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Travel Deals / Airfare Sales / AirTran / bmibaby / JetBlue / Virgin America / Southwest / Frontier / → All Tags

Six Airfare Sales That Started Today

You know what they say about the best days to book airfares, right? That the magical weekdays are Tuesdays and Wednesdays for deals...but those are also the best days to fly on cheap rates, too. Now that the winter holidays are over, airlines have rolled out massive fare sales for travel that, in some cases, goes all the way through the end of spring.

There's 6 sales we think are worthy today. 5 are from the US, and one is from the UK. GET ON IT:

· AirTran sale
(Book by Thursday, January 6 for travel on Tuesdays & Wednesdays through May 15, 2011)
Sample fares (not including taxes & fees):
New York-LGA to Orlando $86 each way
Chicago-Midway to Atlanta $89 each way
Los Angeles-LAX to Fort Lauderdale: $129 each way
Baltimore-BWI to Key West: $126 each way

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New Routes from ANA, AirTran, and More to Get You Psyched for 2012

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· All Nippon Airways:
It’s finally time for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to head to the nifty fifty, as All Nippon Airways is planning some nonstop service out of Tokyo-Narita. The new flights will head right into San Jose, California as well as Seattle, so it’s kind of a homecoming for the new plane—after all, all the bits and pieces were put together in Seattle.

The flights are supposed to start at some point after April 1 of next year, and we’re thinking that it’ll be sometime that month for sure. Japan Airlines launches their 787 flights to Boston in April, so we bet that ANA will do everything they can to be the first ones to fly to the United States. So if you still haven’t planned a trip to lose your 787 virginity these might just be the flights that you’ve been waiting for.

· REDjet:
Down in the Caribbean it’s business as usual for REDjet, as the area’s first low-cost carrier continues to link slices of paradises on the cheap. The latest plan is to connect Barbados with Saint Lucia two times per week thanks to their fleet of MD82 airplanes. There are still some $9.99 one-way fares—before taxes, fees, and other stuff—during the month of January, but more popular dates seem to go for around $40 each way. Still it’s way faster than renting a kayak—and way safer—so definitely give REDjet a call if you’re looking to a little Caribbean island hoping.

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Hawaiian, AirTran and Delta Lead This Week's New Route News

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Hawaiian Airlines:
Alright we might have mentioned this earlier in the week, but the star of the show this week has to be the announcement from Hawaiian Airlines. The carrier filled with Aloha is headed all the way to New York-JFK from Honolulu beginning next summer. Like we said, the flight is going to be pretty darn long—like 10 hours—but hopefully the new Airbus A330s will make it all a little better.

· United:
It’s time to cross the pond thanks to United, as there are plans for a new link between the US and the UK beginning next May. The airline is starting up a nonstop option between Washington-Dulles and Manchester, and this will supplement Continental’s option between Newark and Manchester. The new flight—just like the one from Newark—will utilize some Boeing 757s, so that means there’s only one aisle where you can stretch your legs. The flights will operate everyday of the week all year long, and we’re sure that this new option will make some tourists and business people pretty happy.

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Apparently AirTran Had a Little Cockroach Problem and Someone is Suing

AirTran has a lot going on now with that Southwest thing and all, but it looks like they’re headed for a little bit of legal trouble. Lucky for them we think it’s slightly frivolous, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have to send out the legal team.

A couple from North Carolina just filed a lawsuit against the airline because they weren’t too happy about some of their fellow passengers—cockroaches. Apparently the little bugs made a surprise appearance on their flight to Houston, including the air vents. The passengers tried to voice their concerns to the flight attendants, but they claim that their pleas for help were ignored.

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Overweight Passengers / LCCs / Southwest / AirTran / Southwest Airlines / Airline News / Airline Industry / Seats / Seating / → All Tags

AirTran Adopting Southwest's Weigh More, Pay More Guidelines

Southwest's infamous "customers of size" policy—where if you need a seat and a half you have to purchase two seats—was the cause of one of the airline world's most notorious social media disasters. So naturally Southwest is having its recently purchased airline AirTran adopt the exact same set of guidelines, because that's one of the ways they keep down costs. Another way was described a few months ago in an Associated Press article headlined "US airlines make money again by flying less," which doesn't really have anything to do with this post but is obnoxious enough to be worth mentioning.

In any case, AirTran will implement the new policy starting March 1 of 2012. Following Southwest's lead, if a customer can't lower their armrest they have to purchase two seats. If two seats aren't available on a particular flight, other arrangements will presumably be made, almost certainly combining the usual "you need to get off this plane" humiliation and the "we'll get you on a later flight with more seats" reassurance. As with Southwest, a passenger on a below-capacity flight can request a refund for the second seat's cost.

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Frontier, Alaska and Strategic Airlines Bring This Week's New Route News

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
Hawaii is pretty popular, and it’s especially popular for those flying aboard Alaska Airlines. The airline already sends plenty of flights between the mainland and paradise, and this week there’s news that they’re sending one more plane back and forth. The Seattle to Honolulu route is getting a third daily flight beginning on December 22, and will fill a gap in the airline’s daily schedule between the two cities. The new flight will leave Seattle around 4pm and get into the Aloha State right around 8pm—local time. This means you can cut out of the office early, and be in Hawaii for a late night dinner in Waikiki.

