Nope, this wasn’t a U.S. airline playing dirty – it was a Danish carrier – but it’s still a good story (courtesy AirlineReporter). Here’s what happened:
Norwegian Air Shuttle was celebrating a new route with an incredible sale – seats were going for just 19-cents each. Except, hardly anyone got those seats.
And that’s because the employees of Norwegian’s competitor – a Danish airline called Sterling – bought most of the tickets. These employees used phony names like Donald Duck to buy literally hundreds of tickets. Climber’s CEO eventually publicly apologized.
But in the meantime, there were ultimately a bunch of cancelations for these cheap flights – perhaps because the fake buyers knew the cancelation process would cost Norwegian time and money, and it did. Other fake buyers simply didn’t bother to show up. Either way, the competition deprived Norwegian of the chance to bond with new customers – which is ultimately what this incredible sale was all about.
In my book, this stinks.
What do women (men, too) want for Valentine’s Day? Forget roses and chocolate* and give the gift of your time. People are so busy these days, that getting away together is a very big deal – but getting together in just the right spot is key.
Where to go? How about the Caribbean? Our “When-to-Fly” Flight Finder for Caribbean destinations shows you all the deals to the best beaches, instantly. I just saw this deal for a cheap flight from New York to the Bahamas for just $229 roundtrip.
Rather be skiing in the Rockies or savoring a charming bed and breakfast in New England? Then visit out “Where-to-Go” GetAway Map – with prices and Twitter – and have a wonderful time.
Tip: If the prices aren’t right for travel on Valentine’s Day or the immediate surrounding dates, there’s no law that says you can’t wait a couple of weeks. Just slip the itinerary in a nice card and give that on the 14th.
* Actually, don’t forget the flowers and candy altogether – these things tend to be expected. A true romantic, however, will kick it up a notch – with travel.
When a lot of people think, “travel to Europe”, they think summertime – but that is the “high season” when everyone wants to go and chances are, prices will not be the greatest.
If you want cheap flights to Europe, a great time to go is now.
Just now, I used our “When-to-Fly” Flight Finder for airfares to “All Cities in Europe” – and look at all the deals in March I came up with:
New York to London, $537 roundtrip total
Chicago to Barcelona, $569 roundtrip total
New York to Dublin, $601 roundtrip total
San Francisco to Paris, $703 roundtrip total
Try our “When-to-Fly” Flight Finder for destinations in the U.S. and world-wide – it is so easy and quick and – well, don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.
The best day to buy cheap airfare is just one of the topics covered in my latest weekly column for ABCNews.com called “10 Things You Should Know to Get the Best Flight Deals”.
I begin the column this way:
“Flying is a pain. We all know that. The insane security demands, those preposterous bag fees. It’s gotten out of control. So the least the airlines can do is let us fly for cheap, right? And many times they do.” -Rick Seaney, ABCNews.com
Best day to buy? Usually Tuesday.
“Airfare sales usually begin with a single airline announcing new deals Monday evening. By Tuesday at lunchtime, the other airlines have matched those prices, meaning Tuesday afternoons are often the best days to buy. This is how it usually works, although sales have been announced on other weekdays.” -Rick Seaney, ABCNews.com
Best time to fly? At dawn or first flight out; at lunch time or the dinner hour; and overnights (red-eyes). More tips in the column.
Yes, it’s war! And it’s a win-win for consumers.
First of, have you seen all the airfare sales out there? Take your pick: American, Frontier, JetBlue, Midwest, Virgin America — and United’s previously announced sales.
You can find flights to Vegas starting at just $39+ one-way as well as money-saving flights to the Caribbean. You must visit our Deals Blog — and often — that’s where we showcase all the sales.
Kind of reminds me of what’s happening on the pizza front — Papa John’s and Pizza Hut are warring on the airwaves, touting their cheap specialty pies. But I don’t think they’re slashing prices quite as much as the airlines are.
To find the best deals of all, for flights, you’ve come to the right place. FareCompare.
Hello, Procrastinators!
It’s not too late after all – there are still relatively cheap tickets available for Thanksgiving and Christmas, if you act now.
Southwest has a last minute Thanksgiving sale (purchase by Nov. 23), and Midwest has extended its Thanksgiving sale (ends Nov. 25).
Plus, United has a winter sale on now that’s not strictly for the holidays (“travel is not permitted between December 18, 2009 and January 4, 2010.”) – but depending on your Christmas plans, you may be able to work around that. Same thing with the “today only” sale from Virgin America.
Now, I have a question: Have you checked in with the FareCompare Deals Blog today? Always a good idea…
Now here’s a holiday gift idea: a trip to Europe for under $600 total – in some cases, under $550 total.
Take a look at these scrumptious possibilities – and these particular flights are in December:
Cheap flight from Detroit to Paris for just $543 roundtrip
Cheap flight from New York to Barcelona, $550 roundtrip
Cheap flight from Cincinnati to Dublin for $570 roundtrip
These fares may not last so get going. Where to find them? Where else but FareCompare’s deal finder for top cities in Europe under $600.
It’s what we do: Cheap Flights Fast.
