I can't say enough good things about Virgin America, namely it's successfully pressuring United, Southwest, and other airlines to reduce air fares. (VA also has free in-flight WiFi thru Jan. 15.)

Below are some sample one-way fares. If you are traveling from N.Y., L.A., S.F., Las Vegas, Seattle, or Ft. Lauderdale, check Virgin America first. If your home airport is not one of these airports, check Southwest first. If you are looking for a vacation, check United first.



Virgin America (book by Jan. 11, fly Jan. 7-March 10)
Seattle-S.F. $59
Boston-S.F. or L.A. $99
D.C.-S.F. or L.A. $99
N.Y.-L.A., Vegas, or S.F. $109
Ft. Lauderdale to S.F. or L.A. $109

United Airlines (book by Feb. 14 and travel by Nov. 30)
All destinations, including London, Paris, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean, are on sale. You can save up to $200 with promo code JANSAVE.

Southwest (book by Jan. 7, travel by May 12.14-day advance purchase required. Fares valid every day except Fridays and Sundays.)
Chicago-Cleveland, Columbus or Buffalo $59
Ft. Lauderdale-Raleigh/Durham $83
Las Vegas-Burbank, Phoenix or San Diego $59
Philadelphia-Austin $114
Portland-L.A. or Tuscon $110

Still looking? I highly recommend joining TravelZoo.com, a Web site that sends e-mail alerts about two to four times a week with some really amazing deals.

Booking through United supports WalletPop.