EVALUATING E-SAVER FARES

 Who says air fares are going through the roof?  This weekend, for example, you could have flown round-trip, non-stop on US Airways from Pittsburgh to Boston, New York City or Washington, D.C., for $89, to St. Louis for $109 or San Diego for $249! One glance at the air fares listed on the table below this column shows how special these rates are. The hitch? You couldn't make reservations before last Wednesday, and even then you probably wouldn't have found out about these special fares unless you're online.

There's another catch, at least for passengers here: When compared with other carriers, US Airways e-savers leave a lot to be desired. But more on that later.  Anyone who's flown recently knows how full planes appear to be these days. Every departure seems to be packed down to the last available seat. Partly that's a result of demand; partly it's savvy marketing.  The airlines have become masters of the concept of yield management: filling every available seat on every departure. In the economics of airlines, an empty seat is a total loss the moment the flight attendants close the cabin door, and any revenue gained by putting a warm body in that seat is found money. That's especially true on Saturdays through Wednesdays, days when many flights, light on business travelers, would otherwise fly at less than full capacity.  Offering e-saver air fares is the latest tactic in the airlines' arsenal. Each week, they take a look at how their departures, both domestic and international, are filling up. Those routes with too many empty seats are put on sale, generally on Wednesday morning, with updates posted on the airline's Web site and free e-mail messages distributed automatically to anyone who's signed up in advance. Most major carriers also have toll-free phone lines passengers can call to check and book e-saver fares.  Although these e-saver rates vary slightly from week to week, they can be as much as 40 percent lower than advertised, advance purchase, discount fares and as much as 75 percent off regular, full fares that can be booked at the last minute. You'll have to stay away a Saturday night and return within three or four days, depending on the airline involved. On international flights, the window of travel opportunity may be open as long as a week.  You'll enjoy the same flight services and comforts as other coach passengers and get the regular frequentflier mileage credits, though if your flight's delayed or canceled for any reason, you may be low on the airline's priority list for re-booking on other flights. Your ticket, by the way, will be non-refundable, although you may be able to apply some of its value toward another flight.  Of course, like any other blue-light special, the availability of these cheap seats is strictly limited to a first-come, first-service basis. Generally, you have to act immediately, booking and buying a ticket online at the airline's Web site, via the airline's telephone reservation line or, in most cases, through a travel agency, although these latter two options may involve an additional fee.  And don't forget, that alluring fare does not include taxes or airport fees, which can add a few dollars to domestic flights, $22 to flights to Canada and more than $50 to flights overseas.  Still, a bargain is a bargain, and e-savers can provide tremendous savings for those who can use them. They're absolutely no good for planning a trip somewhere you have to or want to be on a specific day or time. But if you want to visit a particular place and are willing to travel at the last minute when a cheap fare happens to show up, e-fares may be for you.  Or, as Phil Marty's articles on pages 8 and 9 of this week's Sunday travel point out, with advance planning, flexibility and a spirit of adventure, e-saver air fares can be the key to serendipitous adventures.  The problem for travelers who call Western Pennsylvania home, however, is that, like many other aspects of flying out of this area, our choice of options is limited and the base cost of those flights is relatively high. The competitive hammerlock US Airways has on Pittsburgh International Airport makes it the only game in town.  Yes, I know we enjoy the benefits of more direct flights to more places than a market of our size has any right to expect in these deregulated days. And with all the employees, shareholders and frequent-flier members the airline has in this area, public criticism of US Airways can generate swift and vehement rebuttals.  But, even if our dominant carrier keeps its fares in and out of Pittsburgh ratcheted up as high as this captive market can bear and even if the prevailing financial logic allows it to fly its low-cost subsidiary, Metrojet, over our heads to Cleveland, Baltimore and other major markets, can't our fair carrier give us a better selection of e-fares to get our travel juices going?  I monitor the e-mail offerings of several different airlines on a weekly basis, and I give US Airways low marks. With so few flights into Pittsburgh, other carriers seldom offer e-saver specials on any flights out. And if US Airways chooses to keep a tight lid on the number and availability of its last-minute offerings, we understand the ebb and flow of competitive market pressures.  Other airlines, however, do provide some nifty bells and whistles, which make their Web sites more interesting, useful and ultimately more rewarding.  For example, in addition to liberal listings of cheap flights, Continental's COOL Travel Specials always include deals on rental cars and hotel rooms in cities appearing on that week's list. They even provide directions to the hotels.  American Airlines, long the leader in marketing innovation, goes even further on its AAdvantage NetSAAver site. Along with air fare, hotel and rental car bargains, prospective passengers can enter free contests to win travel prizes, such as Royal Caribbean cruises. American also allows members of its frequent-flier club to use their mileage credits to cut the cost of a ticket to $39. And recently American introduced the best e-saver extra, extra time. American now posts its flight availabilities a whole week earlier. Fares posted this past Wednesday, for example, apply to flights departing next weekend, June 18 and 19. That certainly makes it much easier to make travel plans.  And finally, when they post e-saver flights between city pairs, other carriers allow passengers to fly in either direction, but not US Airways. People in New Orleans and Nashville, for example, can catch cheap flights to Pittsburgh this weekend, but Pittsburgh-based passengers can't get a similar break on tickets to those cities. What sense does this make?  Ah, US Airways, we want to love you, but sometimes, it just seems like you're taking us for granted.

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