Airfare Deals

Aer Lingus allows customers to pay for cash fares using Avios and for the next 72 hours, the number of Avios that Aer Lingus will charge you has been cut by 50%. Ordinarily, these "Pay with Avios" deals aren't worth considering but with a 50% discount, things start to look interesting.

The pound has plummeted and the cost of fuel has sky-rocketed so I didn't have particularly high hopes when I heard that British Airways has just launched a new "Luxury Sale". To my surprise, however, it looks like there may be one or two deals here that are worth a closer look. There's nothing spectacular, but given the direction that prices have been going recently, this could have been considerably more depressing!

American Express Member Week starts today (it runs through Friday) and the flight deals teased last week are now live. Deals with airlines like Etihad, Qatar, Airways, Finnair, and Delta are all available but be aware that some airlines are only offering deals for some of Amex's higher-end cards.

Southwest has launched a flash sale in which it's offering fares from an amazing $29 one-way. The sale only runs through 6 October and as usual, there are a lot of terms and conditions to navigate (e.g. you can only travel on select days of the week if you want to book the best fares), but a quick look at some of the deals on offer shows that there's definitely value to be had here.

British Airways has just announced a flash sale in which it's selling 600,000 short-haul seats for under £39 each way. The sale applies to flights to Europe departing from Heathrow and Gatwick and ends at midnight (UK time) on 26 September.

We don't normally see many good Business Class deals for travel that originates in the UK but Air France is currently running a sale that may be worth a closer look. If you're expecting amazing fares to all Air France destinations you may be a little disappointed but with most major regions covered in one way or another and with roundtrip long-haul fares starting at under £1,300, this is a good sale by UK standards.

It's the middle of the month and that means that Singapore Airlines has published its latest set of KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes deals and, frankly, the airline may as well not have bothered. Most of this year's Spontaneous Escapes deals have been less than stellar but this set plumbs new depths that I didn't think we would see. Read on only if you're ready for serious disappointment.

Alaska Airlines is currently promoting a sale for travel between the West Coast and destinations in Hawaii and Mexico. The sale has less than two days to run (it ends tomorrow) but with one-way fares still available from $99, some very good deals remain available.

Singapore Airlines has published its Spontaneous Escapes deals for travel in August and while the airline is still offering an attractive 30% discount on awards booked on select routes, the number of routes offering discounted Business Class awards and/or discounted Premium Economy awards continues to be disappointing.

Qatar Airways has just launched a new promotion in which it's offering Privilege Club members up to 20% off Economy and Business Class fares from Europe to various destinations including destinations in Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.