver, Atlanta-most cities in Florida, New York LGA-Chicago,

$200: SFO/OAK/LAX to Dallas or Denver; Atlanta-Boston, Chicago, Dallas or New York

$260: Houston-Phoenix, Atlanta-Los Angeles/Las Vegas; Denver-Atlanta; New York to Chicago or New Orleans; SFO/OAK-Chicago

$300: Most transcon flights between New York, Baltimore, Atlanta or Boston and LAX, SFO/OAK, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle

Expect other major airlines to match these low fares over the next 24 hours. (We’ll update this page with competitive matches as they roll out…see below). Keep in mind that even with matches, Southwest’s fares are cheaper if you plan on checking baggage- it offers two bags for free.

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You can party on the rooftop of the new Virgin Hotel in Chicago this fall or winter (Nancy Branka)

This sale is good for flights during what’s known in the biz as the “dead weeks” when travel demand plummets to annual lows– this means that hotel and car rental costs are also at annual lows, so it’s a great time to take a cheap trip. It’s also a good time to get home and see the family if pricey peak holiday season fares keep you grounded.

For business travelers who have not been able to get out and see clients due to this year’s high fares, this is a great opportunity save by traveling when most folks are staying at home. You can take off for a quick visit just before Christmas or drop by during the cold dark months of January and February.

Details of Southwest’s 72-hour sale:

>Must buy your tickets between now and Thursday, October 6 at 11:59 p.m. (in originating city).

>Travel windows: November 30-December 20; January 4-February 15, 2017

>Not available on Fridays or Sundays (bummer for business travelers or weekenders)

>Black out dates: Christmas/New Years peak season from Thursday December 21- Wednesday, January 4

>Very limited time: Only a handful of seats on each flight are on sale- you snooze, you lose.

>See Southwest website for other rules and restrictions, or to book trips.

Stay tuned for UPDATES: Airlines matching this sale so far include: Virgin America | United | Delta (Dec. only) | JetBlue

–Chris McGinnis

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