Net air fare--$100 coast-to-coast, round trip
Several airlines suspended their weekend special e-fares after the terrorist attacks two weeks ago, cutting off one of the cheapest, easiest ways to book last-minute travel. This week, many airlines including United and US Airways brought the fares back to their sites. United sent an e-mail to select customers saying it would offer e-fares on its site, but it still wasn't sending e-mail alerts as it had in the past.
Although airline representatives declined to say why they removed the e-fares, analysts said it was likely because the carriers thought it would be inappropriate to push promotions in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon. But the airlines still gave those seats to online discount outfits, such as Hotwire and Priceline.com, making them the only place online to find last-minute flights.
Las Vegas-based National Airlines is promoting fares on its Web site, with some restrictions, through a program called "Get America Flying." Some of the fares include a price of $75 to fly round-trip between Newark, N.J, and Las Vegas, and between Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as a fare of $100 to fly between Miami and San Francisco.
Southwest Airlines is offering $60 round-trip fares between Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif., and one-way fares for almost all the cities it flies to for between $34 and $89. Hotwire is advertising round-trip fares between San Francisco and Atlanta for $181, and between San Francisco and Paris for $422. --Greg Sandoval, Special to ZDNet News