These days, a plane ticket can cost less than a stay at the Motel 6.
A number of airlines are offering one-way flights for less than $30. Frontier has offered $19 fares consistently recently: On Feb. 2, it was offering one-way between cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Colorado Springs, and Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia for $19, as well as flights from Atlanta to Pittsburgh and Atlanta to Washington, DC, for $29. Allegiant also frequently has flights less than $40. On Feb. 2, it had flights for $40 or less to a number of locales, including Las Vegas to Grand Junction, Colo., Fresno, Calif., and Bozeman, Mont.; Washington, DC, to Savannah, Ga., and Orlando to Concord, NC.
Also on Feb. 2, Spirit had a 30 percent off promo code (enter 30PCT), which could bring some fares (some of which are already $49) down even lower. Earlier this year, it had a number of fares for $23, and frequently offers sales and deals that price flights at $40 or less. And on Feb. 2, JetBlue announced a sale for $29 (fares include government taxes and fees) to dozens of cities. And this wasn’t the first time it had offered a super-low one-day sale: On Halloween last year, it offered flights for $31.
Yes, there are catches — a lot of them. Frontier’s extra-low fares are sometimes valid for travel on Tuesday and Wednesday only and there are sometimes blackout dates; at times you also have to be a member of its discount club, which costs $49.99 per year. Allegiant’s extra-low fares are typically only available on certain days.
Spirit’s 30 percent off deal, which you needed to book Tuesday, Feb. 2, was valid only for travel between Feb. 9 and 25 or on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between March 1 and May 25, and applies only to fares that are $49 and up. Other Spirit deals typically have other catches too, like needing to fly on a certain day(s). JetBlue’s recent deal is the most restrictive: You had to book on Feb. 2, and travel on Feb. 29. Plus, no matter the airline, these base fares typically don’t include taxes and fees.
Of course, many of you won’t be able to take advantage of these deals, thanks to the restrictions. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get low fares going forward. Airline research website Hopper.com predicts that airfare booked in February (though not as low as it was in January) is still quite low (at around $215 per round-trip ticket, compared to $210 in January, which was the lowest it had been in years).
Experts say these super-low fares are due to a number of factors, including low fuel prices (in December, jet fuel was priced about $1 a gallon, the lowest since 2004), increased competition and the fact that airlines are increasingly offering super-low base fares and then making up for that with fees. The fees, if you’re not careful, can easily add $50 or more to your ticket price; check the airline website to look at the fees you might be charged.