Hot Deals

Skiing packages

With up to six feet of snow already on the ground and more expected, Visitor California and its winter resort partners along the Sierra Nevada are offering more than 50 "Ski and Stay" deals with lift tickets. "This past weekend’s snow fall means visitors can find top-to-bottom mountain thrills from Lake Tahoe to Mammoth Mountain to Big Bear,’ said Caroline Beteta, Visit California president and CEO.  "These spectacular winter resorts are close enough to fine dining, wine tasting, performing and visual arts and other major attractions that you can combine your love of snow with any vacation activity." Sample deals available include Mammoth Mountain’s Slopeside Lift and Lodging Deal for $139 a night with stays of two or more nights. There’s also one free lift ticket per day.

Free air to ski resorts

Ski.com, which calls itself North America’s largest provider of mountain vacations, is offering free flights to Crested Butte, Col., this winter. Customers who purchase air and a minimum of four nights of lodging at select accommodations in Crested Butte will receive one free airline ticket for every ticket purchased while supplies last. If the reservation includes lodging at Elevation Lodge & Spa and is booked by January 31, the free flight promotion can be combined with a fourth night free and fourth day of skiing free. Otherwise, a discount of up to 15 percent off lodging will apply at select Ski.com properties.  The offer is valid for roundtrip flights into and out of the Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport, which is serviced by American Airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines.

Lower air fares from several carriers

New sales from Icelandair and Aer Lingus have just jumped on the Europe airfare scene to join offerings from Air France, Lufthansa, and Delta. Icelandair’s sale discounts travel from Boston, Denver, New York City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., to several Scandinavian destinations, among them Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, and others. One sample fare is $565 round trip from Washington, DC and Reykjavik. Aer Lingus has discounted Europe spring travel for purchases through February 9. Among the destinations are Brussels, Dublin, Madrid, and Venice, but only from Boston, Chicago, and New York City. The discounted travel window is from April 1 through May 31. One of the cheapest is a $596 fare for a roundtrip from New York City to Dublin. JetBlue is offering one-way fares from $59 including taxes and fees. Users can fly from a variety of US and Caribbean gateways. The fares must be booked by Feb. 2.

By David Wilkening