The ABCs of Travel

The idea seemed as simple as A B C. Republic Airlines introduced a new promotional scheme in January, hoping to lure more passengers during the slow, off-peak season. Under the plan, travelers taking the Minneapolis-based carrier from one smallish city (A) to another (C) via a large hub town like Atlanta (B) before March 30 would earn a free pass for a round trip to any of 63 destinations. The passes are good until June 10.

A few weeks ago, a travel agent found an extra bonus in the plan. A customer wanted to fly 140 miles from Valdosta, Ga., to Dothan, Ala. However, the $54 flight includes a stop more than 200 miles from either town, in Atlanta. Bingo! That meant a free pass to California. Word spread fast. The resulting stampede to Dothan included one high school senior who booked ten seats for himself and nine classmates so that they could take a trip after graduation.

Soon people across the country were plotting other short trips to earn free rides. Several Californians even paid $150 apiece, plus carfare to and from airports, and spent a day flying from Sacramento (A) to San Francisco (B) to Phoenix (C) to collect free passes to New York City. That seems excessive when some airlines still offer a $198 round-trip coast-to-coast fare and passengers do not have to fly anywhere else to qualify. Republic officials are not sure what all of this is going to cost, but they think it was worth it. Says Spokesman Redmond Tyler: "The campaign has brought more nationwide attention than ad dollars can buy." And places like Dothan are seeing more strangers in town than even the most energetic Chamber of Commerce could rustle up. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.