If you’re thinking of taking a quick trip somewhere, Labor Day weekend may be the time.
Many airlines serving Chicago — including volume leaders United and American — are offering heavily discounted fares to selected cities with minimal restrictions to fill seats normally used primarily by business travelers.
The key catch: You must leave Aug. 29-31 and return Aug. 31-Sept. 2, with lowest prices for arrivals and departures from noon Aug. 30 through noon Sept. 1.
Tickets must be purchased at least three days in advance and are nonrefundable. That’s it. And savings can be substantial.
Example: At midweek, United was offering a round-trip fare between O’Hare and Denver at $236 with a 21-day advance purchase; during this sale, that drops to as low as $138 during this sale.
Another: Current round-trip fares on American to Phoenix, $346 with a 14-day advance purchase (and $502 with a seven-day advance), plummet to as little as $168 during this sale. That rises to $208 if you leave Aug. 29 or return Sept. 2 (or after noon on Sept. 1), but it’s still a good deal.
Chicago-New York fares are as low as $138 — $10 more than Greyhound’s standard weekend bus fare.
“Monday is usually a big business travel day,” said Mary Jo Holland, a United spokeswoman. “But when you’ve got the holiday built in, there’s some availability there that people can capitalize on.
“We’re just trying to provide the traveler with the opportunity to get in a last summer vacation.”