Tag: airlines

One of the perks of living here is easy access a major international airport, Hartsfield-Jackson. So how do you score those incredible air fare deals your friends keep getting? It's not as hard as you think.

For decades, airlines have battled for a piece of the Atlanta market, where more than 75 percent of the airport’s traffic comes from Delta and its SkyTeam partners. Southwest nabs another 9.5 percent; the others just nibble at the edges. That said, a few arrivistes are looking to create some turbulence. How they stack up against the titan of the tarmac.

Ed Bastian couldn’t be taking the reins at a more fortuitous time. In 2015 Delta turned an astounding $5.9 billion profit, the company’s best year ever. Of course that kind of success creates expectations.

With low prices from Atlanta to commemorate Southwest’s finalized acquisition of AirTran and cheap fares out of Dallas marking the end of the Wright Amendment, I had the perfect bargain storm. I spent roughly $45 for each of six flights—and earned a companion pass for the low cost of $270.60.

This year brings expanded service at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from Spirit and Frontier, low-fare airlines that are so no-frills they’ll charge you to use the overhead storage. But hey, this is good news, right?

Hopping over the pond to London is about to get a lot hipper. Virgin Atlantic, the British airline founded in 1984 by Sir Richard Branson, will take over a daily route from Delta on October 26.