People are getting it.

In Rob Lovitt’s column called “Dollar-saving strategies for summer travel” for MSNBC, he points out that following individual airlines on Twitter to learn about their latest deals would “be a time-suck of epic proportion”.

His advice? Cut to the chase.

“[FareCompare] recently launched individual Twitter accounts for 100 cities, so you can cut to the chase via city-specific posts like: $219r/t Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale down 8%, [http://bit.ly/1HMxT] #LAX #fare. Just don’t blink.” -Rob Lovitt, MSNBC July 1, 2009

By “just don’t blink” he means these fares go fast. Sometimes they disappear in a matter of minutes. So sign up now to follow your home airport, and get in on the best deals available.

NOTE: We now have individual accounts for more than 170 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Yes, our alerts - in email and on Twitter really do work. So get going! Here’s why:

You may recall that I spotted that “second airfare hike of the year” just this week and a lot of publications have been talking about it. I think my “money quote” on airfare prices bears repeating:

“I think for the consumer, it’s as good as we’re going to get right now.” -Rick Seaney in the Wall St. Journal, 6-25-09

And as I’ve been telling you, there are a couple of ways to get great deals first - by following FareCompare deals from your airport on Twitter - or by signing up for FareCompare’s real-time email alerts.

Does it really work? Yes, it does. I just now got this nice note from a very satisfied customer:

“Rick, I have been watching flights to Hawaii out of Dallas all year. I had given up all hope to go when I received an email update on Wednesday for the “fire sale.” Thanks to your service my family of four, and the in-laws will be enjoying a week in Hawaii to see my brother-in-law. You offer an unbelievable service!!” - FareCompare email alert user, 6-26-09

You asked for it - you got it! Two great new tools to make vacation airfare shopping a snap.

1. Cheap Deals to Hawaii: Take a look at our new “Cheap Deals to Hawaii” page, where you can see the best available deals, for any month you like - from any airport. We gathered all the great deals to this favorite destination-which includes all the best-loved islands - by popular demand!

2. FareCompare’s Deal Finder: We’ve made significant improvements to this tool that so many of you have been raving about.

If you’re not familiar with Deal Finder, it’s perfect for people who know what they want to do on vacation - say, lie by a beach - they just aren’t sure precisely where to do it.

The new, improved Deal Finder now helps you find cheap flights to destinations by category - for example, you may want to see the best deals for Top Family-Friendly Destinations, or find Deals to Beaches, or perhaps Deals to Casinos and Nightlife. We also offer Deals to Golfing, Resorts and Spas - plus Deals to Family Fun Destinations - and even the Great Outdoors.

Deal Finder still includes all those other popular choices, including Deals to Top Cities in Europe, North America, Asia, Mexico and so much more. Try it - you’ll love it.

About a month ago, Southwest Airlines announced its intention to start service in Milwaukee — and, today, it opened up ticket sales to over 50 destinations via six non-stop routes:

• Baltimore [3 daily]
• Kansas City [3 daily]
• Las Vegas [2 daily]
• Orlando [2 daily]
• Phoenix [1 daily]
• Tampa [1 daily]

Ticket sale start today for departures beginning November 1^st as Southwest extends its schedule through the 8th of January.

DEALS: These six new non-stop destination cities are going to enjoy introductory pricing of $35 one-way for departures in the first few weeks of November, purchased next 4 days ($49-$99 range after), while almost half the new Southwest destinations (21 of them) are priced at $100 one-way or less.

COMPETITION: Right now, the dominant carriers in Milwaukee are Midwest Airlines with 90 daily departures, and AirTran with 34 daily departures - and it appears that both these airlines are going to have to gear up for an airfare war - especially on some of the key non-stop routes.

For example, Midwest has six daily non-stops to Kansas City with a cheapest price of $104 one-way and two daily non-stops to Las Vegas at $109 one-way, and to Phoenix for $119 one-way. These prices are likely to come down sharply, in short order.

