Cross-country flights from $58 one-way on major carriers, including Southwest
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Miss your family on the other coast already? You can fly cross-country right now from just $58 one-way. All the cheapest flights we've found in January and February are between Baltimore and Los Angeles: Spirit has the cheapest fares at $58 one-way, while Southwest's lowest fares begin at $82 one-way. The lowest fares on Big 3 carriers begin at $84 on American, and $153 round-trip on United. LAX to JFK begins at $197 round-trip on JetBlue.
According to Google, round-trip flights typically average $100-400 higher than these sale prices.
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Many of these fares are on low-cost carriers or begin in basic economy, which means different things to different airlines. But you may not have free use of the overhead bins for a carry-on bag, and you probably won't be able to select your seat, get an upgrade, or earn PQM/PQS/PQDs. However, it's possible to defeat many of basic economy's negative aspects by having elite status or a cobranded credit card. And as always, Southwest fares include two checked bags for free at any price point.
To find a deal, head to Google Flights and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an OTA like Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: Southwest, Spirit, American, Frontier, Delta
Routes: between BWI/BOS/ and LAX/SAN/ and more
Cost: from $58 one-way in basic economy or on low-cost carriers
Dates: January-February 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Here are some examples of specific flights that are available:
Baltimore (BWI) to San Diego (LAX) round-trip on Spirit via Google for $128:
Boston (BOS) to San Diego (SAN) round-trip on Spirit via Google for $141:
Baltimore (BWI) to Los Angeles (LAX) round-trip on United basic economy for $153:
Philadelphia (PHL) to Sacramento (SMF) round-trip on Spirit via Google for $154:
Baltimore (BWI) to Los Angeles (LAX) round-trip on United basic economy for $153:
Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Seattle (SEA) round-trip on Delta basic economy for $177:
Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) round-trip nonstop on JetBlue for $197:
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this guide for more on maximizing airfare purchases.