Desperate to sell seats on increasingly empty jetliners, airlines are slashing airfares to prime overseas destinations in Europe and Australia.
The blue-light specials for international travel are broad and, in a break from recent years, touch tourist hot spots like London and Paris for summer flights that usually sell out early and command top dollar.
It's a sign that the swift, troubling plunge in demand for international air travel that began last fall is worsening and extending through the peak summer travel months, when airlines historically have garnered the bulk of their profits.
"We're seeing a major distressed airfare sale," said Tom Parsons, editor and founder of BestFares.com. "It's definitely a flier's market."
Bargain hunters can travel from Chicago to Sydney for $947 in July, 57 percent less than they would have paid a year ago, according to BestFares.com. An economy seat to London is available for $802, including fees, down 36 percent from 2008 rates, while airfare to Paris has been slashed 43 percent.
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