Late fall and winter domestic flights are on sale from Southwest. Fares start as low as $49 one-way or $98 round-trip, and featured cities include Austin, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Ft. Lauderdale.

This is the first sale Southwest has offered since the announcement of its new fare structure. Be careful when booking because the cheapest nonrefundable fares are all grouped together under the “Wanna Get Away” heading and can range from $49 to $99 within the same column. In my experience, the new “Wanna Get Away” system makes it harder to identify the cheapest prices, as you can no longer count on the “Internet One Way” fares in the far right column being the best.

Southwest’s sale fares are competitive for some routes, but not great for others. Five of the fares were the lowest around (though United matched Southwest’s price for travel between Oakland and Los Angeles), but two were beaten. American offered a $99 round-trip fare for the Providence/Las Vegas route, US Airways beat Southwest’s fare for the Los Angeles/Seattle route, and American, Continental, and Northwest all had lower prices for travel between Baltimore and Orlando. Consider this sale, but be sure to compare prices before booking.

The deal

Travel is valid from November 28 through March 7, 2008.

The cheapest fares are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Book tickets at least 14 days in advance.

The sample fares are available either one-way or round-trip.

Book by November 19, 11:59 PM ET.

Best sample round-trip fares, not including additional taxes and fees, are:$98 between Los Angeles, CA and Oakland, CA on Southwest$194 between Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Dallas, TX on Southwest$198 between Austin, TX and Islip, NY on Southwest$198 between Las Vegas, NV and Providence, RI on Southwest$198 between Philadelphia, PA and Chicago, IL on Southwest$198 between Orlando, FL and Baltimore, MD on Southwest$198 between Seattle, WA and Los Angeles, CA on SouthwestAll prices, dates, and booking details listed here were valid at the time of publication. Some information may have changed since that time.

Find airfares

You can use our price-comparison tool to check for the lowest airfares from multiple travel providers, or go directly to Southwest’s website.

Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or dates. Be flexible with your travel dates to find the lowest fares. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply.

Popularity: 4% [?]