Cheaper Than Eating Out: A Cross-Country Airline Ticket

April 8, 2009 — -- A friend of mine in Los Angeles recently picked up a fast-food meal for two and was mildly shocked at the price (he doesn't get out much) -- the tab was close to $14.

Here's something even more shocking: For the same money, he could have flown from Los Angeles to New York on JetBlue.

Crazy times call for crazy measures and that one-day promotion by JetBlue got the message out that cheap airfare is available. And you better believe the airlines want that message out there -- they need to get more bodies on their planes.

The name of the game is traffic. While some airlines are seeing a little movement in the numbers of passengers in the skies, it's generally been a grim year -- and the upcoming summer season, normally a busy season, may be a bust. To paraphrase that 1960s challenge, what if they gave an airfare sale and nobody came?

For more air travel deals and insights visit Rick's blog at: farecompare.com

Call it, the New Fear of Flying. It's got nothing to do with white knuckles or bird strikes -- and everything to do with the economy.

I've canvassed people I know in California, Connecticut, Virginia and Utah -- and they are hesitating. Either they feel guilty about spending any money at all because of a job loss in the family -- or they fear they could be next on the layoff list.

Lori, a 30-something who lost her job in the advertising field this year, said, "The economy has totally affected my travel plans. I won't be booking anything until I find a full-time gig." She added emphatically, "It blows!"

Understood. Involuntary layoffs have reached insane levels. And yet … the travel industry is falling all over itself, doing everything possible to get folks out of the house. You already know about the airlines -- it's deals, deals, deals -- and not surprisingly, JetBlue sold out all 1,800 tickets during its one-day $14 sale within hours.

But it's more than deals. Some airlines are dropping the usual 14- and 7-day advance purchase requirements, and the recent Southwest "Easter Sale" offered exceedingly cheap airfare with just a three-day advance purchase.