TODAY ONLY: American Airlines Is Offering 40% Off Flights Across The US

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This sale has now ended but American Airlines Is Now Offering Huge Savings On American Airlines Ski Fares (click for more details)

American Airlines is back with a new “Daily Deal” and today the airline is offering 40% off its Main Cabin fares to destinations all across the United States. As this is a daily deal the promotion will expire at midnight tonight Central Time so you only have a few hours to snap up a great fare if you’re able to travel right now.

American Airlines ‘Hooray For Hump Day’ Promo

Headline Terms & Conditions

• Limited time offer.
• 40% discount applies to base fare only.
• Offer applies to Main Cabin fares only.
• Valid for one-way or round-trip travel.
• Discount will already be reflected on the fares displayed.
• No promotional code needed.
• Offer valid for reservations made in the US for flights originating in the contiguous 48 U.S. states to US destinations.
• Offer is valid for reservations made January 6, 2021 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Central Time for travel from January 6, 2021 through May 31, 2021.
• This offer cannot be applied retroactively or to existing reservations.
• Offer is valid for Wednesday travel.
• Valid only on flights operated by American Airlines and American Eagle. Not valid on codeshare flights.
• Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion

Full Terms & Conditions can be found on the promotion page

Example Fares

Fares for roundtrip Main Cabin travel:

• Chicago – Phoenix from $62
• Chicago – Ft Myers from $90
• Dallas – Denver from $62
• Dallas – Orlando from $65
• Los Angeles – Chicago from $83
• Los Angeles – Philadelphia from $88
• Miami – Los Angeles from $62
• Miami – New York from $72
• New York – Chicago from $78
• New York – Miami from $62
• Philadelphia – Orlando from $62
• Philadelphia – Las Vegas from $105

Note: Despite not being part of this sale (according to the terms and conditions) there are also some good fares available to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Quick Thoughts

Today’s American Airlines daily deal generous and tempting but it also has three downsides. The first (and most obvious one)  is that you only have a few hours in which to decide if you can/should travel, where you want to travel to, and then book…but that’s the whole point of “daily deals” so we can’t really complain about that. The second is that the best fares appear to be restricted to travel on a Wednesday (that’s a little annoying). And the third downside is that the deals are restricted to travel within the contiguous 48 states which rules out any great deals to Hawaii.

Still, 40% off the base fares is a very nice promotion to be offered so if you’ve been considering a trip within the 48 contiguous states, this is a sale you should probably be checking out.

Keep in mind that some areas of the US have strict measures in place to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (e.g. most of California is under a stay-at-home order of one kind or another and requires visitors to self-isolate upon arrival) so make sure you know what your chosen destination’s current conditions are before you decide to book a trip (you may even need a negative COVID test to travel).

Don’t Forget

Make sure you get the best deal out of whatever fare you book by using a credit card that gives you a good return on your travel spending and, preferably, one that also comes with good travel protections.

The Platinum Card from American Express and the Business Platinum Card from American Express both earn 5 points/dollar for spending made directly with airlines while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 3 points/dollar for just about all travel spending. Also, and this is key, all three of these cards offer good trip delay, trip interruption, and trip cancellation protection.

The Amex Green Card earns 3 points/dollar for just about all travel spending but doesn’t offer the same level of protection as the Platinum Card or the Sapphire Reserve, and although the Citi Prestige Card matches the Platinum Card with its earnings of 5 points/dollar on spending made directly with airlines, the fact that it offers no travel protections at all makes it a less appealing option.

Bottom Line

For the rest of today (Central Time), American Airlines is offering 40% off flights within the contiguous 48 US states. The promotion is for Main Cabin bookings only and applies to travel from January 6th through May 31st, 2021.