Category: Airlines

New Southwest Credit Card Gives Easy, Quick 1-Yr Companion Pass

Wow! Get one credit card, spend $4K and you’ve got unlimited free (actually, $5.60) flights on Southwest Airlines for a companion for the rest of 2019.

If your FICO score is ~720+, and you don’t run a balance on your other credit card(s), and you sometimes fly Southwest with a friend/spouse/offspring/etc., this is a super deal.


Southwest plans to begin flying to Hawai’i this year.


References:

https://awardwallet.com/blog/southwest-companion-pass-welcome-bonus

HOT! Limited Time Offer: Signup For A Southwest Card And Get An Unlimited Use Free Companion Pass And 30,000 Points!

My wife and I have enjoyed flying “free” with our Companion Passes for several years. Good luck!

What to Do During a Long Airport Layover

American AirlinesI was talking with a friend this morning about a long layover he had a few days ago. He was flying from Austin to Charlotte via DFW, in order to attend a family get-together. His American Airlines flight from DFW to Charlotte was cancelled, and he had to wait several hours for the next available seat.

The information in this well-done article at CreditCards.com would have helped him:

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/long-airport-layover-credit-card-tips.php

It’s good to read these tips, because everyone who flies will sometimes be in the same situation as my friend.

DoNotPay.com Promises to Re-Book Your Flights & Hotels When Prices Drop

DoNotPay LogoThe Milenomics blog has a long post on a free new service that could save travelers some real money…if it works as planned.

DoNotPay.com plans to be the AutoSlash of airline and hotel bookings, checking frequently to see if prices have dropped and automatically re-booking you when they do.

DNP owners claim they can even work with Southwest Airlines, which is something that others have had no success with…Southwest’s team of lawyers quickly sue any website owner that scrapes their data.

DNP requires a large amount of private information from its clients, as explained in the Milenomics post.

I wish them the best of luck…they will need it to survive.

Another Southwest Airlines Sale

Southwest Aircraft at GateThe marketing team at Southwest likes to announce sales, and they’ve done it again.

Check Southwest.com to see if any of your existing tickets have gone down in price, and rebook at the lower price if they have.

AirfareSpot has the details and some significant limitations.

Norwegian Now Flying Austin-London Gatwick Route

NorwegianTo the probable dismay of the Big 3 legacy airlines, Norwegian has begun flying 3x per week from Austin to London Gatwick (and vice versa).

The flight days, both outbound and return, are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The posted outbound price is as low as $209.90 (April 21), and the return price is as low as $229.90 (April 24 and 26).

Norwegian is a low-cost carrier, so everything except a seat will involve a fee. But, if you follow their rules, bring your own food and water, and pack light and compact, you can save a lot.

Check Google Flights or Norwegian’s web site for schedules and costs.

American Airlines Opening New Routes to South America

American AirlinesWhile none of its new routes originate at Austin ABIA, American Airlines’ additions may still be interesting to Austin travelers. New South American destinations include Buenos Aires and Cordoba (Argentina), Oaxaca (Mexico), Pereira (Colombia) and Georgetown (Guyana).

Unexpectedly, the frequency of flights by American Airlines to Caracas (Venezuela) is also increasing.

American Airlines has always had a strong position in Latin America, and these changes add to that. A possible tie-in to LATAM (formerly LAN) may be involved. Pizza In Motion and Wandering Aramean report and analyze the new routes.

See details here and here.

Austin to Bermuda Just $379 Round-Trip

American AirlinesBermuda is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, several hundred miles east of South Carolina. The national language is English.

Scott’s Cheap Flights has found Basic Economy fares on American Airlines / Delta of just $379 round-trip.

Bermuda has no rivers or natural lakes, so all water is harvested from rainfall. When you go, notice that every house and commercial building has a white roof that drains into a cistern…that is its only source of water!

Search for your vacation date pairs on Google Flights, and enjoy your visit!