$28 fares mark Southwest anniversary

Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 3, 2007 at midnight

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Southwest Airlines is launching a sale today featuring one-way tickets from Denver to several cities for as little as $28, among the lowest airfares offered here in recent memory, observers say.

Sale fares cover the nine cities Southwest serves nonstop from Denver as well as some destinations that require a layover.

The $28 tickets are for flights to and from Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Kansas City, the airline said. Sale prices to other destinations are somewhat higher.

There is a catch, however.

Southwest is offering the fares at various times over seven days through its Ding! program, which consumers must download to their desktops for free from the airline's Web site. Fares will appear in a pop-up window as they become available. The sale fares don't include taxes and some fees, and most are available for travel only on certain days of the week into spring.

"There will be different fares offered each day, and each is for a different time range," said Southwest spokeswoman Paula Berg. "One might be in March or April, one might be now through the beginning of May."

Fare sales are common in the airline industry, and several carriers - including United Airlines - have launched them in the past few days. Frontier Airlines will start a three-day Web sale today featuring one-way tickets to Mexico and Canada for as low as $99 each way, not including taxes and fees.

But observers say Southwest's Denver-specific sale is particularly notable.

"Anything under the $200 range for a round-trip ticket would be considered a very good airfare by most standards," said Tom Parsons, who runs travel site Bestfares.com. "It sounds like you couldn't ask for a better deal than this."

The sale is tied to Southwest's celebration of its one-year anniversary in Denver. The carrier started service here Jan. 3, 2006, with 13 flights to three cities. It now has 33 flights to nine cities and plans to add a fifth gate at Denver International Airport in March.

"We're far from done in Denver," Gary Kelly, Southwest's chief executive officer, said Tuesday.

Fares on most of Southwest's nonstop routes from Denver have dropped since the carrier arrived here. But its latest sale fares are still substantially less than current prices. A quick Internet search found one-way fares between Denver and Las Vegas, for instance, for about $50 before taxes and fees.

Observers said they expect United Airlines and Frontier Airlines to match the sale, possibly by offering deals for a longer period of time.

But you'll probably have to be ready to move quickly to get Southwest's lowest sale fares, advised Robert Polk of Cherry Creek-based Polk Majestic Travel.

"The number of seats you're going to have at that $28 level," Polk said, "will probably be small."

Plan that picture postcard getaway

For $56, Southwest Airlines customers who meet certain conditions can travel to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Kansas City, leaving plenty of cash in their pockets for entertainment. Here are some things to consider doing:

• KANSAS CITY

Things to do: Stop by the Blue Room for some jazz for about $15 or visit the Harley-Davidson Assembly Plant

Average January temperature: 25

• PHOENIX

Things to do: Play a round of golf at Gold Canyon Golf Course for $189 or check out the Heard Museum, with its more than 32,000 pieces of cultural and fine art. There are permanent exhibits, like the famous Barry Goldwater collection of kachina dolls.

Average January temperature: 66

• SALT LAKE CITY

Things to do: Spend a day skiing at Park City, just outside the city, for $77, or visit the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Average January temperature: 29

• LAS VEGAS

Things to do: Go to Cirque Du Soleil's O aquatic show at the Bellagio Hotel for $100 to $150 or go to the Penske Wynn Ferrari Maserati museum.

Average January temperature: 45

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744

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