Deal Alert: Last-Minute Weekend Getaways From $49 Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11 p.m. Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
Looking to explore some place new this weekend, but can't bear the thought of high last-minute prices? Well, you're in luck because these low-cost carriers have great last-minute deals to a lot of big cities, as well as many smaller cities.
As we mentioned last week, this deal's a bit different from most deals we post— typically, we try to stray away from low-fare carriers. However, we wanted to have some fun with this one, and you might too, if you're willing to take a spontaneous vacation.
If you're a business-class-only flyer, these fares probably aren't for you. But if you're an adventurous reader aching to go on a trip and willing to pack light, check out these last-minute deals. Be aware of extra fees and restrictions — low-fare airlines like Frontier and Sun Country all charge extra to choose your seat and to bring a large carry-on bag.
Although these low-fare carriers tend to get a bad rap, you may end up pleasantly surprised like TPG himself when he flew Spirit — and he didn't even fly the Big Front Seat. The same goes for Sun Country and Frontier. Bottom line: if you're in the market for cheap tickets and want to get away as soon as this weekend, this is the way to go.
If our example dates and times don't fit your schedule, play around with the dates on Google Flights as there are often other times available for a little more. All of the routes listed have flights available under $150 between August 1-5.
To search, head to Google Flights and enter your origin, destination and stopover 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 through an OTA like Priceline or Expedia.
Airline Spirit, Sun Country, Frontier, United, American, Allegiant
Routes: LAS/MCO/COS/AUS/MSP/CLT/AUS/ATL/BNA/DTW/DFW/CMH/SAV/PHL/TPA to COS/CLT/LAS/MSP/DFW/BWI/DEN/AUS/SAV/MCI/PHX/MYR/GRR/CHS/IAH/MSY
Cost: $59+ round-trip
Travel Dates: August 1-5, 2019
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, American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Las Vegas(LAS) to Colorado Springs (COS) for $49 round-trip on Frontier:
Orlando (MCO) to Charlotte (CLT) for $59 round-trip (when booked separately on Spirit and Frontier):
Colorado Springs (COS) to Las Vegas (LAS) for $77 round-trip on Frontier:
Austin (AUS) to Minneapolis (MSP) for $83 round-trip on (when booked separately on Frontier and Sun Country):
Minneapolis (MSP) to Dallas (DFW) for $87 round-trip on Spirit:
Charlotte (CLT) to Baltimore (BWI) for $93 round-trip on Spirit:
Austin (AUS) to Denver (DEN) for $93 round-trip (when booked separately on Spirit and United):
Atlanta (ATL) to Austin (AUS) for $95 round-trip on Frontier:
Nashville (BNA) to Savannah (SAV) for $111 round-trip on Sun Country:
Detroit (DTW) to Kansas City (MCI) for $114 round-trip on Spirit:
Dallas (DFW) to Phoenix (PHX) for $119 round-trip on Spirit:
Columbus (CMH) to Myrtle Beach (MYR) for $120 round-trip on Spirit:
Savannah (SAV) to Grand Rapids (GRR) for $122 round-trip on Allegiant:
Philadelphia (PHL) to Charleston (CHS) for $135 round-trip on American:
Orlando (MCO) to Houston (IAH) for $139 round-trip on Spirit:
Tampa (TPA) to New Orleans (MSY) for $139 round-trip on Spirit:
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), Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
