Low fares call for quick action

Want to fly to Cancun for about $300 round trip?

Or to Orlando for approximately $177?

How about Denver for $100?

Time is running out, but those are some of the deals still available for travelers looking to book flights from Eppley Airfield.

After discount airlines Southwest and Frontier, which both serve Omaha, and AirTran cut their fares to as low as $30 for a one-way ticket, legacy carriers such as United, American and Northwest jumped on board Wednesday and also cut prices.

Southwest's offer was to have ended at 2 a.m. CDT today, but Frontier customers have more time to take advantage of the special offer. It set a deadline of July 14 to book flights between Aug. 10 and Jan. 15, 2010.

There also are restrictions on dates and flights, so flexibility is key.

Bonnie Peterson, a group travel specialist at Tailored Travel in Omaha, said a number of her clients missed out on Southwest's cheap seats Wednesday because all discounted tickets for flights from Omaha to destinations such as Oakland, Calif. were sold out.

“Availability is a major issue, because the prices don't match the number of seats available on an aircraft,” Peterson said.

Not all seats are sold at reduced prices, she said.

Industry experts said the discounts are some of the best the industry has recently seen.

“From a consumer's perspective, these sales say the airlines are still in business and they want to give travelers the greatest deals possible,” said Mitch Beaumont, a spokesman for AAA Nebraska.

Beaumont said it also shows that the airlines understand that people aren't spending as much in the recession.

“These airlines are responding to those consumer concerns,” he said.

Spokesmen for several airlines offering the sales said online booking traffic was up, but they declined to disclose exact figures.

Air travel typically slows in September because children are back in school. The falloff could be even more severe this year because the recession has reduced business travel.

Steve Coufal, Eppley executive director, said the sales might increase air travel but they won't have a detrimental effect on the airport's operations or security. Fall is traditionally slow, he said.

The low rates are a great opportunity for individuals and families pinched by the recession to consider a fall trip at affordable prices, agents said.

For example, people seeking a warm-weather destination could fly to Cancun, Orlando or San Francisco in September for about half the normal cost. During that time period, one person could fly round-trip to Cancun for $322 instead of the normal price of between $600 and $700. Northwest Airlines is offering a round-trip fare to Orlando of $177, a flight that ordinarily costs between $300 and $400.

In the sale announced by Southwest on Tuesday, one-way fares were available from $30 to $90, depending on distance. Southwest's offer was for travel between Sept. 9 and Nov. 18. The offer wasn't available for flights on Fridays and Sundays.

Brad Hawkins, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines, said the sale should push people who were hesitant to travel “off the fence.”

“Families and small-business owners, when they find the right price, they're flying,” Hawkins said.

“Jump off the fence, make your plans and help this country dig out of this economic hole and go somewhere fun in the process,” he said.

Contact the writer:

444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com