The Cheap Flights Weekly Roundup

There was at least one new route or deal from almost all the major airlines this week. In addition, there are some special extras up for grabs for members, or prospective members, of some of the biggest frequent-flier programs around.

Airline Sales and Deals

Alaska announces new sale Alaska Airlines has launched its perennially popular Permanent-Fund-Dividend sale, which offers savings of up to 25 percent on travel.

Make plans - Midwest's great group savings If you live in or around Kansas City, get a bunch of friends or family members together and cash in on some deep discount airfares, starting as low as $100 round-trip on Midwest Airlines.

Heartland deal – Mesa puts Joplin on sale Mesa Airlines is putting seats to America's heartland on sale, specifically those from Dallas/Fort Worth to Joplin, Missouri. The discount airfare: $148, round-trip.

Penchant for Puerto Rico? United’s got a deal for you

Perennially popular Puerto Rico is the target of United Airlines' latest fare sale. Take the chill from your bones, and hop a southbound United jet to a place where the annual temperature averages 80 degrees. Scuba diving, golf, just hanging out on the beach. It’s all there and for a discount airfare of as low as $109.

The great thing about United’s Puerto Rican pricing is that no advance purchase is required, and you can travel on any day of the week. The discount airfares we’re about to quote to San Juan (SJU) are one-way, and don’t carry a round-trip purchase proviso. That gives you a lot of flexibility as to return time. These discount airfares, however, do not include taxes and fees. They’re going to be extra. One more thing: you’ll have to complete travel by December 13. Consider these sample savings to San Juan:

- Boston (BOS) $109
- Buffalo (BUF) $114
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD) $114

In-flight cell phones, will they fly?

Hard on the heels of word that Qantas will soon be testing in-flight cell phone service (using passengers’ personal phones) there’s a report out that suggests that the set-up might not be profitable for airlines.

Telecom, Media and Finance Associates, Inc. (TMF Associates) says there’s a lesson to be learned from the phase out of Connexion, Boeing’s in-flight Internet service. Tim Farrar is the guy who authored the TMF report. He says: “A key lesson from the failure of the Connexion-by-Boeing system was that low usage, leading to insufficient revenue per equipped aircraft, results in airlines having to subsidize the cost of the equipment.”

These days, airlines are cutting virtually everything that doesn’t contribute to the bottom line. If the report’s conclusions are true, that could make in-flight cell phones an iffy proposition.

Syracuse sensation: US slashes fares by up to 64%

There’s no fare sale like the structural kind, the kind woven into the fabric of a city itself. All of a sudden air traffic to the place takes off, as more folks start to fly instead of drive. Southwest Airlines all but invented the practice years ago. The result is the “Southwest effect”. Now, other carriers are picking up on it too and picking up more passengers in the process.

Which brings us to Syracuse (SYR), US Airways just dropped airfares to the central New York city by as much as 64 percent. The move follows other structural fare cuts by US (the carrier’s airline code) in Huntsville, AL (HSV), and Greensboro, NC (GSO).

In addition to cutting last-minute walk-up rates by as much as 64 percent, US Airways has also lowered leisure fares to and from 30 markets out of SYR by as much as 56 percent. Moreover, the carrier cut out the unpopular Saturday-night stay requirement systemwide.

Continental’s in-demand weekend deals

The final weekend of September is upon us, time to savor what’s left of summer’s afterglow, before autumn’s temperatures fall further. Continental Airlines can help you do precisely that, with round-trip discount airfares starting at $99. These price points are perfect for visiting friends and family on short notice. They get you off the road, and allow you more time with people who count.

To take advantage of these low rates, you’ll have to purchase by 11:59pm (Central Time) tonight, Friday, September 29. Then, fly out on Saturday, September 30, and return either Monday, October 2, or Tuesday, October 3. Neither taxes nor fees are included in the round-trip discount airfares we’re about to quote.

What you’ll notice right away is that these discounts are good to and from Continental Airlines’ three hub airports: Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH), Newark Liberty International (EWR), and Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE).

JetBlue launches Tucson service

JetBlue Airways' newest domestic route between its New York City hub at John F. Kennedy International and Tucson, Arizona, has taken flight for the first time.

Tucson is the oldest city in the Grand Canyon State, nicknamed "The Old Pueblo", and it becomes the second Arizonan city to accept flights from JetBlue, in addition to the state capital, Phoenix.

Flights from New York to Tucson are nonstop and depart daily from New York-JFK at 8pm, landing in Tucson at 10.30pm. The return leg is an overnight flight, leaving Arizona at 11.30pm and touching down in the north-east at 7.15am. All times quoted are local to the destination.

Allegiant unveils new Virginia to Tampa route

A new nonstop flight between Roanoke Regional Airport, Virginia, and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Tampa Bay, Florida, has been announced by Allegiant Air.

The self-proclaimed "Vacation Airline" will introduce the getaway flights on December 12, safe in the knowledge that temperatures in Virginia will be dropping during the winter, which it hopes will encourage residents to book travel to sunnier climes.

Allegiant's new jet service will operate twice-weekly on Tuesday and Saturday. Flights from Roanoke will depart at 8.25pm, landing in Tampa at 10.25pm. The return leg is scheduled to leave Tampa at 5.55pm, arriving back in Virginia at 7.50pm.

Nonstops are neat: SAA files DC to Johannesburg

Nonstops are neat. They save time, and present fewer opportunities for things to run awry.

South African Airways is rendering its Washington Dulles (IAD) to Johannesburg (JNB) flight a nonstop affair beginning October 30. Until now SAA has been setting down at Dakar (DKR) for a refueling stop.

The net result of the move for fliers is more than two-and-a-half precious hours shaved off the trip. That makes a real difference in such a long transatlantic sojourn. More time on the ground translates into more time to see the sights, perhaps getting to that special safari lodge in time for the afternoon game drive instead of arriving dog-tired late in the day and ready for bed.

Delta to establish new Africa link

Delta Air Lines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with South African carrier Nationwide Airlines to pursue the possibility of inter-airline codesharing.

Any deal struck between the two carriers would allow Delta SkyMiles members to accrue and redeem miles on Nationwide flights to, from, or through its many airports, including its central hub in Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo International Airport.

Destinations including Cape Town, Durban, and other major cities throughout the African continent could also be part of the deal, which will see both airlines' codes used on the Delta direct service to Johannesburg from its main Atlanta hub, beginning later this year.

AirTran gives Chicagoans winter weather cheer

A new seasonal winter service between Chicago Midway and Fort Myers in Florida has been unveiled by AirTran Airways this week.

Effective from December 21 through April 16 next year, the airline will fly daily between the two destinations, hoping to entice Chicagoans looking to escape the infamous gusty and cold conditions that plague the Midwest city every winter.

Flights to Fort Myers will leave Chicago's second airport at 12.11pm, touching down in sunny Florida at 3.46pm. Return flights will depart Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport at 4.21pm, arriving back in the Midwest at 6.06pm. All times are local.