Best Airfare Deals Are Now Tweeted, Emailed

The latest airfare deals aren't online or at travel agencies—they're targeted promotional fares, being emailed and tweeted to customers who sign up to receive them or who enroll in frequent-flier programs. These under-the-radar offers, an inexpensive form of advertising increasingly popular with recession-battered airlines, range from 10% discounts to buy-one-get-one-free ticket deals, the Wall Street Journal reports.

With airlines branching out into revenue sources like baggage fees and selling food onboard, they can afford deep ticket discounting to get people onto their planes. Companies have found exclusive offers, which give customers a feeling of being in the know, especially effective during the recession, and the promotions have the added benefit of drawing customers onto the airlines' own websites.
(More airline stories.)