JetBlue offers unlimited travel for $599

by Katie Hammel on

Got a lot of flying to do in September? If so, JetBlue has the deal for you.

Book an All-You-Can-Jet Pass and you can fly anywhere that JetBlue goes, as many times as you want from September 8 to October 8, for one low price. Saint Lucia one week, Seattle the next, all for just $599 (plus taxes for international destinations and Puerto Rico – domestic taxes are covered). Depending on which of JetBlue’s 56 domestic and international destinations your travels will take you to, the Pass could easily earn its price in two or three trips.

But, as ABC News points out, you should compare the cost of buying each trip a la carte versus going with the Pass; if you’ll be flying the cheaper routes, you’d have to fly a whole lot to make the Pass a good deal. Do the math before you commit.

Flights must be booked three days in advance and you may only book one flight per day. There are no blackout dates. If you’ve already bought tickets to fly on JetBlue during the month, you can pay the difference to upgrade to the Pass.

Passes will be on sale through Friday, August 21st “while supplies last”. There’s no word on how many Passes are available, so act fast or you might miss out.

Megabus to sell 50,000 $1 fares

by Katie Hammel on

Megabus, the big blue bus that could, has become synonymous with dirt-cheap fares in the Midwest and on the East Coast. While not always on time, the company has a reputation for offering a better experience than competitors like Greyhound, as there is an assumption that you are more likely to be seated next to a budget traveler or college student than you are, say, a knife-wielding psychopath.

As Megabus’ popularity has grown, it has become harder to snag those elusive $1 fares, which are offered for the first few seats sold on each trip. When I first started taking the bus from Chicago to Detroit back in 2007, I rarely paid more than $10 round-trip, and paying $1 (and once, just 50 cents) each way wasn’t uncommon. But my more recent trips have been as high as $70 round-trip(though still cheaper than flying and faster than taking the train).

But this fall, getting a $1 fare might be easier. Megabus just announced that it will be selling an additional 50,000 fares for the low, low price of $1 each way. Passengers will need to travel between September 14 and November 19 and use the promo code HOTDEAL when booking. The $1 fares do tend to sell out quickly, so book your travel now to get the best price.

United reduces cost of mileage tickets

by Grant Martin on

Amidst all of the increased fees and reduced services plaguing the airlines these days, it’s refreshing to actually see a change that goes the customers’ way. Albeit temporarily, United just reduced the number of frequent flyer miles necessary to book a free ticket on the airline. Reductions range from 20% to almost 30%. Domestic travel, for example, has been reduced from 25K miles to 20K miles, while a ticket from the US to Australia ihas been reduced from 80K to 64K. Europe, on the other hand, which normally costs 50-60K on other airlines costs 44K on United. Not a bad deal.

You can see the price reductions and book directly at United.com for travel between August 18th and November 18th.

Why the sudden generosity? Well, demand is way down this year, and with the end of tourist season bringing further reductions, airlines are going to have a ton of extra space on their airplanes. It’s better to have a seat booked with a fee-paying passenger than an empty seat altogether, right?

Fare alert: New York and Miami to Buenos Aires for $287!

by Grant Martin on

Got any Thanksgiving plans? Short of going back to your Aunt Hillary’s house for another dried out turkey (for dinner,) consider going to the fabulous Argentine capitol of Buenos Aires this year. Mexican carrier Mexicana posted a series of dirt cheap fares to the southern hemisphere this past week, and surprisingly, the fares are still good this Monday morning.

Take a gander over to Kayak to check for available dates. While fares that we’re finding are best around the October & November timeframe, there are plenty of other times that may work as well. And don’t forget to use the “flexible search” function to make sure you find the widest variety of dates.

Keep an eye on those layovers when booking your tickets. All flights connect through Mexico City and many of them have atrocious layovers, so you might have to book a hotel in the city. A small price to pay for dirt cheap tickets to Buenos Aires.

Mexicana also partners with American Airlines on this route, so you can get 100% frequent flyer miles on AA.

Southwest launches massive fare sale

by Grant Martin on

Usually, we at Gadling don’t raise much fuss when an airline puts a few routes on sale. But Southwest really isn’t an airline when it comes to fare pricing. They’re a paradigm. When they drop fares, other airlines usually drop fares. As a result, shockwaves surge through the entire pricing network, travelers like you and I jump on tickets from any variety of carriers and everyone goes home happy. Doesn’t that sound nice?

So here’s the skinny. Southwest’s promotion puts fares on sale from $30 to $60 to $90, depending on distance. Travel is good from September 9th to November 18th for any day of the week except for Friday and Sunday.

Keep an eye out for price matching as well. For example, tickets from Detroit – Boston for $60 one way that may require a layover on Southwest may be the same price on a direct carrier.

The promotion runs through 11:59 tonight, so you’ve got some time to lock your tickets in, call your significant other and pull the trigger. Just don’t wait too long or availability might dry up.

Book your tickets at southwest.com, where the sale is prominently featured.