A pair of airfare sales brings the cost of a Colorado ski trip down to earth and affordable for the whole family.
American, Continental, Delta and United Airlines are participating in a wintertime sale to Steamboat Springs, Colo. Round-trip rates of $268 ($289.40 inclusive of all taxes and fees) are valid on trips started on or after Dec. 17 (varies slightly by carrier). Plan to stay a minimum of any two nights (a Saturday night stay is not required) and no longer than one month. All travel at this rate must be completed on or before March 31.
Westbound travel is permitted Sundays-Wednesdays; Tuesdays-Fridays east. Add $30 each way for other days.
Naturally, there are blackout dates to work around.
American blackout dates are Dec. 22-Jan. 3; Feb. 15-22; March 8-11, 15-18.
Blackout dates on Continental, Delta and United Airlines are Dec. 17, 18, 26-28; Feb. 15-19; March 2-4, 9-11 westbound; Dec. 31-Jan. 4; Feb. 20, 21, 25, 26; March 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 eastbound.
Delta Air Lines offers one daily nonstop flight from Atlanta and other daily service connecting in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. All other participating carriers serve Steamboat Springs with one stop connections.
Buy tickets through Nov. 30.
The Steamboat Springs Resort is world renowned for its champagne powder snow and for its stunning setting in the Yampa Valley. The mountain range receives an annual average snowfall of 331 inches. The snow has 70 percent less moisture than normal, which mean skiers and snowboarders get the rare experience of floating on incredibly light powder.
The Steamboat Springs-Hayden Airport (HDN) is locateted 22 miles from the slopes.
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Another exclusive offer from American Airlines gets you to Durango, Colo. at round-trip rates of $280, or $322.80 inclusive of all fees and taxes.
To qualify, give at least a 21 day advance notice of travel. The lowest airfare is valid Sunday-Wednesday; east Tuesday-Friday. Regular round-trip rates on other days apply (from $330).
Blackout dates are Dec. 22-Jan. 4; Feb. 15-22 and March 8-11, 15-18.
Finish trips on or before April 2.
American serves Durango via a one stop Dallas-Fort Worth connection.
Hurry to purchase this Durango deal. The offer has no ticket-by date and that means it could vanish before the late afternoon.
Durango, situated in the San Juan Mountains is an ideal winter playground for a number of winter activities with over 35,000 acres of mountain terrain.
Take a dog sledding adventure, explore the alpine forests on snowshoe, zigzag mountain trails on a snowmobile, try cross-country skiing or hit the ski and board slopes at the 10,822 foot ski area at Purgatory and the 8,800 foot Hesperus Ski Area.
Through Dec. 28, the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad offers the a 'Polar Express' experience. The famous book will be read aloud and carols will be sung on the trip to the North Pole to pick up Santa Claus. All kids aboard the train will receive a special gift from Santa. See more at www.durangotrain.com.
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Sale airfares are always subject to change. Every seat on every flight is not offered at the lowest rate.
Since only a limited supply of seats is available, act quickly to make your purchase. I recommend starting the search for available seats at Kayak.com vs. calling an airline directly. You can also search for the sale at travel Web sites such as Expedia or Travelocity, etc. Airlines can discontinue or pull a sale price without notice when the offer does not have a "ticket-by" date or when the offer is deemed "sold out."
Clara Bosonetto is a retired travel consultant.
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