Posts
LOW-COST carriers in the United States started out with a domestic agenda, mostly serving shorter routes with no first-class frills like multicourse meals or seats that fold out to beds.
Readers’ Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
But as these carriers have grown, their focus has shifted from America to the Americas, with JetBlue flying as far south as Colombia and Spirit offering service to Peru. Even Southwest has expanded overseas by buying AirTran Airways, which flies to Mexico and half a dozen Caribbean countries.
“They see a void in the market, and they feel they can fill it,” said Henry Harteveldt, travel analyst and co-founder of Atmosphere Research Group. “They’re saying the rest of the world doesn’t belong to network airlines,” he added, referring to carriers like Delta and United.
For travelers, more competition south of the border often means lower fares, but the trade-off may involve accepting a connection instead of a direct flight. Still, Latin America offers something Europe and Asia might not see for a while: low-cost flights from the United States.
JetBlue
JetBlue has been a major player in the Caribbean for years, and it recently opened a terminal at San Juan’s international airport in Puerto Rico, which it now serves nonstop from 10 cities in the United States, including Boston, Kennedy Airport in New York and Newark. But JetBlue is beginning to make a push farther south with new routes to Colombia and flights to Liberia and San José in Costa Rica.
On Nov. 2, JetBlue plans to introduce a nonstop flight from Kennedy Airport to Cartagena, Colombia, with introductory fares as low as $149 one way. It already flies from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., to Bogotá, and from New York and Orlando to Costa Rica (with connecting service from other cities).
Scott Laurence, JetBlue’s vice president for network planning, said the airline looks for destinations “where the fares were very high and we were able to come in and stimulate new traffic.”
In the first 15 months after JetBlue began service from Orlando to Bogotá, the airline said the average fare fell 41 percent and the number of passengers flying that route increased 300 percent.
But a couple of factors limit where JetBlue and its low-cost competitors can fly: the range of their aircraft — which can’t make it all the way to Brazil or Argentina — and treaties with countries that dictate which airlines are allowed to fly there.
Brazil does not yet have a full “open skies” treaty with the United States, so American carriers cannot necessarily add routes there, but Colombia has been opening up its airspace more quickly.
A nonstop round-trip ticket from Fort Lauderdale to Bogotá, leaving Nov. 3, was recently available for $366. For a Dec. 8 departure from Kennedy, to Costa Rica (one of a few nonstop options from New York to Latin America on JetBlue), the round-trip fare available in late August was $497.
If you don’t want a missed connection to delay your winter getaway, check the route map to see where you can go without a stopover, and book at least a couple of months in advance for the best fares.
Spirit
Most of Spirit’s nonstop service to the Caribbean and Latin America is from Fort Lauderdale, but for passengers willing to accept a connection, Spirit offers cheap flights to many destinations south of the United States.
“We were kind of the pathfinder for low-cost carriers to the region,” said Barry Biffle, Spirit’s chief marketing officer. “We fly to every country in Central America with the exception of Belize.”
Spirit has been expanding its international service from other markets, and plans to fly from San Diego to Los Cabos beginning Nov. 8 and from Dallas/Fort Worth to Cancúnin April. For a mid-January trip from Chicago to Cancún, the round-trip fare was $378, which included a stop in Fort Lauderdale.
But that price did not include a $30 fee for one carry-on and another $33 for one checked bag — both charged each way. It also didn’t include fees to select a seat ($56 for the whole itinerary), bringing the total to $560 with those options. In other words, if you travel light and don’t care where you sit, Spirit is the best deal.
“I think travelers who take Spirit know that in exchange for these inexpensive airfares, you are trading comfort and convenience,” Mr. Harteveldt said. “You’re going to have to stop, and you’re going to have to pay to bring your bag.”
Since other carriers often price their fares based on low-cost competition, it’s worth checking around. A nonstop fare from Chicago to Cancún on American for the same dates cost $457, with no charge for a carry-on or a checked bag. (JetBlue also allows a free checked bag.)
Southwest/AirTran
Southwest’s purchase of AirTran Airways put it on the global map, with service to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. For now, the flights are on AirTran, but Southwest is laying the groundwork for its own international service by purchasing planes that can fly longer distances, negotiating new labor contracts and successfully campaigning for an international terminal at Hobby Airport in Houston.
“By mid-2015 we expect to be offering Southwest metal flying to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and perhaps eventually northern South America,” said Brad Hawkins, a Southwest spokesman.
This spring AirTran added new nonstop routes to Cancún from Chicago, Denver, San Antonio and Austin, as well as service from Orange County, California, to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City.
A nonstop AirTran flight from Atlanta to Cancún on Dec. 1 was recently available for $364 (plus a $20 fee for a checked bag, each way). With all of these carriers, the key is to check the route map to see if they serve an airport near you, then plan your vacation around where they fly.
Other Airlines
With more competition coming into the region, carriers like American, Delta and United are making their own moves to attract passengers. American has introduced nonstop service from Miami to Manaus, Brazil, the jumping-off point for an Amazon trip, and has flights to Mexico on sale if you book by Nov. 6. A late January nonstop trip from Kennedy Airport to Cancún was recently available for $436 round trip. United began service from Newark to Buenos Aires this spring. In early September, round-trip flights on multiple dates in October and November started at $1,152; fly midweek for the lowest fares.
Foreign carriers are another option worth considering, and they often belong to global alliances so you can earn miles for your trip in a United States partner’s frequent flier program.
“LAN often has great deals that nobody else matches,” said George Hobica, founder ofAirfarewatchdog.com, which alerts travelers about deals. A recent spotting: fall flights toManaus from dozens of American cities, including Philadelphia and San Francisco, for less than $600 round trip.
“A lot of the advertised sales just last for a few days now,” Mr. Hobica said. “When they have a sale the seats go very quickly. That’s the best time to pounce.”
No comments:
Post a Comment