Dueling spring travel sales heating up air fare battle
Dueling spring travel sales heating up air fare battle
If you’re tired of New England winters, this weekend might be a good time to stay out of the cold and surf the Internet for a cheap fare to somewhere warmer.Several airlines have launched competing fare sales for spring travel, igniting a price war in the financially battered industry.
US Airways is offering fares as low as $118 across all its routes, including a $138 round trip to from Boston to Orlando. United Airlines has a worldwide fare sale, including roundtrip fares from Boston to Paris for $430. Not to be left behind, American Airlines is offering roundtrip flights from Boston to Los Angeles for $288 and Boston to Miami for $198.
A Delta Air Lines sale on tickets to its Atlanta hub ended yesterday.
Although their sales all coincide with each other, the airlines said they were only following their normal cycle of seasonal ticket discounts and not dropping prices to compete with one another.
‘’We want to stimulate travel in the spring season,” said Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for US Airways.
In typical fashion, getting in on the fare sales comes with a host of travel restrictions. US Airways, for example, requires at least a one-night stay on its discounted tickets in the United States or Canada, a Saturday-night stay if you’re going to Europe, or a two-night stay if you’re headed to the Caribbean. American and United’s sale fares are valid for travel between April 4 and June 10, while US Airways’ sale tickets must be used by May 19.
The airlines also want you to buy soon. US Airways’ sale ends Sunday, while American and United’s sales end March 18.
‘’We want to encourage people to act on the idea of purchasing a fare while the low price lasts,” said Ned Raynolds, a spokesman for American Airlines. ‘’We find that psychologically, people will react more positively on a fare sale if we allow a limited window of time for them to make a purchase.”
Airlines generally offer fare sales at the beginning of each season. In recent years, the airlines have been offering seasonal sales earlier to help stimulate traffic and lure travelers.
That strategy is probably hurting the airlines’ chances of a financial recovery, especially with record high fuel prices pushing their costs up, said Henry Harteveldt, vice president of travel research at Forrester Research in San Francisco.
