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Thanks to an airline price war, round-trip fares from Tampa to London have dipped as low as $300, including taxes.
The normal rate this time of year is $500 or $600, said Markus Mittermayr, vice president of St. Petersburg Travel Center.
British Airways kicked off the dogfight Tuesday when it introduced its "100 years of flight" fare, ostensibly to commemorate the Wright Brothers' 12-second hop over Kill Devil Hills, N.C., in 1903, but more likely to sell tickets for what is normally its low season.
Several other major airlines quickly matched the price, said Tom Parsons, chief executive of discounter BestFares.com.
"The trick is, if you can get to London cheap, you can hopscotch from there to Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities," he said. "If you're a skier, you might want to consider going to London and then flying over to Zurich or the Swiss Alps."
British Airways is offering the $300 London fare from 19 U.S. cities, including Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Its deadline for booking is midnight tonight. Other airlines may have different deadlines.
As with most airline deals, some travelers - perhaps many - may not be able to get the lowest advertised fare. Airlines typically limit the number of heavily discounted seats per flight, said Mittermayr, whose clients include the St. Petersburg Times.
In addition, British Airways is charging extra for travel on Thursdays through Saturdays. Its cheapest fare is good for departures through April 4, but there's a blackout period from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24.
In fact, Parsons of BestFares.com said high demand will make it hard to get the cheapest fare any time during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's.
"We have seen some wild and wacky fares," Parsons said, "but when you can fly to London cheaper than you can fly from Tampa to Charlotte, why not?"
- Times researcher Kitty Bennett and staff writer Steve Huettel contributed to this report.