Southwest Airlines launches fare sale

Southwest Airlines today launched a three-day fare sale for late summer and fall travel, with one-way fares starting at $49 on short flights.

The sale, which runs through Thursday, is good for travel between August 24 and December 16, on non-stop routes. The airline has about 170 daily nonstop flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor International. The sale fares fall into four categories: $49, $99, $129 and $149, depending on destination. Prices are identical to a similar sale launched last year at this time.

As with most fare sales, there are restrictions galore. The most notable: no Friday or Sunday travel, ruling out weekend getaways, and no travel during the Labor Day and Thanksgiving holidays. Las Vegas fans will find, few deals, too, as travel to and from Nevada is limited to Tuesday and Wednesday on the sale fares, more restrictive than a year ago.

Families with school-age children won't find the sale any help with ticket prices as most students will be back in school by late August. Airlines don't have to discount travel during the busy summer travel season, especially at time when travel demand is strong and planes are packed.

Vacationers and business travelers with flexible schedules and fall travel plans should find plenty of deals, though they are nothing like the offers Southwest touted five years ago when the economy was in recession. The airline's first sale of this type featured one-way fares of $30, $60 and $90.

Sample fares out of Phoenix:

$49: Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, El Paso

$99: San Francisco, Dallas, Oakland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland

$129: Austin, Texas, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Minneapolis

$149: Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

Airlines generally match each others' sale fares on competing routes, so check other airlines' availability, too. US Airways/American Airlines is the busiest carrier out of Phoenix.