American and Southwest put autumn airfares on sale

Unlike last year, airfare sales have been scant of late, mostly falling into the flash category — think one or two days to book — for summer travel. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, however, have quick sales on autumn travel that end Thursday night, so you have a short time to act. Think about where you want to be this fall — it’s really not that far off — and how much you might save by buying now.

American Airlines has a bunch of mostly short flights from Los Angeles on its U.S. Flight Deals sale. Each-way fares (requires round-trip purchase) that leap out at me are $49 to Las Vegas, $59 to Phoenix, $92 to Denver, $128 to El Paso, $72 to San Francisco and $74 to San Jose; prices don’t include tax.

When: Purchase by 9:59 p.m. Pacific time Thursday for travel from Aug. 23 to Nov. 8. Some blackout dates apply.

Tested: I found flights from Los Angeles to Phoenix on Sept. 10 to 13 for $59 each way, excluding tax and fees.

Separate sale: American is also offering Latin America on Sale with fares from Los Angeles to Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, Brazil and other destinations starting at $234 plus tax each way. That sale must be booked by 9:59 PDT Sunday for travel through Sept. 30.

Contact: American Airlines, (800) 433-7300

Southwest Airlines: The Click ‘n Save sale offers one-way fares (no round-trip purchase required) of $49 to Las Vegas; $59 to Phoenix or Reno; $72 to San Francisco, $74 to Sacramento, San Jose or Oakland; $92 to Denver and $128 to El Paso; prices don’t include tax.

When: The sale is good until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Thursday for travel from Aug. 23 to Nov. 8.

Tested: I found a $92 fare from L.A. to Denver on Sept. 10 and a slightly lower $87 fare for the return flight on Sept. 13, excluding tax. One-way fares could be a good deal for college students returning to school in fall.

Contact: Southwest Airlines, (800) 435-9792