Airline Web sites with Last-Minute Deals

A primary piece of advice for people seeking good airfares is to find out which flights have empty seats. It's fairly safe to say that the airlines aren't going to share this information with you directly.

Sometimes you can find good fares on sites dedicated to deals. For example, Site 59 says you'll save up to 70% on Last Minute Travel packages. Bargains can be found there for people with flexible schedules.

But the airlines themselves will tell you where the seats are empty by discounting selected routes and posting "special deals," "hot deals," or some other marketing-driven offering.

To save you time in your planning, we've linked many of those special deals pages for major airlines here. Don't make the mistake of thinking the "deals" or "promotions" are strictly hype. They are worth scanning at the start of your shopping experience.

These listings are organized by continent, beginning with North America below:

Aero Mexico flies from cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas to many points in Mexico and beyond.

Air Canada offers some great fares from major Canadian cities to other parts of the world.

AirTran serves most of the United States, with its greatest strength along the east coast.

Alaska Airlines offers flights throughout the western U.S., Canada, Mexico and parts of the eastern U.S.

Aloha Airlines ceased operations on April 1, 2008. Information about refunds can be found at this link or with the U.S. Department of Transportation

American Airlines is a major national carrier. Click "Net sAAver and Special Offers."

ATA should not be confused with AirTran. ATA ceased operations on April 3, 2008. Information about refunds can be found at this link or with the U.S. Department of Transportation

Continental is a major airline serving 292 destinations in the U.S. and worldwide.

Delta Airlines has hubs in Orlando, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati and Atlanta.

First Air is a Canadian airline providing scheduled passenger service between 24 northern communities with connections to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa.

Frontier serves locations throughout the U.S. as well as Mexico and Calgary in Canada.

Hawaiian Airlines flies between its namesake islands, Tahiti and the western U.S.

Island Air flies within the Hawaiian islands.

JetBlue is a budget airline with hubs in Boston, JFK, Dulles, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach and Oakland.

Mexicana Airlines serves North America from its Mexican base.

Midwest Airlines features a variety of non-stop flights throughout the U.S.

Northwest Airlines is a major carrier with hubs in Memphis, Detroit, and Minneapolis-St. Paul in the U.S., Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Southwest offers budget prices and the opportunity to book on short notice without a huge penalty. Sometimes their deals pages are filled with package travel deals, but it's worth a look.

Spirit Airlines offers "Red Light Specials" that might be expired on the day you visit their site. Spirit flies between the U.S. and Caribbean tourist destinations.

Ted is United's budget carrier, but they offer a deals page that goes beyond their regular rate cuts.

United Airlines is a major carrier in the U.S. that frequently offers good deals from its Chicago hub.

U.S. Airways is a major carrier serving 230 destinations worldwide.

Virgin America started selling tickets in July 2007 for service in Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington (Dulles) and New York (JFK).

Volaris serves domestic cities in Mexico and although there is no deals page, it offers some sale fares on the home page. Site is in Spanish only.

WestJet is a Canadian carrier offering deals between cities in that country and in the U.S.

Zoom Airlines offers transatlantic service from eight Canadian cities to Glasgow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast in the UK, and from Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver to Paris.

Other Continents

South American and Caribbean Airlines

European Airlines

African and Middle Eastern Airlines

Asian and Australian Airlines