$25 airfare sale on Southwest, American and United ends tonight

A reader responded to our post about American Airlines matching Southwest’s $25 4th Quarter sale commenting that United has also done the same. When I checked flights on United Airlines between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), sure enough, there they were for $50 round trip, pre-tax. Now, you have to also consider what other readers have already pointed out: the other airlines charge for checked baggage. So, lets do a side-by-side comparison of what traveling on each airline will cost for one couple trying to take a weekend in San Francisco with one checked bag per person. We’ll leave carry-on space to purses and computers. But hurry, the sale ends tonight.

Dates tested: Friday Dec. 11 - Monday Dec. 14

Travel: Los Angeles (LAX) - San Francisco (SFO)

Southwest: I found plenty of fares for $25 each way, per person. On Southwest, each ticket allows for two free checked bags. The total cost of flights for two passengers (including taxes and fees) plus one checked bag per person came to $142. Purchase by Oct. 29, 2009 for travel Dec. 2 - Dec. 16, 2009 and Jan. 5 - Feb. 10, 2010. Travel valid every day except Sundays.

United: $25 each way flights were available bringing the total price for round-trip tickets for two adults to $142. However, the cost of the first checked bag is $15 per person if you do it online, and $20 per person each way if you pay at the airport. So, the total cost of flights and bags for this trip on United came to $222 for two passengers, for travel Dec. 2, 2009 and Dec. 16, 2009 or between Jan. 5, 2010 and Feb. 10, 2010. Caveat: When I called United to find out if the deadline for this sale was tonight like Southwest’s deadline, they didn’t even know the sale existed. I called two different people. The most info I got was that it was based on availability and required a 21-day advance purchase.

American: I easily found flights to San Francisco for $25 each way. The total price for two flights including taxes came to $142. The first checked bag will cost $20 per person each way, bringing the new total for flights and baggage to $222. Oct. 29 is the last day to purchase flights on this sale for travel Dec. 2-16, 2009, and Jan. 5 - Feb. 10, 2010.

Note: In the end, Southwest was $80 cheaper than both United and American if both travelers were checking one bag.

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

Photo: A United Airlines jet takes off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Credit: Elaine Thompson / AP

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 3:10 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Airline travel, Deals, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.