This Orbitz screenshot from June 4, 2014, shows that St. Louis-Chicago is one of the routes where airlines are selectively matching Southwest's sale fares.(Photo: USA TODAY)



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Most major airlines have selectively matched a fare sale launched Tuesday by Southwest Airlines that's dropped the round-trip price of short trips to less than $100.


American, Delta , Frontier, JetBlue, United and Virgin America are among the carriers that are matching on at least some overlapping routes. Still, not all carriers are matching on all routes.


RELATED: Fares dip below $100 round trip in Southwest sale


In one example, US Airways is matching Southwest's $98 fare between Los Angeles and Phoenix, though Delta and United are not offering the same fare on their nonstop flights. Similar examples of selective matching can be seen on most other routes put on sale by Southwest.


Southwest initiated the sale Tuesday, setting fares on most nonstop routes at one of four prices: $49, $99, $129 and $149.


But the sale requires bargain-seekers to act fast: It ends Thursday at midnight. Generally, the sale fares cover flights from Aug. 25 through Dec. 17 -- though there's also a significant amount of fine print and day-of travel restrictions.


Some carriers have added even more fine print, such as United. It requires both a round-trip purchase and three-night stay for its matching fares. Southwest -- and several other carriers -- are not requiring that in their sales.


For those who can navigate the fine print, fares are less than $100 on dozens of U.S. routes – including on routes flown by Southwest's competitors.


JetBlue, for example, was offering $98 round trips between Baltimore and Boston and between Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale. US Airways was doing the same for flights between Baltimore and Charlotte and American on the St. Louis-Chicago route. United and Virgin America each were offering $98 round trips between San Francisco and Las Vegas. And between Denver and Phoenix, Frontier was matching Southwest's $98 prices.


As for Southwest, it also is offering sub-$100 fares on dozens of routes. Among those are: Baltimore-Charlotte; Boston-Baltimore; Boise-Spokane; Chicago-Pittsburgh; Denver-Omaha; St. Louis-Grand Rapids, Mich.; San Francisco.-Las Vegas; Phoenix-San Diego; Sacramento-Portland, Ore.; New Orleans-Nashville; Minneapolis-Kansas City; Los Angeles-Las Vegas.


The Southwest-inspired sale covers travel periods that are typically slow for airlines in the United States. While demand is strong throughout the summer, it typically tails off among leisure fliers after Labor Day until Thanksgiving. It then drops again during the window between Thanksgiving and Christmas.


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