BLOG: Southwest & AirTran Announce Fare Sale

By Jim Donovan: Southwest and its subsidiary AirTran each kicked off fare sales today. Prices have been cut on flights from late summer through the fall.

The Southwest fares begin at $59 each way, although I did find a fare of $39 on the Philly-Boston and Philly-Providence routes. Tickets must be purchased online by Aug. 1 and are good for travel from Aug. 23 through Dec. 14. The cheapest fares are not available for flights on Fridays and Sundays. There are also some black out dates: Sept. 1 through Sept. 5 and Nov. 17 through Nov. 29.

For more information visit: www.southwest.com

At AirTran you can find the cheapest fares on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I found one-way tickets to Atlanta for $69. The sale applies to flights between July 30 and Nov. 16. Tickets must be purchased online by Aug. 1, but at least 10 days before travel. They too have blackout dates: July 29 and 31; and August 5, 7, 12, 14 and 21.

For more information visit: http://www.airtran.com/sale/PHL.aspx?saleID=