Programs That Make the Most of the Weekends : Getaways: Travelers who can fly on relatively short notice can get good discounts on three- to five-day packages to domestic destinations.

Weekend travel programs, usually to domestic destinations, can provide worthwhile discounts and other perks. Currently, two such programs--both including Los Angeles as a point of departure--are available through TWA and American Express.

TWA filed for bankruptcy Jan. 31, but the TWA Travel Club will not be affected by the Chapter 11 development, according to a company spokesman. In addition, the spokesman added, all TWA schedules remain in place and all tickets will be honored. However, consumers are always wise to make as many of their travel purchases as possible with credit cards so that they can deal directly with the credit card company to recover any money spent on unprovided services in case a company goes out of business.

Typically, both the TWA and American Express weekend travel programs encompass three- to five-day jaunts. The packages, generally made available only a couple of weeks before departure, require flexibility in planning. But members can book close to departure time, without any advance-purchase restrictions on their air fares.

Reduced air fare is the major attraction of the programs, with substantial discounts offered. TWA’s prices can be as much as 40% below the lowest published “supersaver” fares, according to Michael B. McCool, program director of the TWA Travel Club. However, travelers should find out if they get to fly nonstop or need to make a connection in, say, St. Louis, a major TWA hub. The program newsletter doesn’t provide this information.

Flights are usually in coach class. Discounts on land arrangements, such as hotels and car rentals, tend to be less than the breaks on air prices. It’s always worthwhile comparing the weekend travel program rates with the frequent special promotions advertised by airlines, hotels and car rental companies. Consolidators also may have low-price fares available.

Thus, it may pay, in some cases, to arrange your air fare through the weekend program and buy land arrangements on your own, or vice versa.

Joining a weekend travel program means paying an annual fee. For the TWA Travel Club, it’s $49.95 for an individual membership, about $94.95 for a companion membership. Children 12 through 17 cost $29.95 each, while kids under 12 receive free membership.

A certificate worth $50 off the price of any weekend trip is given as an enrollment bonus. In addition, guests can join members on a trip for an additional $25. Unused round-trip air tickets are fully refundable.

So the program doesn’t represent a huge financial risk. In addition, TWA will refund the enrollment fee if members don’t take a trip during their first three months of membership.

Holding an American Express charge card is necessary to join that company’s “Express Weekends” travel program. The annual cost of membership is $75 per person, or $135 for two. With either kind of membership, guests can travel with members for $35 per person, as long as they travel as a group. Children under 17 can travel free. There is a 25% cancellation fee on flights not taken, but no charge for canceling hotel or car rental bookings.

“This type of club is good for people who like to travel frequently and have the flexibility to travel on short notice,” McCool said. “Many travelers use the trips to visit friends and relatives.”

TWA began its Travel Club in March, 1989 (two months after American Express began its program), with trips departing from nine cities, including Los Angeles. It now offers the program from 11 cities--Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Washington, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Members receive biweekly newsletters targeted for departures from their city. The newsletters contain two groups of trips--one that leaves two weeks from the time the newsletter is received, the other that targets trips three weeks away, both on the airline’s domestic route system. Reservations can be made at any time. Over the course of a year, most of TWA’s domestic destinations will be covered on the weekend programs, McCool said.

“It’s really more than a weekend program now, since we expanded the number of travel days last October,” McCool added. “Members can now depart from Wednesday through Saturday and return from Sunday through Wednesday. But most people leave on Friday and come back on Sunday.”

The TWA Travel Club’s mid-January newsletter sent to Los Angeles members showed trips available in two weeks to Honolulu; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Houston, Hartford, Conn.; Syracuse, N.Y., and Cleveland. Trips three weeks away were available to San Francisco, Miami, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Detroit. Tulsa was available for both periods.

Savings on air fares were considerable: the round-trip fare offered members to Houston was $270 compared to TWA’s lowest published fare of $559; to San Francisco, $66 compared to $110, and to Philadelphia, $299 versus $498.

Special rates are also offered to overseas destinations. TWA serves such cities as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Cairo and Tel Aviv. The program also offers lower rates on flights for selected other airlines, such as Korean Air and Ladeco, the Chilean carrier. “Some land packages are also offered to foreign destinations, with the price always less than what the consumer would otherwise pay,” McCool said.

In addition to Los Angeles, the American Express “Express Weekends” program offers departures from San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington. As with the TWA Travel Club, “Express Weekends” members receive a biweekly newsletter, with offerings for weekend trips leaving in two weeks. Each newsletter usually offers 10 to 15 two- to five-night trips to various North American destinations. Trips to Europe may be available from some East Coast cities. Some offerings are repeated from newsletter to newsletter. Departures are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with returns Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

American Express is currently using flights on USAir, Continental, Air Canada, MGM Grand Air and Northwest. Some flights involve connections. The air fare tends to be discounted 20% to 50% off the least-expensive excursion fare. “Discounts for hotels and car rentals would probably be less than the air fare, but still substantial,” said American Express spokesman Marcos Rada.

“Express Weekends” trips from Los Angeles for a recent weekend included flights to Ft. Lauderdale/Pompano Beach, Fla.; San Francisco/Carmel; Denver/Breckenridge; Boston; Philadelphia; New York; Seattle; Chicago; St. Louis; Honolulu; Seattle, and Park City, Utah.

Another offering was a two- to five-night trip to Cancun, Mexico, with round-trip air fare from Los Angeles set at $279 on Continental. Continental quoted a lowest fare of $465 round trip on this route, based on a three-day advance purchase and midweek departure. The American Express newsletter doesn’t indicate that there is a connection in Houston en route to Cancun.

In addition, similar to TWA’s program, full refunds on the “Express Weekends” membership fee is available for the first four months, regardless of whether any trips are taken. A refund of half the fee is available during the fifth month of membership, 25% during the sixth month.

Contact American Express at (800) 421-8758 and TWA at (800) 872-8364.