Aeromexico’s Fort Lauderdale foray – introductory deal

Once South Florida’s “other airport”, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL) is on a roll, adding flights all over the place. The latest evidence of this is Aeromexico’s planned launch of nonstop Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International to Mexico City (MEX) service from October 6. With the launch comes an introductory round-trip discount airfare of $353.

That price includes neither taxes nor fees, and you’ve got to buy by September 20 to take advantage of the deal. The discount airfare is available for travel from October 6 through December 9.

The scheduling of Aeromexico’s Mexico City service is timed nicely to afford good connections at the capital city’s Benito Juarez International Airport. The flight departs Fort Lauderdale at 7:30am and arrives at Mexico City at 9:55pm. The return flight is also designed to maximize connections. It pushes back from the gate at Mexico City at 6pm, and arrives in Fort Lauderdale at 10pm.

Become an instant elite at Marriott Rewards

We may not like to admit to it, but some of us love the luster of our plastic: silver, gold and, gasp!, platinum.

The idea of getting instant elite starts in a frequent-guest program is a very attractive deal, and through September 30 Marriott (which, by the way, goes completely smokeless in October) is offering Silver Elite Status in its Marriott Rewards program if you successfully apply for a Marriott Rewards Visa Signature Card.

Elite status means that every time you stay at a Marriott-branded hotel you get a 20 percent point bonus. Silver elite also gets you a personal reservations line, priority late check-out privileges, and other perks.

JetBlue to offer six new cities in six weeks

Low-cost airline JetBlue is laying on one new destination city every week from now until October 3.

The first new service, which begins today (Thursday, August 31), will operate between the airline's New York hub at John F. Kennedy International and Nashville International Airport in Tennessee.

The three-times-a-day service will depart from Nashville at 6.15am, 11.15am, and 5.15pm, landing in JFK at 9.25am, 2.30pm, and 8.30 pm, respectively. Return flights will leave New York at 9am, 3.10pm, and 9.15pm, arriving in the Music City at 10.30am, 4.40pm, and 10.45pm.

Continental.com’s great Labor Day getaway deals

Haven’t made your plans yet for Labor Day and in search of an excuse to get away cheap? Here it is. Continental Airlines is fielding discounted seats to a slew of places this weekend, with round-trip rates running as low as $99.

You’ve got to purchase soon, no later than 11:59pm (Central Time) on Friday, September 1. Then, you’ve got to fly out on Saturday, September 2, and return either on Monday, September 4, or Tuesday, September 5. These discount airfares are available only at continental.com, and include neither taxes nor fees.

Fares are nonrefundable, and nonchangeable. Seats, of course, are limited with deals like these. Many of these routes are regional in nature, perfect for visiting friends or relatives. Here’s a small sampling:

- Alexandria, LA (AEX) to Houston (IAH) $99
- Baton Rouge (BTR) to Houston $99
- Cleveland (CLE) to Columbus, OH (CMH) $99
- Cleveland to Grand Rapids (GRR) $99
- Cleveland (CLE) to Louisville (SDF) $99
- Cleveland to Toronto (YYZ) $106
- Hartford (BDL) to New York/Newark (EWR) $99
- New York/Newark to Manchester, NH (MHT) $99

Newport News/Williamsburg on the grow

Travelers love alternative airports, places that are convenient, but far less hurried. One of those airports is Newport News/Williamsburg (PHF), the smallish aerodrome near the Chesapeake Bay.

Now, there is word that discount airline AirTran Airways is about to boost the airport’s prospects further by launching once-daily nonstop service from PHF to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) on November 7. A Boeing 717 twinjet will make the trip down the East Coast.

AirTran already fields flights from Newport News/Williamsburg to four destinations: Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), New York LaGuardia (LGA), and Orlando (MCO). That makes the discount airline the airport’s dominant carrier, both in terms of fares and routes.

Sun Country switches terminals at JFK

A significant shift for discount airline Sun Country at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), should make things easier for travelers. The carrier is moving from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4.

Terminal 4 is spacious, sports an array of shops and restaurants and, this is key, is Kennedy’s only privately owned passenger facility. That means competition among vendors (such as ground handlers) helps keep costs down and service levels up. It’s amazing what a bit of competition can do.

Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Sun Country continues to fly under travelers’ radar screens. It shouldn’t. Travel+Leisure ranks the discount airline number three among domestic airlines in its 2006 World’s Best Awards.

Fly cheap from Flint: AirTran’s quick-hit deals

Live in the northern reaches of the Detroit area? There’s an alternative to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW). It’s Flint (FNT). To underscore the point, discount airline AirTran Airways is offering sizzling late summer discount airfares from the smallish Michigan airport with one-way rates starting as low as $74.

To take advantage of this deal you’ll have to buy by September 1, and then travel through December 18. All the discount airfares we’re about to quote are from Flint’s Bishop International Airport; good for travel Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, and do not require a round-trip purchase or Saturday- night stay. You will, however, have to purchase seven days in advance, and neither taxes nor fees are included. Higher discount airfares apply to Friday and Sunday flights. Those are traditionally the heaviest travel days of the week.

Here’s a sampling off the kinds of savings you can land. But remember, book by tomorrow (Friday, September 1):

- Atlanta (ATL) $74
- Baltimore/Washington (BWI) $79
- Boston (BOS) $99
- Denver (DEN) $129
- Jacksonville (JAX) $79

Alaska, Horizon celebrate 25 years with fare sale

To mark the 25th anniversary of the launch of Alaska Airlines’ partner Horizon Air, the two carriers have unveiled a fare sale on some of their most popular routes.

One-way fares starting at $49, excluding taxes and charges, will be on offer for travel this fall. To qualify, passengers need to purchase tickets by September 7 and complete travel by December 14. Blackout dates apply around the Thanksgiving holidays.

Some sample fares include travel from Seattle to Boise for $49; $79 for a ticket between Portland and Oakland; and $149 for a flight from San Francisco to Los Cabos in Mexico.

Tri-State trip to Orlando

Allegiant Air has announced that it will launch a new service from Orlando, Florida, to Huntingdon, West Virginia, on November 3.

The new route will fly twice a week from Allegiant's second major hub at Sanford International Airport in Florida to Huntingdon's Tri-State Airport, using the 150-seat MD-80 jet aircraft that are fast becoming synonymous with the vacation airline.

Service will be on Tuesdays and Fridays, with flights departing Huntingdon at 12.10pm and arriving in Orlando at 2pm. The return flights will depart the Florida vacation spot at 9.45am before touching down at the West Virginian hub at 11.35am.

John causes Mexico schedule changes

As the hurricane season gets into full swing in the Gulf, more airlines have announced fee waivers as a result of inclement weather in the region.

After Hurricane Ernesto roared through Florida earlier this week, it is now the turn of Hurricane John to disrupt passengers' plans at several Mexican resorts.

United Airlines, which flies to Cabo/Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan, has decided to waive change fees and minimum/maximum-stay requirements and blackout-date restrictions on several flights.