· Strategic Airlines:
We knew that Strategic Airlines was planning to link down under with the nifty fifty, and now Uncle Sam—along with the Australian version of Uncle Sam—are fine with the international flight. The airline will be flying nonstop between Brisbane and Honolulu beginning on December 14 with the assistance from Airbus A330s, and flights between Melbourne and Honolulu initiate on December 15. Flights are now available to be booked, and there’s even a little bit of a special sale going on. One-way flights from Brisbane will start at roughly $500 and the ones from Melbourne start at around $600—aloha!

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Airline Mergers / Southwest / Southwest Airlines / AirTran / Airline News / Travel News / LCCs / → All Tags

All is Well in the World of Airline Mergers; Southwest Moves Forward with Purchase of AirTran

If we learned anything from the Delta-Northwest merger and the United-Continental marriage, it’s that these kinds of things take quite some time. It already seems like years ago since Southwest sent out the surprising news that they’d be gobbling up AirTran to form the world’s biggest and baddest low cost carrier. Well since then it’s been business as usually for both airlines, but recently there was a little progress towards more free bags for the nation’s pack-happy passengers.

The purchase of AirTran—for a cool billion bucks—was completed last week, so now it’s full spread ahead toward one super airline. Unfortunately, full speed ahead still might be a few more years, as some in the industry brainiacs are thinking that AirTran might be doing its own thing well into 2013.

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This Week is All About Bermuda, China, and Liberia Thanks to New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Air China:
After a few days in Milan you might just get sick of being in Italy—we’re kidding—but if you do there’s always Air China to help you escape Europe and head into Asia. Beginning on June 15, the carrier will be sending Airbus A330s back and forth between Milan and Beijing just in time for the summer tourism season. The flights will run three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. They’re the only airline flying nonstop on this route, so expect to pay a little bit of a premium if you decide to hop between continents anytime soon.

· Air France:
If you’re looking to impress your friends with a unique trip, you might just want to consider some of Air France’s new options to West Africa. Earlier this month they started up flights to Freetown—that’s in Sierra Leone—as well as flights to Monrovia, Liberia. They’re even heading to the capital of Guinea; that’s Conakry of course! All the flights will depart from Paris—not surprising—and will be operated thanks to a little assistance from those trusty Airbus A330s.

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Airline Mergers / Southwest / Southwest Airlines / AirTran / Airline News / Travel News / LCCs / → All Tags

This Week in Merger News: AirTran Gives Its Blessing and Southwest Wants New Planes

It’s been a while since AirTran and Southwest announced they’d be shacking up, and for the most part, things have been pretty quiet. We guess that no news is good news when it comes to airline merger stuff, but still, we kind of expected that there would be a little bit more news at this point.

Rest assured, the merger is moving forward, and the most recent update has to do with AirTran giving the go ahead to get gobbled up. Last week AirTran shareholders got together to talk things over, and they voted in favor of the merger—and that’s a good thing for those looking for even more free checked bags. Uncle Sam and his team of lawyers are still reviewing everything, and that’s really the last hurdle before the two airlines can set a date for their official marriage.

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All Kinds of New Routes This Week from the Likes of Alaska Airlines, American, and Continental

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
If you’ve been waiting for Alaska Airlines to start even more flights to paradise, your wait is now over. Starting this Sunday—that’s March 27 for you calendar fans—nonstop service will begin between San Jose and Lihue on the island of Kauai. If you prefer leaving from Oakland, they’ve got you covered there as well, as the same destination is available beginning the following day on March 28. The San Jose flights will operate thrice per week while the Oakland planes go back and fourth four times per week. Just remember your sun block!

· Continental:
The mighty airline power that is the new United will be adding a new option south of the border beginning over the summer. Starting at June 9, Bay Area travelers will be getting a nonstop option to Guadalajara, Mexico from San Francisco. The flight will technically be a Continental branded flight for now, but we all know that their true United colors will shine through sooner than later. Flights will run every day, and will be completed thanks to some help from Boeing 737-800 jets—adios!

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Tweet for Free from 35,000 Feet for a Chance at $10,000

Get ready for an influx of college-age kids gumming up the security lines at airports with their forgetting about suntan oil and the 3-1-1 liquids rule, because Spring Break officially gets into gear this week. To celebrate fuller flights to sunnier destinations, Gogo In-Flight internet is allowing free access to Twitter on flights through April 14.

It's already started, so if you've flying select WiFi-equipped routes on AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways or Virgin America then do open up your laptop or turn on your smartphone when you've reached cruising altitude...and tweet about it.

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American, Hawaiian, and of Course Virgin America, Lead This Week's New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Hawaiian Airlines:
It seems that Hawaiian Airlines’ newest focus is to and from Asia. Their latest destination is Osaka, and they’re planning to start things up on July 12. They just need the formal go ahead from the Japanese government, but we’re thinking that the Japanese version of Uncle Sam will probably be cool with flights to Honolulu. The first flights will be aboard Boeing 767s, but eventually Hawaiian Airlines will be dispatching its new Airbus A330 aircraft on the long haul trip across the Pacific.

· US Airways:
Who wants to go to Quebec City? We do, but not until it gets a little warmer. US Airways is thinking the same, as they’re adding a nonstop option between Philadelphia and Quebec City starting on June 2. Don’t expect anything super comfortable though, as the new flights will be operated with less than thrilling CRJ-200 regional jets—thanks to a little help from Air Wisconsin. So start practicing how to complain about your legroom and general discomfort in French.

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