Airline News

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines rolls out spring sale with $49 fares

Discount fares from Southwest Airlines land just in time.

Southwest Businessweek

Just in time for spring travel, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has launched its seasonal fare sale with fares as low as $49 one-way.

The sale begins January 12, on travel that takes place across the continental U.S. from January 31 through May 17.

Flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico are on sale from January 31-March 8, Monday-Thursday.

Flights to and from Hawaii are on sale from January 31-March 15, Monday-Thursday.

Flights to international destinations are on sale from January-March 8, Tuesday-Friday.

Some examples of one-way, low-fare getaways for $49 include:

Austin and New Orleans
Long Beach and Reno/Tahoe
Phoenix and Los Angeles
Chicago (Midway) and Nashville
San Diego and Las Vegas

Advanced purchase and blackout date requirements apply; seats, days, and markets are limited.

A 21-day advance purchase is required.

There are also the following blackout dates:

February 16-February 20 for all flights
March 9-April 10 for International travel and San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 16-April 10 for travel from the U.S. to/from Hawaii

Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of the week and won't be available on some flights that operate during busy travel times and holiday periods.

Advertised fares may be available on other days of the week, but no guarantees.

Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines, as long as reservations are canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Failure to cancel prior to departure will result in forfeiture of remaining funds on the reservation. Any change in itinerary may result in an increase in fare.

vacation transportation

Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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