Airfare sales: L.A. to East Coast for less than $300 round-trip

JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran launched airfare sales Tuesday for travel to a variety of destinations near and far. Here are sample prices I like from L.A. to the East Coast -- but they don’t last long.

JetBlue [(800) 538-2583]: $149 each way excluding tax from Los Angeles or Long Beach to New York and Boston.

When: Reserve by 11:59 p.m. PDT Wednesday for travel Oct. 25 through Dec. 15 (with blackout dates).

Tested: I found availability for flights from L.A. (LAX) to New York (JFK) for $149 each way leaving Nov. 8 and returning Nov. 15. Total cost with taxes: $319.

Southwest [(800) 435-9792]: $125 each way excluding tax from Los Angeles to Baltimore and Long Island, N.Y.

When: Reserve by 11: 59 p.m. PDT Thursday for travel Nov. 30 through Dec. 14 and Jan. 4 through Feb. 15 (with blackout dates).

Tested: I found availability for flights from L.A. (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington (BWI) for $125 each way leaving Nov. 30 and returning Dec. 7. Total cost with taxes: $291.

Tip: Check out a similar sale at AirTran [(800) 247-8726], owned by Southwest, featuring $125 fares each way excluding tax from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Boston and New York City.