Travelers are going to pack the planes at Northwest Arkansas National Airport during spring break week, but some of Arkansans’ best opportunities for great deals come shortly after everyone else comes home.
How does $98 roundtrip to Tampa sound?
Too steep? You’ve GOT to be kidding!
How about $89 to Orlando, $81 to New Orleans or $69 to Fort Lauderdale? Would you believe there are two deals even less expensive than those?
FareFlightNWA this morning used Google Flights to find the best airfares for trips between March 23 and April 18, finding great fares specifically because the volume of travelers will be way less than during Northwest Arkansas’ primary spring break week (March 20-24).
The least-expensive deals are all on low-cost carriers, and the fees for checked bags, carry-ons, seat selection and priority boarding should be considered. But even with the fees, the cost of traveling the low-cost carriers is way less expense than the legacy carriers.
Also, keep in mind that fares change often. After a few people purchase a trip from XNA to a certain place, it’s probable that the fare will be higher for the next buyers.
These are our Super 6 Favorite Deals for less than $100 in rank order. We’ll start with No. 6 and end with No. 1, a trip that’s selling for just $41.
No. 6: Tampa for $98
The Breeze Airways flight to Tampa International takes off on March 23, which is just before spring break week ends, so you’ll be leaving when everyone else is headed home. It comes back to Northwest Arkansas late on March 30. The same $98 trip is available on Breeze from April 6-13 and April 13-20.
No. 5: Orlando for $89
The April 6-13 trip is an Allegiant Air roundtrip for that $89 price, but having both Allegiant and Breeze going to airports in Orlando should lead to great fares in the coming months.
Looking ahead, the least expensive fares to Orlando remain less than $200 roundtrip in May, June and July.
No. 4: New Orleans for $81
One of the limitations of the Google Flights “Explore” feature is it requires a person to indicate whether they want to travel for a week or a weekend. Some of the best deals aren’t a full week, and they are rarely over a weekend.
We found the $81 roundtrip on Breeze Airways that departs on Monday, March 27 and returns to XNA on Friday, March 31. That’s not a full week or a weekend, but it’s a great price.
No. 3: Fort Lauderdale for $69
Like the Breeze trip to New Orleans, this is a Monday-to-Friday trip from March 27-31. This one is on Allegiant Air at that $69 price.
Allegiant doesn’t fly XNA to Fort Lauderdale all the time, providing seasonal service. In this case, the airline plans twice-a-week trips through Aug. 13. The Allegiant schedule shows there’s then a seven-week pause before it restarts on Oct. 5.
No. 2: Phoenix/Mesa for $67
The vast majority of passengers who rely on Allegiant Air experience great fares just about all the time. The No. 2 deal on our list is a March 26-April 2 trip to Phoenix/Mesa for $67. It’s just $4 more if you prefer April 9-16.
But it’s still not the best deal by a long shot.
No 1: Nashville for $41
That $41 isn’t a typo even if it feels like it ought to be.
The only drawback to Allegiant Air’s $41 roundtrip to Nashville is that the trip is more than a week. It takes off from XNA on April 9 and doesn’t return to Arkansas until April 18. The airline jacks the price all the way up to $42 if you go April 2-11.
If you want something that involves less time in Nashville, try April 2-6. Allegiant sells it for $45 roundtrip.