AIRFARE WAR: AirTran has already begun a preemptive strike - yesterday, it fired out $49 one-way airfares from Milwaukee to Baltimore and $65 one-way fares to Orlando - both of those cities are served with three daily non-stops.

A quick check of the more expensive business-oriented refundable airfares from Southwest on these new routes shows that AirTran is not competitive on walkup refundable pricing.

FEES: Adding more complexity to this rock bottom pricing is the fact that while Southwest does not charge a fee to check a 1st or 2nd bag, both AirTran and Midwest charge $15 each way for a 1^st checked bag and $25/$20 respectively for a 2^nd checked bag - plus, they do not compete favorably on several other fees, including phone reservations.

I will be closely watching the Milwaukee-Baltimore route - as this route is likely to have excess capacity - and it should be interesting to see who blinks first - Southwest or AirTran.

Father’s Day is June 21. Forget the tie - give Dad a trip to remember!

And you can go too.

Check out these 4 fun destinations -click for tips on where to go & what to see.

• California - San Francisco, sun & surf, hiking and Hollywood
• Florida - South Beach scene, Everglades and Mickey, too
• Michigan -Great outdoors, Great Lakes and Great Motown sound
• Australia - See the Outback, the Opera House, the Great Coral Reef

And yes, we have airfare sales, too. Some examples:

• Phoenix to Los Angeles, California $99 roundtrip total
• Kansas City to Tampa, Florida $139 roundtrip total
• Washington, DC to Detroit, Michigan $119 roundtrip total
• Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia $690 roundtrip total

Find the flight you want with FareCompare’s Deal Finder - one-click and you’re there.

How’s this for a deal?

SPECIAL OFFER: Virgin Atlantic 24-hr Birthday Sale! Fly Newark-London from $195+

Click here for all the details. And hurry - the clock IS ticking!

This just in: You can now get real-time Tweets from FareCompare — telling you about the deals you want — deals specifically geared to your home airport!

Why is this a big deal?

Well, you want to find cheap flights from your airport, right? You want to save time and money, right? This is how you do it - because this is how you hear INSTANTLY about the latest deals - that matter to you.

And, oh is it easy.

Just click here to go to the FareCompare Twitter page - choose your airport, click on “follow” and you’re ready to receive the latest deals.

For example, if Los Angeles is home, you’ll start receiving deals and more from @flyfromLAX, and if Philadelphia is where you hang your hat, you’ll be following @flyfromPHL.

The deals you want come directly to you, in real-time.

Now some of you may be thinking, what do I know from Twitter? Relax. It’s just a tool - a new communication device - that’s really very simple. Do you have a Blackberry or a computer? You’re good to go. Hey - if I can do this - anyone can. Now, get going - and start raking in those great FareCompare deals!

Deals to Europe are coming fast and furiously - and they are incredibly cheap!

For example:

• Philadelphia to Madrid in August, $209 roundtrip total

Now compare it to the cheapest flight I could find across the U.S. that month:

• New York to Los Angeles in August, $239 roundtrip total

See what I mean? The flight to Europe is cheaper!

Here are some more examples:

• New York to Madrid in July, $310 roundtrip total
• New York to Paris in October, $316 roundtrip total
• Pittsburgh to Geneva in August, $316 roundtrip total

Act fast - these deals will not last.

Now you know why I tell you to sign up for our real-time email alerts - or follow us on Twitter.

Last night, Continental fired out a huge number of weekend deals - good for this weekend, and the next.

And the other airlines are joining in.

These are great deals - example: this cheap flight from Houston to New York for just $139 total roundtrip.

Again, these are weekend deals, mostly good for Saturday departures and Monday/Tuesday returns - and we’re seeing these deals out of Cleveland, Houston (George Bush) and Newark (greater New York).

Looking for super deals from your own home airport? That’s a snap - with the FareCompare Deal Finder. One of my employees recently said it was the greatest thing since sliced bread (this employee also said, “I do love cliches”).

