Price war erupts over reduced fares for vacation flights

The reduced fares can be bought for flights as far out as Nov. 4.

CANTON REPOSITORY

AKRON — It may just be a great time to book that vacation flight even if you’re not going until fall.

Akron-Canton Airport’s busiest airline set off a price war Tuesday when it announced discounted fares to all of its destinations.

AirTran Airways, which carried almost half of the airport’s 101,000 passengers in January, said the sale runs through March 5 for flights as late as Nov. 4.

American Airlines and Continental Airlines, which serve Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and Jet Blue said they would match prices on routes where they compete with AirTran.

“They probably will,” said Jill Pavia, owner of Dr. Trips’ Travel in Canton. “I imagine they will all follow suit.”

But giving travelers the ability to book flights that don’t depart until Nov. 4 is a switch. “They don’t usually run sales that far out,” she said.

A sale extending through the summer is unusual because that’s normally a busy time for airlines. But with economic cutbacks, fewer people are taking vacations, and businesses are cutting back on corporate travel.

“That’s a huge [sale] window for them,” said airport spokeswoman Kristie Van Auken. “They are really savvy on how to price” and make other profitable moves, she said.

AirTran has 10 nonstop flights daily from Akron-Canton. One-way pricing now is: Atlanta and Boston for $59; New York City for $69; Tampa and Orlando for $79; and Fort Myers for $89.

The biggest discounts are for travel Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The sale fares are slightly more for travel Fridays and Sundays.

There are some blackout dates and restrictions involving certain destinations, such as Florida and Cancun, Mexico. A 10-day advance purchase is required, and seats at the discounted fares are limited.

Pavia said those prices are great. “Especially to New York City. You should jump on the specials,” she said.

The economic slump hasn’t hit Dr. Trips’. Pavia has been swamped with people sick of winter and headed for the Caribbean. “I’m very busy. In fact, I’m up from last year.”

People are booking flights further out, so they can make payments, but with the sale prices, it won’t be necessary, Pavia said.

“I think it’s going to be really good” for the airport, Van Auken said. She added that right now, Frontier Airlines has an $89 one-way sale fare to Denver, and US Airways has $138 round-trip sales to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.