Cancun flights for $1, but is it really a deal?

Ends Friday: Cancun flights for $1, but is it really a deal?

--- Last updated: 03/08/06 at 11:38 am ET

USA3000, a small airline serving Florida and the Caribbean from a
handful of East Coast and Midwest cities, is advertising $1 Cancun
fares. Is it possible to actually book these $1 fares, or is it an
advertising bait and switch? We investigated, and the results may
surprise you.

In reading the fine print, you find out that the $1 fares are only
valid to Cancun, and return flights begin at $199, not including taxes
and fees. The $1 flights were available for every departure city
included in the sale (Buffalo, Cincinnati, New York, and
Philadelphia), but adding taxes and fees brought the $1 fare to about
$46. Add in the $199 return flight, and you're looking at a $290
round-trip flight, including taxes.

To see if the overall price is a deal, we compared it with flights
available on Travelocity. USA3000's prices came out on top for each
route we checked, by as much as $277. This offer may be a good deal,
but it represents the misleading advertising that some airlines
practice: promoting low prices that aren't really that low. USA3000's
$1 flights do exist, but you must book a $200 round-trip return flight
to take advantage of them. Currently, the government regulates
airlines' advertising, but if a new proposal from the Department of
Transportation is adopted, you can expect even less truth in
advertising by the airlines.

The deal

Travel is valid through March 31. Book tickets by March 10.

Sample round-trip fares to Cancun, not including additional taxes and
fees, a

* $200 from Buffalo
* $200 from Cincinnati
* $200 from New York (Newark)
* $200 from Philadelphia

All prices, dates, and booking details listed here were valid at the
time of publication. Some information may have changed since that
time.

Find airfares

To find the lowest prices for your route, you can compare airfares
from multiple sources at BookingBuddy.com, a sister site of
SmarterTravel.com, or go directly to USA3000's website and click on
"Book Now."

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.

http://www.smartertravel.com/air/dea...9&u=SL4F6B4DC5

===
"Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, Dance like nobody's watching..."
-- Richard Leigh
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account