Say you’re a rabid Orlando Magic fan - and you’d love to get to LA for tomorrow night’s game.

You can! Just for the heck of it, I did a simple search in the FareCompare searchbox a couple of minutes ago, and found last minute tickets available for about $300 roundtrip - now that’s a deal*. And you’ll be there in plenty of time for the tip off at Game 1 (and might as well stay for Game 2 on Sunday).

Uh, I just hope you have game tickets. Otherwise this trip could be a tad expensive. I just saw a pair for sale on eBay for $26,656.00. Of course, you could always watch from a sports bar.

*Remember - last minute deals go fast.

I did tell you about JetAmerica’s $9 airfares, coming next month - but, as we all know, they’re not exactly $9 - not when you add up all the fees and taxes and charges for this and that.

By the way, “this” and “that” includes a $5 “convenience” fee - convenient for who? The airline, I guess, since I sure don’t find paying an extra 5-bucks particularly convenient.

You know where this is heading - these super-duper-cheapie fares wind up costing 3 or 4 times the advertised price - still a bargain, sure, but c’mon - how about a little bit more transparency? On the other hand, it works for airlines like Spirit and Ryanair. Okay, but…

Here’s what really worries me: the legacy carriers getting into the act.

When the big-boys start adding in all these fees - without rebranding themselves as “discount airlines” - aren’t they in danger of losing their identity - and customers?

Read all about it in my latest column on ABCNews.com - and tell me what you think.

Some of you may be tired of hearing it, but yes - yours truly is on Twitter (probably too much at the moment). And if you’d like to follow me, just click here (believe me, it’s real simple).

Why follow me on Twitter? For the deals, and more…

Here’s what I mean - this was one of my Tweets from yesterday:

Deal o’ Afternoon: Minneapolis - Nassau Jul/Aug Travel $270rt w/tax [http://tr.im/n5uz] -Rick Seaney on Twitter, 6-1-09

That’s easy enough to understand, right? It tells you there are incredibly cheap flights from Minneapolis to Nassau this summer for $270 roundtrip - and the price includes all taxes and fees. And you’ll note my Tweet even provides you with a link that takes you right to our seat check calendar that does the equivalent of 200 different date combination searches for the airlines price, so you can see the price for yourself, and book it.

And don’t worry if you don’t have a Blackberry or an iPhone or any of those - if you have a computer, or use one - you’re good to go, for following me on Twitter. The info I send out is all real-time - and real useful - for getting these super deals first.

And Twitter is not just for deals. The Twitter community loves helping fellow travelers.

Another example: Shira Lazar of the travel website Jaunted.com was recently interviewed by CBS and noted that Twitter connects travelers with locals, who know the best places to go -and that requests for “restaurant or hotel recommendations are often greeted with dozens of responses — or better yet — an offer to sleep on someone’s couch.” Plus a lot of hotels follow Twitter - and they sometimes chime in with special offers - yes, even though they don’t know you personally.

I personally try to answer as many questions as possible about when to buy, how to find a deal, and dozens of other topics. It is great to be able to help someone and let thousands of people see the conversation and benefit — all in real time.

So give Twitter a try - and you don’t have to follow me, you can follow our Deals Tweets, too. It’s actually fun - plus, you really get something of value out of it. And of course - like FareCompare - it’s absolutely free.

This month is starting at well - as we see numerous cheap flights - some for as little as 99-bucks roundtrip. And when I say $99, I mean $99 - it includes all taxes, fees - everything.

One example: cheap, $99 roundtrip flights between Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Want more? Check out the other bargains listed on the 99-Dollar post on our Deals Blog.

And of course, it’s so quick and easy to see $99 flights from your home airport:

• Check out FareCompare’s Deal Finder - for instant access to bargains around the world

Frankly, now is the time to get going on your summer vacation plans. What are you waiting for?

Is this the right time to start a new airline? The man behind JetAmerica thinks so.

