Stuck in the Web

I can’t resist throwing in my two cents about “Getting Lost in the Web of Internet Fare Searches” (Travel Insider, June 9): After Sept. 11 the airlines were crying the blues, and the federal government couldn’t react fast enough, declaring the air transport system important to our country. Yet the airlines, with their “black magic” yield management systems, continue to thumb their noses at the average traveler. The airline industry says its policies are based on competition and the marketplace, yet airlines report huge losses and reduced load factors.

Any airline executive foolish enough to suggest a simplified fare system is lucky to escape with his or her life. Why haven’t any of the public interest watchdogs raised any red flags?

BOB WEAVER

Dana Point

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Please check out www.itasoftware.com. It has everything an air traveler could possibly want. You can choose a city pair and restrict your search to specific airports or widen it to include airports within a certain number of miles. You can specify a particular time range or leave the times wide open to find the best fare. You can specify the number of travelers and even their ages to take advantage of senior fares.

The program finds all the available fares based on your criteria by searching through all of the airline sites, including upstarts like JetBlue, ATA and Vanguard. The fares are listed in a logical manner, and it is easy to sort by airline, by the number of stops or by both.

I have used this site to buy more than 50 tickets during the last couple of years, and it has always been accurate. Best of all, it is free.

DAN HEBERT

Irvine

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Besides air fares, you should look into car rentals on the Internet and by phone. I recently reserved a car in Cleveland, and was surprised at the price difference online and on the phone. The online prices I got were only the weekly rate, not for my entire 12-day rental period. When I telephoned the rental companies, I was amazed to learn that the five extra days added up to more than the weekly rate.

RUTHANN M. YUHAS

Marina del Rey