Airlines Offer Fare Deals to Push Travel

U.S. airlines Monday announced fare sales aimed at encouraging cross-country travel to sunny climes or Washington, or short hops to New York, with incentives to buy tickets online.

“I think [airlines] are filling in some gaps,” said Terry Trippler, an airline expert and consultant at Trippler & Associates. “These aren’t clearance, everything-must-go kinds of sales.”

The airlines had braced for expected delays from increased security over the busy Thanksgiving holiday, but few problems arose.

On Monday, US Airways Group Inc., parent of US Airways, offered round trips from $198 between Eastern and Western U.S. cities.

Tickets must be bought by midnight Friday through the airline’s Web site. Round trips require seven-days advance purchase.Travel must be completed by March 14.

America West Airlines said it offered fares such as $149 each way from Los Angeles to Reagan National Airport outside Washington to encourage travel to the capital.

Round-trip tickets must be bought on the Web by Dec. 2 for travel from Dec. 3 through Feb. 14. The fares require seven-day advance purchase and a Saturday night stay.

JetBlue offered fare deals from cities in upstate New York to John F. Kennedy International Airport to lure shoppers to New York City.

Frontier Airlines set fares as low as $59 each way from Denver to Albuquerque for round-trip tickets purchased by phone or through the airline’s Web site by Tuesday for travel from Jan. 8 to Feb. 13.

National Airlines offered fares as low as $39 each way between Los Angeles and Las Vegas for travel by March 27.