The cost of being a university student soon add up, from books and tuition to rent and meals. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for deals on stuff you need around here. And if you’re interested in traveling either to get home or somewhere warm, AirTran definitely has a deal you should check out.
AirTran is back with its “AirTran U” program, now in its 3rd year, this is a deal that allows students age 18 to 22 to fly standby for a mere $69 one way. AirTran operates in 58 cities, the only cities you can’t fly to for this program are San Juan and Cancun Mexico. Important to note, longer haul coast to coast flights cost $99.
The way the program works is pretty simple. You just choose your destination, dates, and times you want to fly. Then arrive at the AirTran ticket counter at least two hours before the scheduled flight departure with your student I.D., pay $69, and If a seat is available after the final boarding call, you get that seat. If you don’t get a seat you’ll have to wait for the next available flight, so patience is a virtue. Here are some other tips:
- Try Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays as these are the quietest travel days.
- The following dates are blacked out this year for the AirTran U program: February 13, 16; April 3–5, 9, 10, 19; May 22, 25; June 21, 26, 28; July 3, 5, 12; November 25, 28–30. The last date for travel is December 17, 2009.
- You’ll have to pay the standby fee for all ’segments’. Each segment is one leg of the trip, so non-stop flights will save you the most money.
- As an AirTran U customer, you can only take one carry-on and one personal item.
- You don’t actually have to be a student in school, just be between the ages of 18-22. A student ID is a valid form of identification though.
To see where AirTran flies from closest to you, check out their interactive flight map.
Links:
