Fare Sales and Airline Promotions

September 1: AirTran Airways is offering members of its A+ Rewards frequent-flyer program triple A+ Rewards credits when they purchase a round trip from Atlanta to any AirTran Airways nonstop destination through September 6. When A+ Rewards members purchase travel through September 6, they will earn six A+ Rewards credits for every nonstop round trip originating in Atlanta and flown by November 17, instead of the standard two A+ credits. The promotion makes it possible for members to earn a free round-trip ticket when they purchase three round-trip tickets with AirTran Airways. Sign-up is free to become a member of the A+ Rewards program, and travelers must be A+ Rewards members and registered for the promotion at the time of departure to earn triple A+ credits through this offer. Sign up for A+ Rewards and register for the promotion online at airtran.com before traveling.

August 31: AirTran Airways has  launched a sale for travel to all of the airline’s destinations with one-way, off-peak fares from $54 and one-way peak fares from $64, not including taxes and fees. (The fares quoted here are only available on the Boston-Baltimore Washington route.) Travelers may purchase these sale fares at airtran.com, from their local travel agent or via AirTran Airways’ reservations system at 1-800-AIR-TRAN. For Spanish, call 1-877-581-9842. The fares are available for purchase through September 2 and are good for travel from September 7 through November 17. The lowest sale fares are valid for travel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with additional sale fares available on Fridays and Sundays. Prices included in this sale are available for one-way travel and do not require a roundtrip purchase or an overnight stay. These sale fares require a seven day advance purchase.

August 31: To mark the announcement of its planned schedules for three new routes to Mexico, Virgin America has launched a three-day fare sale with one-way fares (not including taxes and government and airline fees) from $109 coast-to-coast and $129 to Mexico. Virgin America’s one-way fares to Mexico start from $129 in Main Cabin for SFO-SJD, SFO-CUN and LAX-CUN. Other one-way fares start from $39 on LAX-SFO, SFO-Las Vegas (LAS) and SFO-San Diego (SAN) flights; and from $109 for LAX-Washington Dulles (IAD) and SFO-Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Tickets can be booked at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (1.877.359.8474). All Main Cabin fares are one-way, based on travel originating from the US, and require a 7-day advance purchase. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT on September 2. For SFO-SJD service, travel must occur between December 16, 2010 and March 16, 2011. For LAX-CUN service, travel must occur between January 19, 2011 and March 16, 2011. For SFO-CUN service, travel must occur between January 20, 2011 and March 16, 2011. For LAX-DFW service, travel must occur between December 1, 2010 and February 15, 2011. For SFO-DFW service, travel must occur between December 6, 2010 and February 15, 2011. For all other service, travel must occur between September 6, 2010 and November 17, 2010.

August 26: British Airways has launched a travel sale with thousands of flights in all cabins and hundreds of holidays on offer. The 20-day sale runs until September 13 and offers discounted flights to more than 100 destinations worldwide as well as hundreds of holidays for various travel departures through to June 30, 2011. For a late summer getaway, hot spots include flights to Dubai, Antigua and Grenada. Those looking for ski breaks head to North America and experience the Rockies with deals on flights to Denver and Vancouver. For short city breaks, British Airways have a wide selection of destinations such as Zurich or Geneva. Travellers wishing to experience British Airway’s Club World beds can check out flights to Cairo, Delhi, New York, Bermuda and Calgary. BA also offers flights to Barbados and Houston that allow customers to take advantage of the luxurious first-class cabin. Destinations closer to the UK include Jersey, Dubrovnik and Salzburg as well as Gothenburg in Sweden, which BA begins serving at the end of November. As well as special offers on flights, British Airways is offering value-for-money holiday packages in a variety of destinations such as a two-night stay at the 3-star Merton Hotel in Jersey which includes return BA flights from Gatwick and accommodation only. Package deals at Sharm El Sheikh’s 3-star Oriental Rivoli also include return BA flights from Gatwick and accommodation only. Book at www.ba.com.

August 19: Delta Air Lines is offering special introductory fares for travel between the United States and Monrovia, Liberia, via Accra, Ghana, as it prepares to begin the new route from Atlanta on September 4. Sample one-way fares to/from Monrovia (based on a round-trip purchase), available immediately but not including taxes, fees, restrictions and baggage charges, include: New York, $639; Washington, D.C., $639; Boston, $669; Cincinnati, $699; Atlanta, $709; Chicago, $709; Houston, $719; Los Angeles, $719; Minneapolis-St. Paul, $719; Salt Lake City, $719; San Francisco, $749; and Seattle, $749. A round-trip purchase is required. Tickets at these discounted rates must be purchased by September 15. Book at www.delta.com.

August 19: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has become a partner of Southwest Airlines’ frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards. Rapid Rewards members now have the option to earn half a  Rapid Rewards credit (0.5 credits) for each eligible stay at one of Starwood’s global hotel brands, including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, and Element. In order to earn credits, Rapid Rewards Members must be enrolled in the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program and select Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards as their earning preference. Additionally, SPG members have the option to transfer SPG Starpoints to Rapid Rewards credits. For every 1,500 Starpoints transferred, members earn one credit. SPG members who transfer at least 20,000 Starpoints get a bonus of an additional three-and-a-half (3.5) credits. To learn more about the partnership, visit www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards/starwood.html.

July 20: To encourage travelers to discover its homeland, South African Airways has teamed up with American Express to introduce a ’2-for-1′ airfare special for travel this fall and winter season. For $1,779, two people can fly from New York JFK or Washington Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa. Travelers must use their American Express cards to purchase the fare, which includes fuel surcharges, and flights must be booked by September 8 for travel between September 13, 2010 and March 31, 2011. To book SAA’s fall and winter deal, travelers should call the South African Airways Call Center at 1-800-722-9675 or visit www.flysaaspecials.com. Taxes for the 2-for-1 fare are approximately $140 per passenger and are additional and a blackout period from December 10, 2010 to January 15, 2011 applies.