Winter Fare Cuts Spread to Several More Airlines

More airlines cut fares on Thursday in a growing effort to fill empty seats during the traditionally slow winter months.

The fare reductions, in effect through early March, apply only to about 10% of the airlines’ routes, but they involve densely traveled routes. The move was started by Midway Airlines, which on Tuesday announced one-way fares ranging from $19 to $99 across its 50-city route system within the Continental United States.

United Airlines followed suit on Wednesday, and its cuts were quickly matched in the same markets by Northwest, Delta and Trans World.

Spokesmen for American and Continental airlines said Thursday that those carriers have matched the move.

“We’ve got to be competitive,” said Ed Stewart, a spokesman for American at its headquarters at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

American, the nation’s largest airline, will cut fares to about 40 cities from Chicago. That compares to its total network of around 1,200 markets.

American’s round-trip fares between Los Angeles and New York, for example, will be cut to $278-$318 from $398-$438. Between Boston and Nashville, Tenn., fares will drop to $178-$198 from $238-$278.

The discounts affect flights among New York, Boston and Los Angeles and include other cities in the Continental United States. Arizona, Florida and Nevada are excluded. Travelers must buy their tickets two weeks in advance and meet other requirements to obtain the fares.