Internet sales prove boon for airlines

USA Today

Airlines are bracing for a last-minute Web-site blitz this weekend from fare sales that are generating record Internet purchases.

Delta Air Lines, which initiated a sale June 25 with an extra 20 percent off for tickets bought over the Internet, reports that 163,000 trips worth $43 million were sold last week on delta.com. It was the greatest single week of sales ever.

The second day of the sale broke the single-day record: 32,000 tickets sold.

Other major carriers matched Delta's deal, boosting traffic at their Internet sites. The sale ends Sunday, which could lead to a last-minute buying rush.

Buyers also are being tempted by other offers that are being widely matched. One Southwest Airlines offer features a $198 coast-to-coast round trip.

Airlines that say their Internet sales have soared because of the deep discounting:

• Northwest. Sales at nwa.com leaped 30 percent above normal because Northwest is virtually matching the Delta offer. Bookings were aided by a family travel special that Northwest also offered.

• Alaska. Sales jumped 33 percent above normal on alaskaair.com when the Delta sale began.

• US Airways. It has seen "a significant increase" in Web bookings and visits to usairways.com as a result of its match of the Delta sale, spokesman David Castelveter says.

The sales provide an extra boost for airline Web sites, which were already thriving. American Airlines reported that its aa.com recently hit 750,000 daily visits, a 165 percent increase over last year.

Airlines are actively urging potential customers to use their Web sites because the airlines save $15 to $25 on every transaction compared with the same booking through a travel agent, says Lorraine Sileo of Internet travel research firm PhoCusWright.

She predicts that $14.2 billion in airline tickets will be bought online this year, up 58 percent from $9 billion last year.