Southwest 12 Days of LUV

Southwest Airlines is currently offering a promotion to provide $1,000 Southwest gift cards according to competition rules. The rules are announced on Twitter each day @SouthwestAir.

The basics of the 12 days of LUV competition are as follows:

Each of the 12 days from December 11 - 22 Southwest will post the rules for a photo contest on Twitter. You will have the chance to respond with a photo of your choosing by using the tag #swagc on the photo. If you win, you get $1,000 to spend on airfare through Southwest.

Contest examples

So far, the contest has included requests for photos of your favorite holiday attire or photos of decorations on your car. These simple photos result in one winner each day throughout the promotion. The Southwest Twitter account is updated with the rules for the current submission contest, and the account continues to update until the winner is chosen. Once the winner is announced for a single competition, the next competition rules are posted to the account. Southwest benefits by gaining more followers on Twitter, and you benefit by having a great shot at winning a number of free flights such by submitting a simple picture.

Why we love Southwest

If you follow this blog, you are aware we are often lauding Southwest’s efforts to bring you cheap travel. Southwest is one of the few airlines allowing your bags to fly free. According to recent market reports, the policy is bringing them huge payoffs in the long run. Aside from the bags fly free principle, Southwest also offers frequent sales on short flights nationwide. One-way tickets go as low as $24 on the airline, leaving many to wonder again and again how they do it. Southwest is among the most profitable airlines in the country, however, for the past many years.

Follow Airlines on Twitter

You may be surprised to note Southwest is not the only airline offering deals on Twitter. In fact, United and Delta often offer great travel deals on Twitter as well. You will also find hotel chains on the social network. Hilton, Hampton and other chains promote to their followers before promoting to the public. You can capitalize on deals other people are not even aware of by becoming a follower of the travel retailers.

Joining Twitter for the Deals

Okay, so you don’t think you’d like to have a Twitter account? Did you know you can join without even issuing a single “tweet.” A number of businesses and persons are members for the simple benefit of following others and capitalizing on the deals we have mentioned so far. Have a Google account? You don’t even need to be a member of Twitter in order to check the deals. Simply type in the name of the company followed by “Twitter” into Google in order to see a list of recent tweets from the member that interest you. You can subscribe to these updates through an RSS feed, allowing you to stay aware of what is going on without logging into Twitter.

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Cheap Last-Minute Holiday Plane Tickets

Three airlines are offering great deals on dates typically blacked out for other airlines, including December 25 and January 1. If you are looking to book last-minute travel, you should check out deals at Midwest, Northwest and United.

United $94 Round trip tickets

United is offering tickets under $100 for the busiest travel days of Dec. 16, 17, and 25 and January 1 and 4. These dates tend to be heavy with holiday travel, especially for students looking to get home for the holidays. If you haven’t booked yet, try to capitalize on the lowest fares by booking on these high travel days. You may also find good fares on  Dec. 20, 21, 24, 30, and 31 but should avoid Dec. 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 28, and 29.

The reason behind this complicated date schedule is market research. Officials at the airlines believe they can create bigger profits on the days mentioned by charging higher fees, and you will be penalized as a result. The best tickets are on short flights between major cities on those specific dates mentioned.

The Catch

• All three of the airlines mentioned, Northwest, Midwest and Delta, charge fees for checked luggage. If you are truly going to capitalize on the low price, try packing all of your belongings into a carry on for the short trip. This can be hard if you are planning on taking along presents. As such, it is advisable to consider shipping the gifts all at once. Shipping one box can cost as little as $30 if done in advance. You will also have the advantage of not having to carry and pack the boxes when you are traveling. If you do happen to carry on presents, you should be aware that security may ask you to unwrap any gift box. It is better to simply wait until you arrive at your destination to wrap gifts.
• You should be aware of the conditions of the ticket. For example, you have to purchase your ticket at least 3 days in advance to get the United deal.
• You must also be staying at least three nights or be staying overnight on a Friday or Saturday at your destination to get the deal. Flying only during the week will not result in the same savings.
• Finally, you need to purchase the ticket by December 16 - which is just around the corner!

Holiday Hotel Deals

Most hotels are finding their income is going down this year. Even though the rough economy is not having a large impact on how many people are flying or traveling, it is changing the way they enjoy themselves at their final destination. Most people will opt to stay with friends or family where possible. You should too to max your savings! However, if this is not possible, then check hotel holiday deals for similar discount offers. The best deals are coming from smaller hotels that do not have a large corporate backing to get them through the hump. Look into bed and breakfasts or independent hotels in the area. You can also pursue savings by being selective about when you stay - Sundays are cheapest.

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American Airlines Economy Super Saver

American Airlines typically quotes one extremely low ticket price for a flight called the “Economy Super Saver.” Tickets regularly costing over $400 can be had for as low as $190. But what’s the catch?

Non Refundable Ticket

The main catch for this ticket is it is absolutely non refundable. The tickets are made far in advance, at least a few weeks out, and they cannot be changed, altered or canceled without a substantial fee. This does not just mean that YOU cannot change the ticket; the airline cannot easily change the ticket either. For example, if the flight is canceled, delayed or experiences other problems, they will only attempt to get you on another flight. There is no guaranty. If you have to stay overnight as a result of the problem, the airline will attempt to locate you lodging as it may be available. All in all, this ticket basically means “you are on your own from this point forward.” With change fees up to $200 and a difference in fair, you can be looking at an additional $700 if the ticket doesn’t work for you. American Airlines will not generally provide you with flight credit in the case of the cancellation, either.

Benefits of the Super Saver

The key benefit to the Super Saver ticket is - hello - the price! You can get tickets at a 50% discount by agreeing to the nonrefundable policy. As long as you know your travel plans will not change, you do not have as much to worry about. It helps to have a flexible flight itinerary. American Airlines will guaranty to get you to your destination eventually. If you can wait a few hours or until the next day, then you do not have to fear the airline’s cancellation of your ticket.

Travel Insurance

Non of this “non refundability” may matter if you have a good travel insurance plan. For example, a couple traveling for their honeymoon will likely have a hefty travel insurance policy. They can save 50% on cross-country tickets booking early and locking in the price. If they do have to cancel for any reason, they will both receive a full reimbursement from their travel insurance company given the premiums have been paid. So, for an extra $30, you can generally assure you will not lose the money. Of course, a good travel insurance plan will be a few hundred dollars, but $30 is an estimate regarding the percentage that you can estimate up front goes to cover cancellation issues.

Use Priceline

Savvy shoppers know a way to get a refundable Super Saver for just $16 more. If you book your ticket through Priceline, you will find the same prices on the cheap tickets. Then, elect to add the $16 total trip protection plan. In this case, Priceline will fully refund you for the cost of your purchase if you have to cancel your trip for any reason. There are a limited number of tickets allocated to Priceline customers, so shop early and snag a good deal the moment you find it.

Tags: american airlines, economy super saver, non refundable ticket, priceline, Travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance