Airlines' Own Sites Can Offer the Best Deals

posted: 11 March 2008 10:57 a.m. ET

: On its own Web site, Air New Zealand offers fare deals from Los Angeles and San Francisco to New Zealand and Australia, and from Los Angeles to London, which aren't available anywhere else. Many airlines are now adopting this strategy in a bid to limit the commission fees they pay to online travel agencies. Air New Zealand will be the first airline to take delivery of the 787-9 version of Boeing's new Dreamliner widebody jet. Credit: Boeing Photo

With so many major airlines dodging bankruptcy and contemplating mergers, it's no wonder we've been bombarded with new fees and less frills. Yessir, these are lean times for the legacy carriers.

Already this year, both United and US Airways introduced fees for checking more than one bag, and other airlines may soon follow.

But, hey, don't think you're bearing the brunt all by your lonesome. Much like the airlines eliminated the 10 percent airfare commissions given to travel agencies back in the day, Airfarewatchdog.com has found that they are employing a similar strategy with online travel agencies (or OTAs, as people in the biz refer to them).

Instead of sharing their lowest fares with third-party booking sites, many airlines are now luring passengers back to their own sites with exclusive promo-sales and much lower fares. No more middleman means no coughing up a commission, plus they're increasing traffic to their Web sites.

Here's a rundown of airlines flying within, from or to the United States that are offering their best fare deals—or are selling fares exclusively—on their own sites.

Air New Zealand

Savings on routes from Los Angeles to London, and from Los Angeles and San Francisco to both Australia and New Zealand range from $50 to $200 or more, depending on season and route.

Air Transat

This Canadian discounter frequently offers last minute deals from Canada to Europe on its site only, with amazing savings.

Alaska Airlines

Sign up for the airline's newsletter and you'll receive alerts about promo codes, which change every few weeks, with savings typically of 20 percent.

Allegiant Airlines

This airline, which mostly flies to/from Las Vegas, Orlando, and St. Petersburg only sells fares (often as low as $19 each way) on its own site. Sign up for its newsletters.

American Airlines

AA recently launched DealFinder, which offers discounts typically of 20 to 25 percent on various routes, only available at AA.com. This tool works on most Windows computers but not Macs and requires that you download software. (Once you get a DealFinder promo code, be sure to search fares using the “price” option on American’s site.)

Cathay Pacific Airways

This Hong Kong airline has frequent "deals of the month" at prices considerably lower than listed elsewhere, mostly from the U.S. to Asia, but also from New York to Vancouver. Savings range from $60 to $200 or more roundtrip.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier's weekend deals are only available on its own site. The airline occasionally sells non-weekend fares at discounts too, but only at frontierarlines.com.

Great Lakes Airlines

Unless you live in Denver or near certain small airports in the Plains or the Midwest, you may have never heard of this carrier, but you’d do well to shop for airfares only on their site, because the routes they fly are often much more expensive on Travelocity and other online travel agencies, if they’re listed at all.

JetBlue Airways

Airfarewatchdog frequently sees special deals available only on JetBlue's site. Recently, for example, they offered $30 off each roundtrip booked via a special link on its site for passengers buying fares with any American Express Card. We’ve also discovered that Jetblue.com offers, on some fares, a small discount when two people are traveling together on the same itinerary.

SAS

We've seen flights from Newark to Europe, but sometimes from other U.S. gateways, for hundreds less on SAS' site. Newark-Stockholm is a route that frequently goes on sale.

Skybus

Famous for its $10 one-way fares, this new entrant sells fares only on its own site.

Singapore Airlines

Not only does Singapore Airlines often have lower fares on its site, but we often find that seat availability is better (for example, you might get a nonstop flight on its site for less than a connecting flight on another site).

Southwest Airlines

Visit DING! On Southwest's site and sign up for an applet that alerts you, often once or twice a day, to short-lived sales which are only available to DING! users. Fares are typically $10 to $30 lower than Southwest's other fares. Whether DING! or not, Southwest lists and sells its fares only on its own web site.

Spirit Airlines

This spunky low-cost carrier has almost-weekly sales with fares as low as a penny (plus tax, of course), for specific dates, sometimes far into the future. Typically the lowest fares are only available for four to six travel dates in each direction, but other deals are available over a broader travel period. Join Spirit's $9 Fare Club (trial memberships cost $9 for three months, or free if you apply for its branded credit card) and you'll have a wider choice of fares, all of which are bookable only on its site.

USA 3000

This East Coast airline frequently offers coupon codes, generally $10 off each one-way fare. USA 3000's fares are not listed on all OTAs but they do appear on Sidestep.

Virgin America

This new airline recently had a 10-percent-off sale for members of its frequent flyer program and a fantastic two for one deal, available only on Virgin America's site.

WestJet

Canada's leading low-cost airline occasionally offers promo codes, such as a recent 20-percent-off insider deal, applicable even to already-low sale fares, on flights between Orlando and its Canadian destinations.