JetBlue's Latest Caribbean Service
JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) adds yet another pin in the map of cities they serve. This time it's Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, set to begin January 10, 2008, from New York's JFK. While that's great news for the seasonally depressed out there, it's even better for New York's Dominican population, the highest in the country.
And coming January 17, 2008, look for service between JFK and St. Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles. Fares are on sale now, and are listed below, with tax:
- New York JFK to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic $345 round-trip
- New York JFK to St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles $411 round-trip
American Airlines Tokyo Sale
Recent fares to Tokyo haven't exactly been cheap, so this sale from American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) is a welcome relief. Fares are valid for departures through December 6 and all travel must be completed by March 5. All tickets must be purchased by October 15, so step to it.
Here's a round-up, and remember that all fares listed do include taxes:
- Atlanta to Tokyo $776 round-trip
- Boston to Tokyo $776 round-trip
- New York to Tokyo $836 round-trip
- Chicago to Tokyo $816 round-trip
- Dallas to Tokyo $821 round-trip
- Los Angeles to Tokyo $641 round-trip
- Miami to Tokyo $806 round-trip
- Washington D.C. to Tokyo $806 round-trip
TAM Linhas Aereas South America Sale
No longer exclusive to Brazil, you'll find açaí juice available at any Whole Foods, and caipirinhas served at any bar, in any city. Ah, but can you wear a speedo and a pair of Havaianas into Wholefoods? Nevermind if you?d want to. Our point? Go to Brazil! TAM Linhas Aereas (tel. 888/235-9826; www.tamairlines.com) has some terrific fares right now, as well as to other South American hotspots. Take a look, and remember, these include all taxes:
- New York JFK to Curitiba, Brazil $721 round-trip
- New York JFK to Porto Alegre, Brazil $721 round-trip
- New York JFK to Recife, Brazil $721 round-trip
- New York JFK to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil $673 round-trip
- New York JFK to Sao Paulo, Brazil $665 round-trip
- New York JFK to Asuncion, Paraguay $629 round-trip
- New York JFK to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay $629 round-trip
- Miami to Belem, Brazil $681 round-trip
- Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil $673 round-trip
- Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina $641 round-trip
- Miami to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay $629 round-trip
- Miami to Montevideo, Uruguay $678 round-trip
South Africa Calling
If you're not in the habit of checking our are of the Day pagea regular basis (in which case, shame on you), let us tell you that South African Airways (tel. 800/722-9675; www.flysaa.com) is ready to fly you all the way to Johannesburg for a mere $875 round-trip including taxes from New York and DC on to Cape Town or Durban. These fares are available for travel between November 1 and December 12, also know as springtime on the veld, as they call the boondocks down in Transvaal. Just mind the blackout dates. And while the sale lasts through October 21, the seats surely won't, so we suggest you book early. If you go to book and find this fare to be unavailable on your preferred travel dates, both Iberia and Air France have plenty of seats open to Johannesburg all winter starting at $1,030 and $1,085, respectively, from New York as well as many other major international airports.
- Washington Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa $875 round-trip on South African Airways
- Washington Dulles to Cape Town, South Africa $915 round-trip on South African Airways
- Washington Dulles to Durban, South Africa $915 round-trip on South African Airways
- Washington Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa $1,058 round-trip on Iberia
- Washington Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa $1,085 round-trip on Air France
- New York JFK to Cape Town, South Africa $915 round-trip on South African Airways
- New York JFK to Durban, South Africa $915 round-trip on South African Airways
- New York JFK to Johannesburg, South Africa $1,029 round-trip on Iberia
- New York JFK to Johannesburg, South Africa $1,085 round-trip on Air France
For those looking to travel elsewhere in Africa:
- New York JFK to Fez, Morocco $533 round-trip on Delta
- New York JFK to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania $1,328 round-trip on Virgin Atlantic, $30 more on Northwest, KLM
- New York JFK to Hurghada, Egypt $625 round-trip on Delta
- New York JFK to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt $606 round-trip on Delta
- New York JFK to Dakar, Senegal $1,105 round-trip on Iberia
Delta to Milian, Manchester, & Dusseldorf
The heading above Delta's (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) Milan, Manchester, and Dusseldorf sale reads "style, culture, and amazing nightlife." We're not sure if those attributes are listed respectively or what, but you'll have plenty of time to mull it over on the flight home. Though this sale is good for other departure cities, we found the best fares available out of Atlanta. For some routes, you may have better (read: cheaper) luck on powerhouse codesharing duo Lufthansa/United. As is always the case, shop around. But for you Hotlantans, these fares will do nicely. This sale is valid for departures for from October 25 through December 18, or December 24 through March 13. And all travel must be complete by April 13. Sound good? Better book by October 23!
The following include all taxes:
- Atlanta to Milan, Italy $719 round-trip
- Atlanta to Dusseldorf, Germany $601 round-trip
- Atlanta to Manchester, UK $614 round-trip
Airfarewatchdog Widget
Airfarewatchdog.com, as you may already know, is the only airfare listing/comparison site that includes low fares on all airlines, including low cost leaders Southwest, SkyBus, JetBlue, and Allegiant. The site only lists fares when and if they are unusually good bargains. Recently, we launched a new airfare widget that can be easily customized to show selected low fares either to or from any city. The javascript widget is a cinch to place on any web site or blog, and takes up little room. It's ideal for convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, or even hotels that wish to show low fares to their city in order to entice visitors to come. It's also great for airport web sites and newspapers or other local publications that wish to show low fares from their local airports. Blogs are another ideal placement. Planning a wedding in Honolulu? Place the widget on your wedding blog so prospective wedding guests can search for low fares to the wedding destination. The widget can also be designed to show fares, all in one place, from or to surrounding airports, or from/to just one airport.
The widget scrolls continually to show fares. When a user wishes to learn more about the fare, further details are a click away.
Colors can be customized. The widget uses simple javascript code and takes just a few minutes to implement. According to Allen Holder, the travel editor of the Kansas City Star, getting approval from management to incorporate the widget, and actually placing it on the site, was "the easiest thing I've done all year." The Columbus Dispatch is also using the widget on its travel site , as is Arthur Frommer's blog.
Interested? Send us an email at widget@airfarewatchdog.com.
25,000 bonus miles extended to October 15
We've mentioned this promotion before, and American Express keeps on extending it, but this really may be your last opportunity. Here's the deal: you apply for a Gold Business Rewards Card. You pay no annual fee the first year. You get 25,000 bonus points, good for travel on over two dozen airlines, with your first purchase. So it's basically like getting a free domestic roundtrip. They also offer up to 40,000 extra bonus points depending on how much you spend during your first year (although oddly they don't promote this fact on the sign up page). Plus you get 3% off on Delta and Jetblue, and other savings with Hertz, Hyatt, and FedEx that can really add up. And the thing we really like about our Amex Gold Card is that they refunded us $200 when the price of our iPhone went down (that's more than Steve Jobs did for us).
Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
It's true, flying with the kids can make for a real nerve-racking ride. For the parents, of course, as well as the surrounding passengers forced to endure the crying spells, the seat-kicking, and whatever else junior can dish. And in recent comments on our blog, some visitors suggested that parents with babies and young children be seated in the same section of the plane. Perhaps the idea was that the kids could all play with each other, or more likely that wailing babies and over-active children would be isolated away from passengers trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. Think it's a good idea? Let us know.
Additional Reporting by Tracy William Stewart and Bo Borre
George Hobica is a syndicated travel journalist and blogger whose website, www.airfarewatchdog.com, tracks unadvertised airfare wars and fare sales, including the most helpful and always updated Top 50 Airfares.
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