FARE GAME; FRENZY JOINED AS AIRLINES MAKE DEEP CUTS TO ATTRACT TRAVELERS.Byline: Cliff Edwards Cliff Edwards (14 June, 1895 - 17 July, 1971), also known as "Ukelele Ike", was an American singer and musician who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Just a week after raising fares, the nation's major airlines on Tuesday began offering steep discounts for summer vacationers. Major airlines quickly matched the sale by United Airlines, the nation's No. 1 carrier, on leisure domestic and international tickets. Analysts said the airlines brought on the fare war by adding too many planes to fleets too quickly, leaving many seats empty. Wall Street expressed its disapproval to the fare cuts by sending airline company stocks lower. Under the promotion, consumers would see the best savings on tickets purchased in advance for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. In some cases, those traveling in parties of three could pay less for all their tickets combined than one full-fare ticket cost earlier this year after prices jumped 11 percent. ``The real winners here are those in larger parties and those flying coast to coast, amounting to savings in some cases of 55 percent,'' said Tom Parsons Parsons, city (1990 pop. 11,924), Labette co., SE Kans.; inc. 1871. It is a shipping point for dairy products, grain, and livestock. Manufactures include ammunition, wire and paper products, plastics, and appliances. , editor of Bestfares.com, an Internet travel company. ``The major airlines haven't given us a 55 percent discount in many, many moons, so people should sit down and consider these will probably be the best fares of the summer,'' Parsons said. For example, ticket prices for a round trip from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. fell to $398 from as high as $622 earlier this month. And a fellow traveler fellow traveler n. One who sympathizes with or supports the tenets and program of an organized group, such as the Communist Party, without being a member. Noun 1. could fly that route for an additional $258. United also capped advanced round-trip domestic tickets for the remaining travel days at $498. The promotion, in which tickets must be purchased by June 18, applies to travel through the end of September. The sale is similar to a more restricted promotion launched last week by Northwest Airlines that was due to expire in a few days. In addition to the Northwest cuts, the latest promotion allows for travel on Saturdays and sets no age limit on companion travel. The fare war undercuts a 4 percent boost in ticket prices instituted last week by major airlines and comes as the carriers are finding an unexpectedly large number of empty seats despite strong summer bookings. Thirteen percent of Americans are expected to fly this summer, up 3 percent from a year ago, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Travel Industry Association of America. The fare war also comes after United parent UAL UAL United Airlines (ICAO code) UAL Unified Accelerator Library (Brookhaven National Laboratory) UAL User Account Lockdown UAL User Access Layer UAL Universal Auxiliary Language UAL User Agent Layer Corp. and US Airways Group US Airways Group Inc. NYSE: LCC is the Tempe, Arizona-based airline holding company that operates US Airways, US Airways Express and America West Airlines. It also operates additional companies that provide associated services. , the sixth-largest carrier, warned that second-quarter profits will fall below Wall Street expectations because of weak demand. Airlines, flush To empty the contents of a memory buffer. See buffer. Flush Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s spaniel, subject of a biography. [Br. Lit.: Woolf Flush in Barnhart, 446] See : Dogs (data) flush with success from three years of record profits, recently went on a plane-buying spree and have been adding flights faster than they retire older planes. New planes have been arriving as May bookings came up unexpectedly short. Traffic industrywide in·dus·try·wide adv. & adj. Throughout an entire industry: sales that have decreased industrywide; industrywide cooperation. rose 1.4 percent, less than a third of the 3.7 percent capacity increase. And the amount of plane seats filled, called the load factor, posted the sharpest monthly decline since mid-1993, at 1.6 percentage points. Aviation analyst Samuel Buttrick at PaineWebber said airlines also have been hurt as companies better manage travel expenses for their employees. Airlines generally court business travelers because tickets cost far more than leisure fares. ``Corporations are gaining leverage in managing travel expenses by increasingly opting for advanced purchases, negotiated discounts with preferred carriers and using the Internet as a booking tool,'' Buttrick said. ``With the Internet, they now have a booking tool that allows them - and consumers - to access the lowest fares for a particular itinerary.'' United spokesman Joe Hopkins said consumers who previously purchased tickets under the old fares can get a travel credit for the difference or can get a cash refund TO REFUND. To pay back by the party who has received it, to the party who has paid it, money which ought not to have been paid. 2. On a deficiency of assets, executors and administrators cum testamento annexo, are entitled to have refunded to them legacies after paying a $75 ticket-change fee. Airline shares tumbled on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. . UAL's stock fell $2.5625, or by 3.9 percent, to $63.8125 a share. American's stock fell $2, or 2.9 percent, to $67.6875 a share, while Delta fell $1.0625, or 1.7 percent, to $59.9375 a share. SKY'S THE LIMIT Some sample round-trip air fares, after a June 1 price increase of 4 percent, and after a sale announced Tuesday by United Airlines and matched by other major carriers: New York to Los Angeles After June 1 increase: $622 After latest sale: $398, companion $258 Boston to Los Angeles After June 1 increase: $720 After latest sale: $398, companion $258 Chicago to Dallas After June 1 increase: $394 After latest sale: $268, companion $198 New York to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden After June 1 increase: $684 After latest sale: $398, companion $258 Denver to Washington, D.C. After June 1 increase: $527 After latest sale: $368, companion $198 Pittsburgh to Nashville, Tenn. After June 1 increase: $275 After latest sale: $188, companion $98 CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO (Color) Major airlines quickly matched the sale by United Airlines, the nation's No. 1 carrier, on leisure domestic and international tickets. Beth A. Keiser/Associated Press BOX: SKY`S THE LIMIT (see text) |
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