I stumbled upon a great article today from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that had to do with airlines using social media to market cheap last minute flights. Sure enough I searched for JetBlue (who they mention in the article) and they do have a facebook fan page with weekly last minute specials. Trying to do anything last minute is difficult because of work schedules and other planned activities, but if there is a cheap enough flight to Chicago, which is where my sister lives, I will make it happen. I also noticed that JetBlue flies into the Sarasota, Tampa, Ft. Myers, and the Orlando airports so that gives me more options too. It makes sense for the airlines to use social media for marketing because #1 it is free and #2 it is instant communication. Search “JetBlue Airways” on facebook to find their fan page and follow them on Twitter at “jetbluecheeps”. You can view the rest of the article here.
UPDATE 5-31-10
NBC Nightly News ran a story on 5/31/10 called “Summer Getaways”with reporter Chris Jansing about the expense of flying this summer. Check out the facts and stats below:
- Travelocity.com estimates the average ticket for peak summer travel will cost 19% more, up from $391 in the summer of ’09 to $465 this year
- Airlines have parked over 500 flights because they are cash strapped creating more demand for fewer seats
Bargains rules are:
- Cheaper to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday
- Check alt airports like Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami and Oakland instead of San Francisco
- Stay in Business hotels on the weekends
- and Resort hotels on weekdays
- Recently JetBlue used Twitter to get the word out that they had flights from Long Beach, CA to Salt Lake City, UT for $10
- Save money by not checking bags
Just thought I would share some good traveling info about flying this summer.
Remember to “Contact Me” if you have Real Estate interests in Sarasota and the Bradenton Florida area.