The New York Times Magazine, Sunday, August 22, 1999

Brief Fare Deals Doing an Encore
Boston-London (Heathrow) economy round-trip fares for travel on American
into October are $448 to $498, depending on the day of the week. For later
travel, holidays excluded, Bostonians who want to swap their dark city for a dark
city on the Thames can do it for $318 to $368. Nonstop flights from Dallas-Fort
Worth, American's headquarters, to London go into Gatwick: these fares are
$588 and $638 until October, $428 and $478 after that.
New York to Paris until October is $458 and $508; for November, these are
$368 and $418.
Continental has a new route from Cleveland to London (Gatwick). Until Aug.
31, round-trip tickets for midweek travel between Sept. 5 and Oct. 30 cost $588.
For travel from Oct. 31 to March 31, with a blackout from Dec. 17 to Jan. 2,
midweek round trips drop to $428. Also on Continental, midweek travel between
Newark and Paris in September and October is $458. For November, it is $368.
British Airways put some promotional fares on the market Aug. 10, with the
last purchase date Aug. 31. All of the line's 22 United States cities were
involved. Jill Donaldson, vice president for leisure marketing, said that the best
buys involved New York departures. To London (Heathrow), the midweek fares
begin at $448; to Paris, $458; to Rome, $588.
Midweek fares from Los Angeles or San Francisco to London begin at $638.
From Chicago, the midweek fare is $558. Dallas-Fort Worth to London is $588,
and Atlanta-London, $608. Travel on these fares is possible between Sept. 5 and
Oct. 30.
It is likely that any other airline flying the routes mentioned above is offering
similar prices. Ask.
An airline new to the United States, AirEurope, is offering flights between
Kennedy Airport in New York and Venice, with a continuation to Pisa. To
announce itself, it is offering $425 round-trip fares for travel until the end of
September. The price is available until Aug. 30. The line was having some
ticketing difficulties at first and apparently could not process credit card sales at
Kennedy, only cash. There is a long wait on the line's number: (888) 999-9090.
Savings at Sea
n the Mediterranean cruise front, Holland America made schedule changes
because delivery of its new vessel, the Volendam, was delayed. As a
result, a 12-night cruise on the Rotterdam from Venice to Istanbul on Sept.
22 is being deeply discounted. Stewart T. Chiron of the Cruise Line, a big
agency in North Miami Beach, is offering this cruise for $2,399 a person,
including port charges and air fare from New York and other United States and
Canadian cities, based on double occupancy in an inside cabin. The least
expensive outside cabin is $2,899. The ship visits Romania and Greece before
reaching Turkey. These prices were $1,500 higher when they were first posted.
Another value Mr. Chiron cited in the European cruises was a 12-night trip
aboard the Norwegian Dream of Norwegian Cruise Line that leaves Istanbul Oct.
23 and ends in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, on Nov. 4. This cruise is also
sold with air fare from the East Coast to Istanbul and home from Rome. Prices
per person, based on two people in an inside cabin, start at $2,652. These prices
were formerly $2,600 higher. In addition to Turkey and Italy, this cruise stops in
Israel, Egypt and Greece. Mr. Chiron said the Norwegian Dream was shifted
from the Black Sea to this Holy Land itinerary because the line found two
similar cruises were selling well. The Cruise Line: (800) 244-7447.
There are pluses and minuses to prices that include air fare. The flight may take a
roundabout route. But if the flight was booked by the cruise line and is delayed,
the line usually takes responsibility. On the other hand, if a cruise starts or ends
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