Deal or no deal: Last-minute holiday fares on United

Some people think procrastination is a bad word, but let’s be realistic: Not everyone can plan their lives—nor their travel—three weeks in advance. So United Airlines is providing last-minute holiday travelers with a sale that requires no advance purchase.

The fares won’t make you do cartwheels, but they’ll give you some reassurance that you didn’t completely mess up by waiting until the last minute. This sale is best for those trying to earn United frequent-flier miles. If you’re just looking for the cheapest flight, keep comparing, as I did.

Deal: United is offering a no-advance purchase sale and letting you know the cheapest days to fly with the airline. You might want to put aside the holiday nog and pay close attention when you go over the fare facts and acceptable dates. According to United’s calendar, the cheapest dates to travel are Dec. 13-19, Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31.

Sample Fares:

Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington, D.C. (IAD)—$319
(Departing Dec. 24 and returning Dec. 31, nonstop including taxes) Note: I found a flight on Virgin America for the same dates for $404 (including taxes). In this case, United returned the better fare.

Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (CHI)—$435
(Departing Dec. 24 and returning Dec. 31, nonstop including taxes) Note: I used Airfare Watchdog and got a round-trip ticket on the same dates from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (MDW) for $375 (nonstop including taxes). That’s a savings of $60.

Tip: The Go Airport Express is a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes between Midway and downtown Chicago hotels and businesses for $37 round trip per person. If you go as a pair, it’s $27 round trip per person. If you go as a group (three or more people), it’s $22 round trip per person. Discounts apply for children.

When: No advance purchase necessary for travel to be completed by Jan. 7, 2008.

Contact: United Holiday Sale, (800) 864-8331

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger

[Photo: United.com]

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 2:04 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under East Coast, Family & Kids, Last Minute, Midwestern States. 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.