Of course, he’s the man behind Skybus, which went bust last year - but to be fair, while John Weikle got it off the ground, he didn’t run it. This new venture, however, is a similar concept.

JetAmerica will fly in and out of some of the nation’s smaller cities, like South Bend and Toledo but also hit some bigger destinations like Newark and Melbourne, Florida - and eventually, it’ll be adding Minneapolis to the mix. Tickets go on sale today and flights begin in July 13.

Gimmick: every flight will have nine seats that will sell for $9. I knew folks that waited for those ten dollar seats on Skybus, and they couldn’t have been more pleased. But this may remind you of another carrier: Ireland’s Ryanair with its constant torrent of incredible discounts.

Can it work? Good question - but Mr. Weikle certainly thinks so. Again, it’s a really tough time to start an airline - but some experts say, it could do well as the economy begins recovering and people in the smaller towns - abandoned by some airlines as a result of capacity cuts - start flying again. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

Note to old timers (like me): don’t confuse the new JetAmerica with the old “Jet America” that was eventually folded into Alaska Airlines back in the 80’s.

Well, the first one isn’t all that weird…

Los Angeles is quite the bargain these days for travelers - that’s according to USA Today.

Certainly there are plenty of cheap flights there this summer: it took me all of two seconds to find this cheap flight from New York to Los Angeles and this cheap flight from Dallas to LA using FareCompare’s Deal Finder - both flights are priced at under $250 roundtrip.

Once you’re done exploring the splendors of LA, why not drive up the coast to the town of Gilroy - home of the famous Garlic Festival. I’ve heard this annual July event is a lot of fun - and where else will you get a chance to sample garlic ice cream?

Since I’m in a festival frame of mind, anyone for the Road Kill Cook-Off? That’s in Marlington, West Virginia - and no, the food does not contain actual road-kill - the recipes just call for the kind of creature one might find…uh, in the road. Fly into Charleston, WV - I found this cheap flight from Atlanta to Charleston, again for under $250.

A final thought - Australia is on sale this summer - a terrific country filled with terrific people.

Travel is down this Memorial Day weekend - despite all the cheap airfare. I know, because we keep tabs on all this kind of data, and my data tells me — there are fewer flights.

For example, on the Friday before Memorial Day, there will be more than 25,000 flights taking off - which sounds like a lot, until you compare it to the Friday before Memorial Day 2008, when there were nearly 28,000 flights.

As you know, the airlines really want your business - that’s why our Deals Blog is jumping with specials (and has been, all year long). And I’m surprised and flattered to see the numbers following me on Twitter — but I understand it, since it’s a great way to learn about super deals ASAP (and if you’d like to follow me on Twitter, the more the merrier - just click here).

Remember, Memorial Day Weekend is a great time for a family reunion. And if you’re flexible, you can still find some really great deals.

I mentioned this earlier in the week, but it bears repeating:

If you haven’t purchased tickets for summer vacation yet - don’t wait too much longer.

The reason is, the airlines’ improving performances. For example, Southwest’s traffic rose last month. Meaning, the airline filled more its seats. More filled seats means more airline control over prices, and when airline control the prices, they only go one way - up.

Travel is still cheap right now - so take advantage of it, while you can.

My crystal ball is starting to send me signals…

For the first time in a long time, the situation appears to be improving for the airlines. April traffic figures are showing some improvement - United’s load factor held steady, for example, while American’s load factor actually edged up, compared to a year ago.

As USA Today put it, “U.S. airlines…may finally be coming out of their tailspin.”

In other words, the airline strategy is working - all those cheap airfare sales we’ve seen this year have started luring passengers back on the planes. Oh, they still have a ways to go, but - things are changing.

My advice? The bottom is near, so don’t wait too long to make your purchase for summer vacation and fall travel. These great weekly sales may start to get fewer and farther apart.

As usual, Scott McCartney’s latest “Middle Seat” column in the Wall St. Journal is well worth reading - and not just because FareCompare is mentioned (but it doesn’t hurt!).

