Qantas is running a promo for travel between the US and Australia: Around $970 all-in round trip (that’s $399 each way, including fuel surcharges, plus taxes) for flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco to major Australian hubs, and including a free stopover in New Zealand.

The free stopover is what really makes this a good deal.

Too bad the business class seats aren’t similarly discounted. ($15,260 for business class, for one person on the same dates. I don’t think so.)

Flights are only available at those rates for travel between May 1 and June 8, 2010. A narrow window of opportunity, but potentially worthwhile, especially with that free stopover thrown in.

Be careful when booking that you choose “red tail” flights, not Jetstar, their no-frill discount carrier. The flights are the same price, but the amenities are more generous on the mainline Qantas flights.

Maddening, though: Though you can tack on a domestic US flight to the fare for generally-reasonable rates (i.e., ~$220 additional for the roundtrip from Newark), the Qantas website makes it nearly impossible to book if you’re not leaving from a short list of cities. And that list is odd: Monterey is on the list, but Charlotte and Raleigh aren’t? Flagstaff is included, but Milwaukee isn’t? Seems like a webpage makeover is in order.

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Since the world has gone ga-ga for Twitter, corporations have been trying to figure out how to take advantage of the popularity of the micro-blogging service. Some airlines are trying out Twitter-only discounted airfares to fill seats. (United calls them “Twares.” JetBlue calls theirs “Cheeps.” I’m sure there are others, but it’s still not the norm for airlines to offer these.)

But these deep discounts come with fine print. This past Friday, USA Today’s Ben Mutzabaugh posted that United’s most recent $118 all-in Tware between Chicago and Philadelphia didn’t earn Mileage Plus miles. Comments started rolling in, protesting the change — these were published fares, after all, why wouldn’t they earn miles?

These fares last only a short time — typically two or three hours — and the fare’s terms and conditions are no longer visible online.

I asked for clarification. Specifically, I tweeted for clarification. I asked United, in under 140 characters:

Within an hour, their response:

Not an encyclopedic answer, but this much is clear: All Twares are not created equal. Some are normal deep discount fares, much like weekend e-fares. Others aren’t. Another layer of complication in the airfare and frequent flyer game.

If miles matter to you, and if Twitter-only fares are up your alley, then you’ll need to read the fine print before you click the purchase button.

(See update at bottom)
United Airlines is running a 20% off — or more — “sale” on Mileage Plus Saver Awards for travel between August 18 through November 18.

Saver Awards only, not Standard. Economy class only, not first or business. United or United Express only, not Star Alliance partners. But if those conditions meet your needs, and the dates work, go ahead and burn some miles at favorable rates.

(Updated) That means 20,000 miles for a domestic ticket (instead of 25,000). 30K miles for a mainland to Hawaii ticket (instead of 40K). 25K to the Caribbean, 44K to Europe, 50K to Asia, and 64K to Australia. It’s almost like rolling their redemption chart back in time…

Will American, Delta, and others match? Stay tuned!

Hat tip to Gary Leff for this.

UPDATE: Now that it’s been leaked all over the internet, United puts up a link. Book between July 15 and July 24, 2009.

UPDATE 2: The sale is even better than originally posted. 20% and up discounts. E.g., flights to Hawaii are 30K instead of 32K as posted earlier. 25% off Hawaii, 28.5% off Caribbean, 23% off Asia. Nice sale. Original post is corrected to reflect correct #s.

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Downgraded: United unplugs customer complaint phone line
The Indian call center that took United Airlines passenger compliments or complaints is being shut down, in favor of going entirely e-mail. “United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the airline is able to respond better to customers who write, since they often include more detail, making it possible to provide a more specific response.” Not to mention that sending a form letter response is faster than having a real conversation. And I’m positive every disgruntled passenger appreciates the convenience of requiring them to take the time to write, rather than make a quick call from the road… Sure.

Upgraded: Transatlantic deals on Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic has a great sale going on right now over the pond, with economy fares as low as $453 round trip including taxes, and premium economy for as low as $675. Best part: No advance purchase. Buy today, leave today! But fares aren’t just last-minute fares, either. But no summer fares. You’ll find the cheapest prices from Feb 11, 2009 – Mar 22, 2009 or Oct 22, 2009 – Nov 30, 2009.

