Southwest Airlines is cutting fares --- some are as low as $25. The 72-hour sale has many travelers rushing to their computers to book a flight.
In fact, so many were logging in to try and book a cheap flight, the airline's website was running slow -- in some cases not coming up at all.
Helen Anders, who writes a travel blog for the Austin American-Statesman, says Southwest is smart to slash prices so drastically with prices constantly going up, customers will come running.
"American's had some good sales; some of the other airlines have had some good sales, but when you factor in the bag, Southwest tends to come out the winner," she said.
Southwest doesn't charge for bags. On other carriers, the first bag costs $20.
University of Texas professor Mark Alpert says the Southwest business model is successful at keeping customers happy in two ways.
"Cheaper prices and they don't have to pay for baggage," he said. "I believe that Delta/Northwest just announced its second price increase in a matter of a few months, so a number of airlines, as you know, are facing increasing costs and losses. Southwest is not one of them."
Southwest says fares are $25 for travel up to 375 miles; that includes flights between Dallas and Austin, Houston or San Antonio.
The price is $50 for travel between 375 and 549 miles, and $75 for flights between 550 and 999 miles.
A one-way fare of more than 1,000 miles costs $100.
There are certain restrictions. Fares are available for purchase through Thursday, for travel between Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, or between Jan. 5 and Feb. 10. Other restrictions apply.
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