Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Flying This Summer? Cheaper Rates This Year

Trying to attract passengers in a recession, airlines are selling tickets much cheaper than a year ago. Fares for travel next month are as much as 63% lower than last summer, according to an analysis by FareCompare.com. At USA TODAY's request, FareCompare analyzed all domestic fares for flights between the hub cities of legacy airlines United, American, Continental, Delta and US Airways. The fares were valid Friday for travel in mid-July with a 14-day advance purchase. The analysis found that the cheapest round-trip coach fares were less expensive this summer for 115 of 136 pairs of cities. In 54 city pairs, the cheapest tickets were at least 25% lower than a year ago. The biggest reduction was the fare between Cleveland and Detroit — down 63% to $244, compared with $657 last July. Other routes on which airfares dropped at least 50% include Houston-Salt Lake City, Dallas-Washington and Detroit-Minneapolis-St. Paul. "The drop in fares for more than 80% of the routes surveyed is certainly welcome news for late-buying summer travelers," FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney says. Read full APP article here.

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