Downgraded: $0 airfares
I’ve always felt that companies should honor the prices they publish. And in an era of airlines that pay you to fly them, why wouldn’t a passenger think that a $0 airfare (plus taxes) was legit? Alas, tickets booked on Northwest at that last Wednesday fare aren’t being honored, unless the passengers are already mid-trip.

Upgraded: Inflight wi-fi live on Southwest
If you’re flying Southwest today (Wednesday, Feb. 11), check to see if you’re flying on aircraft #901. It’s the first plane equipped with inflight wi-fi. The plane is routed OAK-ONT-PHX-SAN-OAK-SNA-PHX-OAK-PHX. And while the service is being tested, the wi-fi is free.

Downgraded: Reading, Geography, Responsibility
A Thomas Cook travel agent mistakenly booked a passenger to San Juan, Puerto Rico, instead of San Jose, Costa Rica. SJU instead of SJO. Bad mistake. But didn’t the traveler bear any responsibility to check the tickets — or heck, figure this out at the departure airport?? I love her quote, though: “I looked around the airport, saw posters of Puerto Rico everywhere, and thought: ‘What am I going to do? Where is Puerto Rico? Where am I?’” Yes, “where is Puerto Rico.”

Downgraded: Surprise
Headline: “Surprising number of companies cut travel spending.” Umm, “surprising”? Have USA Today’s editors been so insulated from the economic crisis that they’re shocked that travel spending is cut back?

Several readers have sent in e-mails, informing me of airfare deals they’ve gotten in recent days. They’re good, especially to Europe. A few examples:

Reader Diane found a deal from Denver to Amsterdam on US Airways in July: $2068.32 for a family of three, including all taxes and even travel insurance.

Reader Frank is taking his family of four to Paris in June. He’s leaving from the New York area — going over on Open Skies, coming back on L’Avion. It’s costing him more than it cost Diane, but it’s still a decent deal: $1479 per person for a cradle seat, booked on the L’Avion site. (As an aside, I don’t think L’Avion should be calling their product “business class” anymore, especially given that their corporate sister, Open Skies, is categorizing an equivalent seat as premium economy, err, “Prem+.”)

If you’re looking for some off-season discounts to Europe (say, February), and coach class is more your speed, then check Air France. $350 base fare ($490 all-in) from New York to Dublin, for example.

Finally, reader Aurelio booked a sweet spring break fare from Chicago to Last Vegas on United for $119, all-in, round-trip. Those are 2003 prices! Crazy-cheap!

To book some of these deals, you may need to be flexible with your dates or your connections. And be sure to comparison shop. Sites to consider as springboards include FareCompare, Kayak.com, and ITA Software, for starters.

Have you scoped out any good deals of late? Hit the comments with your savvy savings, especially if they might still be available for others to book!

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A couple weeks ago, Rick Seaney wrote about bargain rates for holiday travel to Europe in business class. Slower seasonal demand for business class seats, plus the financial crisis and recession, have left a number of seats open, especially between business centers in the US and Europe.

Many of those seats are still available. Economy class fares are creeping up for those folks who waited until the last minute to book their tickets, but business class (and premium economy) are still comparatively low.

If you’re doing a search for fares, run a separate search for business class fares. The economy search that is the default on most booking sites won’t necessarily capture business or first class fares, even if they’re lower than coach.

The best deal I’ve seen for last-minute 2008 holiday travel has to be on L’Avion, the all-business class carrier flying between Newark and Paris. $1479 plus taxes ($1,581.79 all-in) pays for the round-trip. The coach fare on Air France is $1623 for the same holiday dates. L’Avion isn’t the top-of-the-line business class seat — it’s a cradle, not a flat bed — but it’s $50 less than the cramped coach seat. No contest. (Plus, you can earn miles in British Airways’ Executive Club, as of December 2, 2008.)

Some of those flights may be operated by OpenSkies, the British Airways subsidiary that sells premium-economy (cradle) and business class (flat-bed) seats. A L’Avion seat in business is considered equivalent to an Open Skies Prem+. Check both sites, but I found the fares lower on the L’Avion side — even for the OpenSkies operated flights.

Related:
- Booking flights on L’Avion just got less risky
- Inside L’Avion, part un: a good seat but a shortage of fluids and information
- Inside L’Avion, part deux: the airline that is betwixt and between
- L’Avion (aff)

If you’re planning on flying within Asia, be sure to check Air Asia’s free-flight offer. They’re giving away 500,000 tickets, and not tacking on any fuel surcharges, either, so the only fees are taxes. A good deal, if you can get it, and if it works for you.

