Originally Posted by manwillneverfly
The basic fact of NWA zone fares is that they are nothing-special, mid-range fares. Most of the time, on ordinary travel days, the spot fares on most routes will price out cheaper. But the zone vouchers can be big-time money-savers in two circumstances: 1) at times of peak demand (holidays) when market fares may well have doubled but if you can work around the blackout dates you can still get the zone fares; 2) the zone vouchers require 7-day advance booking -- a huge benefit if you find a good fare and then see that it has to be booked 14 or 21 days ahead!
That's been my experience too. I do have to say that I applaud NWAC for having at least made using these certificates relatively painless by allowing for a do-it-yourself/online option to use them on the rare instances domestically where it saves money.
For small, NW-dominated airports to other small airports with little competition, these zone certs have been useful in saving a pretty penny and then some.