Metafares' Deal Hunting Blog

Only 2 days left until the AirTran special deals expire! Booking online a one-way flight before January 21^st can save you a considerable amount of time (and money). These AirTran specials are valid for a significant number of US cities (like Boston, Denver, Chicago, Detroit or Las Vegas) and some touristic hot spots like Cancun or Montego Bay. Rates start around $44 and can go up to $219, depending on your choice of date and destination. For example, a flight from Cancun to Boston will cost you $84, while for a journey between Cancun to Los Angeles you have to ad some extra $36.

Booking a flight within the next two days doesn’t mean that you have to fly right away: depending on your needs, you can set the date of the trip as far as the end of May (for locations like Cancun, Florida, Aruba or Montenegro, this date has been restricted to the 10^th of March). So hurry up to check out the site’s special deals page and see what you can make of it!

No idea what to do the next weekend? What about a trip to New York? Or Panama City? Or Toronto? There are dozens of such destinations in Continental Airlines’ list of last-minute offers. If you go online at continental.com and book a round-trip flight by January the 15^th, you get the chance to take advantage of their special weekend prices. Thus, for number of selected locations, the price of a round-trip flight ranges between $119 and $218.

For many of the Continental flights departing from New York, NY or Huston, TX on Saturday, January 16 and returning the next Monday (or Tuesday), you get to pay around $119. Continental also gives you the chance to transform this airfare deal into a travel pack, by adding some discounted hotel and car rental fares (for example, booking the $139 flight from Cleveland, OH, to Manchester, NH, will get you a hotel room for only $45 per night and a rental car for some additional $15 per day). For more information, don’t hesitate to visit Continental Airlines Specials page.

Delta Airlines has decided to extend the New Year Special offers until the 7^th of January. Booking a Delta flight before this date can help you make some serious savings, especially now that winter holidays have emptied out pockets. If you’re planning to fly within the US before March 11, don’t hesitate to take a look at these offers. You could get off really cheap and end up paying only $51 for a round-trip flight from Denver, CO to Salt Lake City, UT. Other discounted routes include NYC-Chicago ($71), Los Angeles-Salt Lake City ($93) and Atlanta-Denver ($156).

If you are aiming a bit higher (of further) and are willing to do some serious traveling, Delta has prepared some Europe deals as well (all the mentioned airfare deals are listed on Delta’s Deals&Offers page). Thus, for a flight departing New York and landing in some big European capitals like London, Berlin or Madrid, you’ll pay between $229 and $349 round-trip. This offer is valid till January 11, 2010 and applies to 10 European destinations.

When it comes to budget traveling, advance booking might be the less risky solution, but not necessarily the cheapest. If you want to make somebody a surprise this weekend or just fly out of the city for a short vacation, Orbitz.com has prepared some special last-minute deals for you. Depending on your destination and departure/arrival hours, you can book an online roundtrip flight for prices starting at 139$.

The best deal we found so far is the two-way flight from Phoenix to Las Vegas, that you can book for as little as $139. If you want to take a longer flight, like, let’s say, from Philadelphia to Orlando or Houston to Denver, you will have to take around $225 out of your pocket. These rates are available for about 40 US cities and include all taxes (all listed deals are valid for an economy class seat). To see the terms and conditions and a complete list of the departure and arrival destinations included in the offer, visit the fight deals section of Orbitz.com.

December is a month of great joys but also lots of unexpected spending. A sudden trip to see one of your relatives or old friends might seriously affect your budget.  A smart way out would be to go online and search for some advantageous last minute flight deals. This week Travelocity comes with an even better solution. Round trips departing from New York to a number of major US cities are now available for online purchase starting at $98 per person (special rate for the NYC-Pittsburg route).

What announces to be the best rate within the next 90 days applies to 47 other destinations: Chicago, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis are only a few examples. Thus, flying out of New York to Cleveland or Washington DC and back within the next three months can cost you as little as $148. You can see the terms and conditions of the offer and the specific rates for your chosen date and destination in the travel deals section of Travelocity.com.

For the over-stressed New Yorkers (and not only), Delta Airlines had come up with an interesting deal: New-York based flights have a special price in December. If you purchase a ticket before the 7^th of December, you can fly as far as Istanbul with $300 round-trip. The featured destinations are mainly European cities: Barcelona, Frankfurt, London or Rome. In addition to the low fares (a trip to London can go as low as $229), another good thing about this deal is the fact that most of these destinations have warmer climates than New York (take Madrid, Istanbul or Venice for example).

