- If you’re a traveler who doesn’t mind the risk of exposure to coronavirus, or maybe you’re trying to rush home to conclude your travel or you need to fly the friendly skies for any other reason, airlines are desperate for your business right now. Moreover, many of them are running incredible deals at the moment.
- JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines are among the carriers slashing prices on fares right now, as the travel industry struggles to deal with the slump in demand over coronavirus fears.
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In the wake of President Trump’s Oval Office address Wednesday night announcing a travel ban from Europe that goes into effect on Friday at midnight, you’d be forgiven for assuming that everyone is hunkering down right now and people are too skittish to travel because of the coronavirus spread.
Regarding Trump’s address specifically, the US is preparing to implement a ban on travel from Europe to the US by foreign nationals. In general, the travel industry is getting hit particularly hard at the moment as a result of people too scared to travel for fear of picking up the virus. However, there may still be plenty of you who want to travel or who might need to — say, in order to rush home. That said, several major airlines have slashed prices to the bone right now, such that cheap flights are particularly abundant at the moment from carriers like Southwest, JetBlue, and Frontier.
JetBlue
JetBlue has actually extended a flash sale that was supposed to expire Wednesday night for one more day (you’ve now got until the end of the day today, Thursday). Flights are as low as $39 one-way, and you can learn more at JetBlue’s deal page here.
According to the terms of the sale, you’ve got to book your flight by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time tonight. The sale covers travel that will happen from March 18 through June 18, and there are several blackout dates to be aware of (April 8 through April 23 and May 21 through May 25). It’s only the lowest available fare (Blue Basic, otherwise Blue) that’s on sale, and there are different or additional day-of-week restrictions, travel windows, and blackout dates that may apply and vary by route.
Southwest
Southwest Airlines, meanwhile, is likewise running a big sale that expires tonight — at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. With this one, you can find fares as low as $49 one-way, and the sale page to check out more details is available here. The highlights to know:
You’ve got to book your flight at least 14 days in advance, and fares are nonrefundable. Continental US travel is valid from March 24 through June 6, while inter-island Hawaii travel is valid from March 31 through May 20. Travel to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is valid April 14 through May 14, 2020, and international travel is valid April 14 through May 14.
Frontier
Frontier Airlines is another that’s trying to woo flyers especially hard, and one way it’s doing so is by waiving change/cancel fees for new bookings through the end of this month.
If you head to Frontier’s website today, you should be greeted with a prompt alerting you that 2 million seats are on sale right now, with prices slashed to as much as 90% off. The deadline to buy tickets is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 16, and this sale will only allow you to travel through April 22 on either a Saturday or anytime between a Monday through a Thursday. You’ve got to book your travel at least three days in advance, and the following blackout dates apply: April 2, 4, and 11.
The 90% discount applies to the base fare only, not to fees or taxes, and requires purchase at FlyFrontier.com using the promo code SAVE90.
