The year is almost over and if you’ve yet to sneak in a little vacation, now is the time to do it with Southwest Airlines’ irresistible 72-hour sale. From now until October 29, customers can take advantage of incredibly low one-way fares to all of Southwest Airlines’ destinations.

For travel up to 375 miles, fares are $25 one-way; destinations between 375 and 549 miles from originating city are just $50 one-way; for travel between 550 and 999 miles, fares are $75 one-way; and, just in case you want your dreams of traveling across the country to take flight, destinations more than 1,000 miles from the originating city are only $100 each way. Are your bags packed yet?

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It’s no newsflash that airplanes comprise one of the most polluting means of modern travel: just consider the exorbitant amount of toxic gases jet engines cough into the atmosphere. In light of the drastically fluctuating fuel prices and environmental concerns of late, a desire to curb emissions and find alternative sources for jet fuel has not escaped the airline industry. Just last week, Qatar Airways powered the world’s first commercial flight using fuel made from natural gas – no surprise, given that the country is home to one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves. Believing “environmental decisions aren’t just good business sense, but the right thing to do,” Southwest Airlines is one of the first carriers thinking beyond the fuel-filled box. Yesterday, the airline debuted its first “green” plane, with its inaugural flight having occured last night between Dallas (where Southwest is headquartered) and Seattle. Read the rest of this post »

Yesterday, the FAA proposed a staggering $9.2 million in total fines against United and US Airways for skirting its (not to mention their own) safety procedures – doling out pecuniary penalties of $3.8 million to United (for flying a Boeing 737 hundreds of times with towels covering engine oil sumps, instead of protective caps) and $5.4 million to US Airways (which operated over a thousand flights during the past year on aircraft that violated official maintenance procedures). Read the rest of this post »

Many of us remember 2006’s total flop, Snakes on a Plane, but this summer, creepy critters have been moving off the silver screen for real-life sightings on recent EgyptAir and Southwest Airlines flights. The most recent and shocking of these incidents was the appearance of an escaped baby crocodile (though other reports have dubbed it a desert lizard) on an Egyptair flight last week, which, airline sources speculate, must have crawled out of a passenger’s illicit carry-on luggage – needless to say, panic ensued on the flight from the United Arab Emirates. Read the rest of this post »

It was a close call for a Southwest flight flying from Nashville to Baltimore on Monday evening, when at 30,000 feet in the air, a 1-foot by 1-foot hole mysteriously appeared near the overheard storage bin of the Boeing 737-300. The unexpected sky view prompted a loss in cabin pressure; reportedly calm passengers donned oxygen masks while the plane descended for a successful emergency landing in West Virginia (hear the 911 control tower calls here). While the origin of the hole has yet to be explained, Southwest inspected nearly 200 of its Boeing fleet since the incident as a precautionary measure. 

Cue the entrance music – Southwest Airlines has finally touched down at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (as we first reported back in April). As of Sunday, New Yorkers can enjoy non-stop service to Chicago and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., as well as direct and connecting flights to over 45 domestic destinations that the low-cost carrier flies to.

To kick off the celebration with a unique twist on pre-flight announcements, check out rapping flight attendant David Holmes (above) spit out some rhymes to an amused audience.

Delta, US Airways, Continental, American, United, and even budget airline Southwest have all jumped on the fare-hike bandwagon over the course of the past several weeks, bringing about a $10 fare increase (each way) for their domestic routes. Delta has also announced a $10 to $40 rate increase (each way) for select international flights. While consumers had been enjoying significantly reduced fares compared to the highs seen in 2008, airlines’ battle with rising jet fuel prices and drops in business travel have led to this response.

What would you suggest airlines do to cut costs without raising fares?

Come November 1, Southwest will be touching down at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport. The budget carrier has scheduled at least one flight daily between Milwaukee and Baltimore, Kansas City, Orlando, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Phoenix – intro fares will start from just $35 (sale ends June 26). Officials at Southwest and Mitchell alike hope that the new service will reinvigorate travel in and out of the Milwaukee area, bringing much needed income to the region, while also offsetting the plunge in revenue reported by Southwest in the first quarter of this year.

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In honor of Southwest’s 38th anniversary, the airline is offering low fares from just $38 each way. The catch? These bargain summer flights are only available until 9pm today through the airline’s free downloadable DING! desktop application. Sign up today to take advantage of this last-minute special offer and receive regular updates on affordable fares to popular U.S. locales.

Sample one-way fares, valid for travel July 7 through August 31, include:

•    New York LaGuardia to Baltimore/Washington: $38
•    Los Angeles to the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose): $38
•    Philadelphia to Pittsburgh: $38

Southwest Airlines has opened up its cabin doors to passengers’ furry pals, courtesy of its brand-new P.A.W.S (Pets Are Welcome on Southwest) policy, which permits small cats and dogs in cabin for a $75 fee. While P.A.W.S has triggered delight from pet owners nationwide, it’s also resulted in a whine from customers suffering from pet allergies, afraid of the inescapable dander soon-to-be onboard. Several other commercial airlines (like Jet Blue, AirTran, and United, to name a few) have allowed pets in the cabin for quite some time, however, and serious allergy problems, if they’ve been reported, have not proved to be a large enough issue to lead to cancellations of the policy. Southwest also plans to maintain a five pet-per-plane limitation to keep noise, odor, and allergies under control. Read the rest of this post »