RustyC

October looks like a good month for many Frontier routes (for you, maybe not for them). They just posted a sale with some routes, like ATL-MCO or MIA, at $20 each way Tue/Wed/Sat. Also dropping to $22 OW for ATL-MCI and v.v on low dates, and some $29s

Am sure it's not just the ATL routes. You also don't have to be in Discount Den for the $20s and many of the others.

They've also had ATL-DEN at $50 RT Tue/Wed/Sat up for a few days, though some dates are gone by now. It might make sense to combine a $25 with a more expensive leg for a RT, but if you do $25 both ways the CPM is 2.08 cents. You can even do it intraday and some of the others can be done as "turns" if you want the mileage-run experience.

They ARE a no-frills, charge for everything operation a lot like Spirit, but with generally nicer planes and FAs even though the seating is cramped. Mileage is distance based and there's an elite level at 20K flown miles (can also qualify on segments) where you get a carry-on, can pick a regular seat free on booking and upgrade free to a "stretch" seat in the 24-hour check-in window if available. If you can get all that then the standard is similar to legacies except for complimentary drinks other than water (a diet Coke is $1.99 onboard). A saver trans-con award like an ATL-PDX RT would be 20K.

It's not for everyone, but you can get some amazing deals if flexible and re-live the distance-based collect-and-qualify experience that the oligopolistic AA, DL and UA have done away with (or, if you're in your early 20s and weren't around for the golden age, get a hint of what you missed)

sonofzeus

Free water with my pocket-sized Crystal Light works for me.

Firewind

Thank you. Suggest that the interested move fast. Didn't see any of the $20s left when I looked mid-oh-dark-thirty this morning. A lot of $34s left, which is not too bad. And the sale applied just to one direction on the routes. I checked nearly all as there aren't many.

RustyC

One problem on some routes is that they don't fly daily, so if they're not flying non-stop on Tue/Wed/Sat it won't be on sale that day. I got ATL-DEN-ATL 10/4 returning 10/5 at $48.20 (slightly less than $50), but since then some DEN-ATL dates have sold out on the $25.

ATL-MCO looks like a chronic flight they have to discount, as the outbound is very late and the return very early.

Some of these do tend to sell out quickly if they become known. Thankfully the blogs and the deal sites usually keep their hands off. I'll post about Spirit or Frontier here only if there's an unusual aspect, i.e. a fare that's infrequent or very infrequent. Something like $29 for ATL-CVG/CLE isn't that unusual, but for ATL-SLC/PHX/LAX it would be (and the CPM would reflect it).

Spirit is similar. They're always having sales and most aren't much to get excited about, but maybe 3-4 times a year they come up with something that's more unusual, like $23.10 transcons or "99% off" deals that can knock some international routes down to $70-ish each way if the routes aren't excluded. Because people have gotten numb to the Tue/Wed.-only. short-haul only sales they might miss the ones that can be more rewarding.