Airfare war: American and AirTran put New York, D.C. and other cities on sale

Last week I wrote about great airfare deals at Southwest, Virgin America and JetBlue. Now other airlines have jumped in by matching the low prices and putting other destinations on sale. Be prepared to buy quickly because many of these deals expire this week.

AirTran Airways has put about 50 destinations on sale, with one-way fares from Los Angeles to New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, many cities in Florida (including Orlando) and Cancun, Mexico, starting at $139 plus tax.

When: You must buy by 8:59 p.m. PST Thursday for travel through March 16; blackout dates and other restrictions apply. The cheapest seats are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Tested: When I checked online for a Jan. 13-to-18 trip over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to Washington, D.C., I actually found a fare lower than the $139 advertised in the sale: $109 plus tax each way. Total cost of the round trip with taxes and fees: $260.80.

Contact: AirTran Airways, (800) 247-8726

American Airlines on Monday launched a one-way fare of $109 plus tax from Los Angeles to New York City. The special rate is part of the Get More NYC promotion, which includes hotel and other deals to go along with the cheap air ticket.

When: You must book by 9:59 PST Dec. 13 for travel from Jan. 5 through Feb. 16. The fares are good on flights Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; other restrictions apply.

Tested: I checked online for a Jan. 11-to-15 trip to New York City and found the fare of $109 plus tax each way. Total cost of the trip with taxes and fees: $239.40.

Contact: American Airlines, (800) 433-7300

Tip: Make sure you go back and check out the Southwest, Virgin America and JetBlue sales from my earlier post; two of these sales expire Monday night and one is good through Dec. 13. Shop around – other airlines are bound to hop in.