This isn’t the first time they’ve done this sort of thing. They had a 1-million free tickets deal back in January 2007, then again in April that year.

The current deal requires some advance planning:

Booking Period: 12 Nov 2008 – 16 Nov 2008
Travel Period: 22 Jun 2009 – 24 Oct 2009

With an offer like this, and with a substantial lead-time like this, there’s some risk of airline failure making those tickets worthless. Most travel insurance would only reimburse you for the purchase cost — not the replacement cost — of the tickets if a problem were to arise. Beware of making hotel reservations that can’t be canceled and refunded, if you get tickets in this deal.

But if you’re flexible, and if Air Asia flies where you want to go, good luck!

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If you’re booking flights on Continental, you might as well give this promotional code a shot.

To redeem, go to continental.com and choose “Advanced Search” at the bottom of the blue fare search box on the left side. On the following screen enter ZB2UAS82JH in the “Offer Code” box halfway down the page. Then choose flights, etc.

No guarantees on how long this code will be valid, but give it a try.

(Thanks to reader Jim V. for sharing!)

UPDATE: Try ZB5HBFJEBT as an alternate discount code. Thanks, Srinivasan!

UPDATE 2: These codes come and go quickly. For a more stable set of discount codes on American Airlines, not Continental, consider buying an Entertainment book for as little as $10, depending on the area. (Prices for the book fluctuate throughout the year, but the discount codes stay the same for a 12-month period.)

Related:
- Save up to 63% on international flights and get $15 off your flight by clicking here (vayama.com)
- Use Coupon Code CHEAPOAIR10 to Save $10 Off All International Flights (cheapoair.com)

Oh, Spirit Airlines! What would a travel blog be without you?? The double entendres, the imagery, the low fares that few if anyone can actually purchase… But this latest sale, as mentioned in the Consumerist earlier today, is a raising the bar, even for you: The MILF Sale.

Oh sure, the “MILF” sale portends to be the “Many Islands, Low Fares” sale, but we know better, Spirit. You’re talking about the lustful thoughts for a friend’s mom. And you know what: We have the evidence to prove it.

Have a look at these screenshots. You have to look quickly as the Flash passes, but thanks to a fast finger on the print-screen button, we see the seductive silhouette-shaped island north of Cuba…

My Caribbean geography may be a bit rusty, but something tells me that’s not any island I’ve seen. Better look quickly, as it changes to this more generic image:

Keepin’ it classy, Spirit!

Spirit has named sales before, after hurricanes, after Jeb Bush, and now, after the randy thoughts of teenage boys across America.

So: Whaddaya think? Are Spirit’s fare sale antics the marketing equivalent of a crisp snap of a towel in the postgame locker room? Or are these sales crossing a line into the obnoxious and offensive? Or, are they just plain stupid? Vote!

(Viewing in a feed reader? Click here to vote.)

Related:
- Spirit Airlines to Democrats: Drop Dead
- Downgrades: Spirit Airlines to charge for ALL luggage, coffee, and soda
- Is Spirit Airlines’ new club worth joining?
- Spirit Airlines’ CEO flips his customers the bird

The other day, FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney sent over an analysis of AirTran’s recent fare sale. “When is a fare sale not really a fare sale?” The answer: When the airline hikes its fares, only to lower them with great fanfare a few days later. Hooray for the status quo?

Rick suggests that this is tantamount to those stores that once lined the streets of midtown Manhattan, declaring they were going out of business. That is, until you saw that the name of the store was “Going Out of Business, Inc.” or something like that.

So how did AirTran join such esteemed company as the all-things-must-go merchants of New York City? Within a one-month period, Air Tran raised their fares three times — twice for three days, once for five days — and then brought them back to the previous level. Each time, their return to normal pricing was heralded with breathless press releases and a marketing blitz, announcing a sale.

Rick is right: This is an at best questionable, at worst deceptive business practice. Think about it: If a department store jacked up its prices for a few days, then brought them back to normal, customers might be filing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. Perhaps AirTran thinks that the fluctuating nature of air ticket prices makes them immune to such charges, but I think they’re walking on some very thin ice.

So now they’ve been called out on it. We’ll see if they’ll change their tune, of they’ll just keep right on doing it. If enough people catch on, the phrase “AirTran fare sale” might be like the boy crying wolf.

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