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On Tuesday, three US budget airlines, led by Southwest, introduced some of the lowest airfares seen in the country in years.

One way fares on Southwest are being offered at just $30 on distances up to 400 miles, at $60 on routes up to 750 miles and at $90 on longer distances. The prices are applicable for travel between September 9 and November 18, and are exclusive of taxes and fees.

AirTran and Frontier have announced airfares that are nearly as low, and other carriers are rushing to match the new fares.

The special deals are short-term offerings, however. To qualify for these fares on Southwest, passengers must buy tickets before midnight on Wednesday, although the window for purchasing AirTran tickets for off-peak travel through November 11 lasts through Thursday.

Frontier Airlines is offering its reduced fares through July 14, for travel from August 10 through January 15, 2010.

Tom Parson, the CEO of Texas-based BestFares.com, said: “This is the biggest, best fare sale of the year,” adding that the fares on Southwest constitute “the kind of sale you write Mom about. Heck, it’s the kind of sale you fly in Mom for a visit.”

The special fares hail back to the mid-1990s, when low airfares were introduced to lure passengers in the travel slump that followed the Gulf War.

Thanks to www.usatoday.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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