- With the coronavirus pandemic situation starting to improve somewhat, air carriers like Southwest Airlines are back to offering the fare sales that promise cheap flights to a variety of different locales.
- Travel is still nowhere close to its pre-2020 levels, something that is crushing most every airline right now as they try to lure fliers back to the friendly skies.
- Here are the details of the latest fare sales from Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines.
There’s a travel-related Facebook group I’m a member of, which has become essentially a hub where people can ask fellow travelers all kinds of coronavirus-related questions and get advice about upcoming trips. Early Tuesday morning, for example, one member of the group submitted a post explaining to everyone that this person has booked a trip from the US to London for March of 2021. “Do we think the borders will be open by then?” the post reads. “Am I nuts?”
What a post like this is evidence of is the fact that air travel is ever so slowly (but surely) starting to pick back up again. People are tired of having been cooped up at home for months, we’re learning how to live with the coronavirus safely, and we want to get back to our lives. Airlines, of course, are only too happy to accommodate this resurgence of interest, which they’re doing with the fare sales offering cheap flights that are starting to be touted again now that things are looking at least a little bit better as far as the coronavirus pandemic goes.
Don’t misunderstand — these fare sales shouldn’t be regarded as some kind of incontrovertible proof that things are fine and that you shouldn’t give travel a second thought right now. Granted, more and more research seems to indicate that flying during the health crisis might be safer than most people thought, especially when you consider the safety measures that airlines employ such as face mask mandates. But it’s perhaps wisest to take these fare sale details to heart only if you needed to travel anyway, rather than using them as an excuse to vacation.
Speaking of the details, Southwest Airlines on Tuesday launched a three-day fare sale with flights starting at just $39. You can learn more about the sale at www.southwest.com, but among the details you need to know:
- This sale ends on August 27 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
- You have to buy your tickets at least 14 days in advance, and they’re nonrefundable. Also, seats, travel days, and markets are limited.
- Continental US travel is valid from September 8, 2020, through February 10, 2021. Continental US travel to/from Hawaii is valid from November 1 through April 8, 2021, and inter-island Hawaii travel is valid from September 8 through April 8, 2021.
- San Juan, Puerto Rico, travel is valid from September 8 through December 3, 2020, and from January 11, 2021, through March 4, 2021. International travel is valid from September 8 through December 9, 2020, and from January 11 through March 4, 2021.
Frontier Airlines, meanwhile, also has a fare sale going on right now to be aware of.
It’s currently touting a sale that involves being able to take 100% off a base fare price. That sale only applies to the base price, however, and not to the associated taxes or fees. Visit www.flyfrontier.com to learn more, including which markets this applies to.
Note: This sale expires much quicker than Southwest’s. Fliers only have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 26 in order to buy their tickets.
As part of this sale, a 100% discount toward your base fare will be applied for travel happening any day of the week except on a Friday through Feb. 3, 2021. However, the following blackout dates apply: September 7-8, 2020; November 19, 2020 — December 1, 2020; December 16, 2020 — January 4, 2021; and January 14-18, 2021.
