Airfares: Powerful new e-mail alerts are on the way

The following news item is for serious bargain hunters only. Its for readers who are truly dedicated to finding the best fare possible—or who are simply fascinated by how the fare game works. Although Cheapflights, CheapTickets, Expedia, Kayak, Sidestep, Travelocity, and Orbitz shed a lot of light on low fares, they sometimes miss bargains. None of them list fares from Southwest Airlines, which flies... [Read more]

Travel tips for the inauguration

Here is some advice if you are hoping to go to the inauguration: HOTELS: Most downtown hotels are already filled, but there are still some rooms available in outlying areas of the city and the suburbs. Many hotels are requiring three- and four-night minimums. Travelers can check Web sites such as Expedia and Orbitz for deals as well as http://www.washington.org. “You really want to get at it... [Read more]

Airlines begin cutting fares for holiday travel

When it comes to holiday travel plans, good things may come to those who waited. The major U.S. airlines have cut many fares for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. The airlines, in the midst of their worst year since at least 2005, may see the price-cutting as necessary in the face of a slumping economy that could cut into both leisure and business travel. Airfare experts say they typically don’t... [Read more]

American Airline considers a la carte pricing

The idea of paying a single, simple fare to fly on an airliner is becoming as quaint as stewardesses in short skirts. American Airlines is about to accelerate the trend of breaking the cost of a trip into an airfare plus many smaller fees. Starting next year, American, which led a stampede by U.S. carriers to charge customers for checking even a single suitcase, plans to imitate the a la carte pricing... [Read more]

Airfares aren’t taking off everywhere

Air fares are up, right? The short answer is yes — 22 fare increases this year. But fares in some cities are flat or even down, as fierce competition keeps airlines from charging as much as they would like. Business fares in early September were down 5 percent in Phoenix and 4 percent in New York compared to the same week last year, according to research by Bob Harrell of Harrell Associates, who... [Read more]

Airlines get tougher on business fare discounts

U.S. airlines are getting tougher on fare discounts for companies that cut back on travel in the softer economy. In a teleconference and webcast Tuesday, American Express Business Travel officials talked about market trends and the business travel environment ahead of the release an annual business travel outlook. Herve Sedky, a vice president and general manager of global advisory services, said airlines... [Read more]

Airfare expert says early-2009 prices could dip

Southwest Airlines Co. has published its schedule and fares for early next year, a move that could spur rivals to lower their fares for the period, an airfare observer said Monday. Many airlines takes reservations nearly a year in advance, but Southwest usually goes out only about six months. Recently, the Dallas-based carrier issued its schedule and prices for Jan. 9 through March 6. The new schedule... [Read more]

Bus travel grows as fuel soars, airfares leap

It’s a tale of two cities: Nikita Bernstein, 29, a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker with a business in Boston, was in need of a cheap way to travel between his two homes. And a place to plug in his laptop, store his bike and stretch his legs along the way. Bernstein is an example of a growing number of people, often young professionals, that are jumping on the bus as their primary method of travel.... [Read more]