— Frugal Travelers

DEAR TRAVELERS: While senior airfare discounts are not nearly as common as they used to be, there are a handful of carriers that still offer them. Here’s a rundown of the different airlines that are currently offering senior airfares, along with some tips to help you find the best deals.

Senior-Friendly Skies

The only U.S. airlines that are currently offering senior airfare discounts are:

Southwest, which has discounts on all domestic routes to passengers 65 and older. For details on fares call 800-435-9792 or you can search online at southwest.com.

American, which offers some senior fares to travelers 65 and older on their American, American Eagle and American Connection domestic flights. Call 800-433-7300 to find out which flights offer these discounts. You cannot search specifically for senior airfares on American’s aa.com website.

United has some discounts on select flights to those 65-plus but they are few and far between. To search for them, visit united.com and select “child or senior” from the dropdown menu. When the site returns your fare quote, the results for your search will indicate the type of discount you are receiving, if one is available. You can also call 800-241-6522 to find out if a senior discount is available for a particular flight.

Continental, which is merging with United in a few months has senior discount fares as well on very few flights to passengers 65 and older. To search, visit continental.com and click on “Advance Search” to access the “seniors” category, or call 800-523-3273.

Delta has senior discounts that vary by age and apply only to flights from three Latin American nations — Panama, Honduras and Ecuador. Call 800-241-4141 to inquire.

SHOPPING TIPS

When shopping for cheap plane tickets, it’s important to know that many of the airlines regular discount fares or online specials are usually cheaper than the senior discount fares. So, to ensure you get the best price available, you need to compare prices and options from all carriers.

To help you do this, your best resources are online travel sites like orbitz.com, travelocity.com and kayak.com. These sites will let you search for the lowest priced flights on all the different airlines at the same time. They will not, however, let you search for senior fares.

[ Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. ]

Related posts:

1. Southwest Airlines Launches 50 Percent Off Wanna Get Away Fares for Four Winter Travel Days DALLAS , Dec. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Last minute holiday...
2. JetBlue and Singapore Airlines Partner to Offer New Connections to Destinations Worldwide NEW YORK and SINGAPORE , Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/...
3. Memorial Day Promotion: Carnival Announces May 2010 Discounts for Military Personnel and Veterans By John Campbell In honor of Memorial Day and...