But the best one comes from Bahamas, where a round-trip ticket can go as low as $119. Just imagine yourself several weeks from now, spoiled by the Caribbean sun, with New York Times in one hand and a juicy cocktail in another…  After a crazy December, nothing can help you regain you powers better than a Bahamas treat (the offer is only valid for those flight departing after the 14^th of January, 2010). For more interesting winter deals, don’t hesitate to check out the Delta airlines site.

With the winter holidays getting close, everybody’s making plans for a fun-filled vacation either with their family or friends on the winter resorts’ slopes or near the fireplace in a chic cottage. And if you’re of those people, there couldn’t be a better time to start booking for your airplane tickets! In this way, you will reach your destination both fast and in a comfy, cost-effective way.

More exactly, United has recently put forward some budget-friendly fares that are valid right on this winter’s peak travel dates including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Hence, the price for a roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to Phoenix is worth $104 while those of you traveling from San Francisco to San Diego will have to pay $122. A two-way flight from Boston to Washington has a surprisingly profitable price, starting at $138. Now, if you decide to fly from Boston to Chicago and back you will have to pay $158 while a slightly expensive price starting at $208 is valid for a roundtrip flight between Denver to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, these fares do not include the additional taxes and fees. Plus, you’ll have to purchase your ticket(s) 14 days in advance and by November, 12 2009. For further reference, visit United’s Special Deals Page.

The arrival of the rainy season often translates to lower fares, but in this case Southwest have truly overdone themselves. In fact, no other sale fares posted by another airline company can compete with those announced by Southwest. With such big savings and a list of important cities in the country, there’s no reason for you to stay home this late fall and on the winter holidays!

Now, for those of you travelling from Detroit to Chicago OR FROM San Francisco to Los Angeles, a one-way ticket is worth no more than $25! The same price applies for the flights departing from Albany and landing in Washington, D.C. Plus, believe it or not, the budget-friendly fare of $25 is all you have to pay when travelling from San Diego to Las Vegas or from Ft. Myers to Orlando. The roundtrip flight from Cleveland to New York City is worth $100 whereas the price for a flight from Boston to Nashville and back starts at $150. Still, this is a last-minute deal and even though they refer to travel dates that stretch to February, 10, 2010, you’ll have to purchase your ticket (s) by October 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. For further details, visit Southwest’s Special Offers Page.

Leave behind the low temperatures and the rainy days and head to sun-kissed destinations like the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands. Indeed, the Caribbean Islands are reckoned for the high price tag the traveler has to pay, but during this late-fall it has become incredibly affordable. Plus, we tracked down an amazing airfare deal put forward by Delta in case you decide to set up a short getaway to some tropical destinations.

More precisely, Delta posted some top-notch destinations on the sales’ list with the prices starting at $278 for a roundtrip ticket for those of you travelling from Atlanta to Nassau, Bahamas. Moreover, a two-way ticket from Atlanta to Montego Bay, Jamaica is worth $358 while you’ll have to pay $398 if you decide to fly from Atlanta to George Town, Cayman Islands. A two-way flight from Atlanta to Puerto Plata, the Dominican Republic is budget-friendly as well and features the same price. These discounted fares are valid through January, 31, 2010.  Still, you’ll have to purchase your ticket (s) by November, 2. For further details, go directly to Delta’s Deals& Offers Page.

When the temperatures drop, so do the prices! Indeed, this time around you can find a warmer destination and take the week off for a fun-filled gateway without emptying your wallet because everyone in the travel industry is offering discounts and hot deals. Head for the sunny beaches dotting the exclusive resorts, discover the Mesoamerican culture and the spicy cuisine since this late-fall the flights to Mexico are on sale from Alaska.

More exactly, the price for a roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to Los Cabos is as low as $190 while those of you flying from Portland to Puerto Vallarta will have to pay around $238. A Two-way flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City features a surprisingly affordable price tag of $278. The same price is valid for a roundtrip journey between Seattle and Cancun while if you’re departing from Seattle to Mazatlan a roundtrip will cost you $338. The same price applies for a two-way flight from Portland to Guadalajara. The limit date for purchasing your ticket(s) is November, 19. For further reference, go directly to Alaska’s Deals Page.