HOUSTON – By Rachel Wenzlaff - Staff
Southwest Airlines launched a 72-hour sale Tuesday, offering one-way flights for under $50. The deals were intended to end at midnight Thursday, but technical difficulties with the company's website prompted a 24-hour extension of the nationwide sale.
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High traffic on Southwest.com Wednesday afternoon caused the website to slow down, freeze and send error messages, making it difficult or impossible for customers to book the cheap flights.
"Our sale is causing high demand on Southwest.com. All hands are on deck to resolve site issues," the airline tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
To make up for the time lost as the company was making repairs to the site, Southwest extended the sale by 24 hours. Customers can still take advantage of round trips to nearby cities for under $100. Fares from Hobby Airport to destinations including New Orleans, Oklahoma City and San Antonio are as low as $49 for a one-way ticket. One-way flights from Houston to Denver, New York, Chicago or Atlanta are as low as $99 one way.
Travelers can book flights starting at $129 between Houston and Las Vegas or Los Angeles. Houston to San Diego flights start at $149. The sale covers travel from Aug. 25 through Dec. 16, although holiday periods around Labor Day and Thanksgiving are blacked out.