The thrust of the column is the same as the longtime scouting motto - “Be Prepared” - because as McCartney says, “Understand that bad things can — and do — happen to very good travelers.”

He cites Farecompare’s historical pricing tool as a good way to be sure you’re getting the best airfare: “You’ll know whether you’re getting a good price, or whether you could do better.”

As I’ve always said, you have to know what a “good price” is, before you can get a great one.

“It’s Good to be Richard Branson.”

That was the title of a recent profile of the British genius in the late, lamented Portfolio.com - and is it ever true.

And now, the man who built the Virgin empire - which includes Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue and the U.S. based Virgin America (love that crazy mood-lighting) - has just brought the party to Orange County, California.

It was the usual Virgin production this week, celebrating the new O.C. routes (5 daily flights to San Francisco) - Virgin folks served cocktails while the cast of the “Real Housewives of Orange County” surrounded Sir Richard as he touted Virgin’s super deals — from $49 one-way.

And naturally, Branson appeared in red swim trunks - carrying a boogie board.

Hey - somebody has to:

“There’s something oddly calming to know that as the world deals with a global economic crisis and airline executives wring their hands over lost revenues, at least one industry leader knows how to have a good time.” -Portfolio.com

Just thought I’d mention this.

After all, for years I’ve been telling you to keep your eyes open for cheap airfares anytime an airline inaugurates a new route.

Well, Spirit Airlines has three new routes to promote: flights between Boston and Atlantic City, Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas, and Ft. Lauderdale and Los Angeles.

Check out the Spirit post on our Deals Blog - the prices on these new routes are hot.

Hot, as in…$9 one-way.

Want to go to Mexico City or Cancun? The deals are out there.

Airlines are slashing prices - we’ve seen Delta and American flights to Mexico City for as little as $260 - plus, flights from Atlanta to Cancun for $300.

Blame it on the swine flu. But remember, while the flights are cheap - tourist delights will be limited thanks to the Mexican government’s efforts toward keeping people from congregating (like shutting all of Mexico City’s 30,000+ restaurants).

But, you can’t say it’s not cheap - as I told reporters from Bloomberg, “If you’re paying more than $300 right now to anywhere in Mexico, you’re nuts.” The question remains - do you really want to go there now?

So where do Americans go for summer fun?

According to the American Society of Travel Agents, they go to the same old places they’ve been going to: Orlando and Las Vegas. And if they’re heading outside the U.S., they go to Europe for the most part -London, in particular.

If anyone’s looking for something a little different, check out our Deals Blog or follow me on Twitter - we’ll give you some fresh ideas!

But take a look at these top ten domestic and international hot spots - we can show you the cheapest flights to all these destinations.

Top 10 U.S Destinations

1. Orlando
2. Las Vegas
3. San Francisco
4. Los Angeles
5. Miami
6. Honolulu
7. San Diego
8. Washington D.C.
9. Chicago
10. New York City

Top 10 International Destinations

1. London
2. Rome
3. Paris
4. Cancun
5. Punta Cana
6. Puerto Vallarta
7. Barcelona
8. Venice
9. Florence
10. Amsterdam

Yes, I’m blowing my own horn here, but what the heck!

The Go Green Travel Green website (”travel tips for the eco-conscious traveler”) has a post in which site co-founder Elizabeth Sanberg’s discusses best search engines for flexible travel - and she names FareCompare her personal favorite:

“I like FareCompare the best because it shows you the cheapest dates earliest in the searching process. As soon as you type in your travel to/from airports, the cheapest and most expensive months to travel appear on the right hand side. Then as soon as you click on the departure date, a calendar pops up. It’s fast and easy to follow.” -Elizabth Sanberg, Go Green Travel Green 4-22-09

Ms. Sanberg includes FareCompare in her upcoming “e-book” on finding cheap airfare, and you can learn more about it here (including how to pre-order).