Airlines Promote Fare Sales

After months of warnings that holiday travel will be more expensive with the capacity cuts and fare increases established all year, airline are now cutting many fares for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, according to FareComopare.com CEO Rick Seaney. The failing economy was cited by such web sites as Seaney’s and Bestfares.com. What makes this year different is how early the holiday fares are happening. Seaney said they typically come the last two weeks before the big holidays, adding Northwest led the pack last Tuesday with a holiday fare sale which was matched by most other carriers. Bestfares.com Tom Parson indicated holiday deals are still to be had by shopping around and using alternative airports. However, having anticipated fare sales, Parsons said that when it finally came he was disappointed because they were 25 percent off and must be purchased 21 or 30 days out. Naturally, the biggest bargains are on routes where mainlines compete with low-fare carriers. They also still include blackout dates November 30, December 1 and December 20.