Is this a scam? Are airlines really giving away “free” flights?

Dick Jordan became suspicious when he received the first postcard offering “two round-trip airfares to anywhere Southwest flies.” He’s a loyal Southwest customer, but this seemed too good to be true – and he thinks it might be a scam.

After Jordan received the second postcard offering the same deal, he decided to contact Southwest Airlines. Maybe they were rewarding him for his continued business? After all, the postcard had the trademarked logo on it, so it seemed legit.

Instead of dialing the “888” number on the card, Jordan contacted a customer service representative at Southwest, who quickly informed him that this was not a deal offered by Southwest Airlines.

“Southwest Airlines is in no way associated with this company or this offer,” the representative told him. “It is unfortunate that this third party is using the Southwest brand without our permission to take advantage of Customers for their benefit.”

After further research, I found out that almost every major airline has been featured on this postcard and that thousands of others have received them. All point back to the same address in West Palm Beach, Fla. A contact number is listed, but it appears to change frequently. A variation of the offer comes from another company called “Travel America.” Here’s the backside of the postcard.

There is also small print at the bottom of some of the postcards which reads:

All trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Offer void where prohibited by law. All components of this offer are fulfilled by a third party. Certain restrictions apply. Please call for details. CST 2105560-40.

Has anyone actually received this offer and taken advantage of it? The fact that Southwest denies it’s involved in any way makes travelers like Jordan suspicious. And with good reason.

It’s possible that this is a legitimate offer, but one that’s presented in a confusing way. Then again, it’s also possible that the folks behind these postcards are scam artists leveraging these airline brands illegally.

But which is it?

(Photo: Lorenia/Flickr)

  • BillCCC

    Of course it is a scam. The cost of the other items you will have to purchase more than makes up for the flight. This falls into the same category as the free cruise. As you can see by the back of the offer you are obligated to purchase accomodations etc, etc.

  • Chuck

    Last week I received an email from “Heidi” with the same offer. Didn’t bite;

  • Anonymous

    ok, who voted “no”? and can we tell if they’re based in West Palm?!

  • Durant Imboden

    Southwest appears to be the spammers’ and scammers’ favorite airline–at least to judge by how often I see e-mails about Southwest Airlines tickets, etc. when I check my spam filter.

  • RvB

    No offense Christopher, but isn’t it your job to investigate and report? Anyone can ask questions. Journalists are expected to find the answers.

  • Jake

    The byline indicates that Chris wasn’t the author.

  • Anonymous

    Actually, these are not a scam in the true sense of the word scam. These postcards are for TimeShare presentations. you call the number, pay a “processing fee” and when you arrive at your destination, you are given the hard sell to get you to purchase a timehsare. Not a bad deal if you are looking to buy a timeshare, but a rude awakening if you are expecting to get something for nothing (or for a processing fee)

  • David Bear

    There is also a version of this of this scam circulating on Facebook via http://plane4.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/.  I’m not sure if it’s an outright scam or a way to harvest names and contact info.  I’ll keep you posted.

     

  • Rebecca O`Shaughnessy

    It’s not exactly a timeshare presentation. They want you to pay thousands of dollars to belong to a “travel club,” which supposedly gives you amazing trips at huge discounts. You have to really google to find it. They post all sorts of rave reviews about themselves and have such a generic name its hard to find.

  • http://www.travelersmix.com travel circle

    Yes, it is a scam.  It was being passed around on Facebook and they picked up that it was a scam and blocked it.  Good work Facebook!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/L3G7NF7R5P5G3YVOBPOGAN2E4A Sunshine

    If you believe that the Moon is made out of cheese this offer is legit……..double… LOL…LOL… on this one.

  • http://www.talestoldfromtheroad.com Dick Jordan

    I’m the very same “Dick Jordan” that brought these “Fly Away Escape” offers to the attention of Chris and Joshua.  The only point I’d like to clarify is that as a travel writer, I contacted Southwest’s press department, rather than the airline’s customer service department, and it was a member of the corporate communications office that confirmed that Southwest was not connected to the offer which I received via postcard.

    Nearly 3,000 people have read my blog post about these free airfare offers, and several reported receiving similar offers bearing the names and logos of British Airways, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways (or some variant on that name).

    The postcard I received included a disclaimer that it was a “timeshare or land sale offer.”  After Southwest told me that it was not involved, I chose not to call the number on the postcard.

    However, some of my blog’s readers called the number on the postcards which they received and discovered that they would be required to attend a timeshare promotional meeting; a few planned to do so, but none reported back to me regarding such presentations.  I am not aware if their postcards included a specific disclaimer regarding timeshare promotion. At least one reader was told the offer involved joining a “travel club.”

    I cannot say whether the airfare (and lodging) being offered represent a good value for whatever money one must pay or action one must take to qualify for them. 

  • Anonymous

    Scam.

    Either that, or a hard-core time share sales pitch. 

    Which, in my opinion, is also a scam.

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  • JustWantedToShare

    Received the postcard yesterday in the mail here near Philadelphia, PA. I called the next morning to find out more. The man who answered the phone sounded like I had awaken him from a nap. I could not understand what he said when he identified himself. I asked if I was calling American Airlines. He said, “…oh, you callin’ about the promotion?” I said yes. “Well, I have to ask you some qualifying questions to see if you qualify…otherwise good luck to ya.” I thought to myself that was rude. He asked if I was between the age of 17 and 72; am I married, single, or living with someone; is my household income between [he read some income ranges]. “Congratulations, you qualify!,” he said. “Do you know the Marriott in Collegeville?” I said yes. He said, “… can you be there tonight?” I said no. He then said that I had to attend the 90 minute presentation by Saturday. I said that my wife and I could not until next week. He then said, “…good luck to ya,” and hung up. Well, believe it or not I waited until that moment to do an internet search for “American Airlines Fly Away Promotion” which thankfully led me hear unharmed. The postcard that I received looks just like the one posted. So, beware if you get one in the mail. Based on what the other people said here it definitely appears to be something to not pursue. Do yourself a favor, save up some money, shop for a good deal online, then go enjoy yourself without any worries.

  • JustWantedToShare

    Received the postcard yesterday in the mail here near Philadelphia, PA. I called the next morning to find out more. The man who answered the phone sounded like I had awaken him from a nap. I could not understand what he said when he identified himself. I asked if I was calling American Airlines. He said, “…oh, you callin’ about the promotion?” I said yes. “Well, I have to ask you some qualifying questions to see if you qualify…otherwise good luck to ya.” I thought to myself that was rude. He asked if I was between the age of 17 and 72; am I married, single, or living with someone; is my household income between [he read some income ranges]. “Congratulations, you qualify!,” he said. “Do you know the Marriott in Collegeville?” I said yes. He said, “… can you be there tonight?” I said no. He then said that I had to attend the 90 minute presentation by Saturday. I said that my wife and I could not until next week. He then said, “…good luck to ya,” and hung up. Well, believe it or not I waited until that moment to do an internet search for “American Airlines Fly Away Promotion” which thankfully led me hear unharmed. The postcard that I received looks just like the one posted. So, beware if you get one in the mail. Based on what the other people said here it definitely appears to be something to not pursue. Do yourself a favor, save up some money, shop for a good deal online, then go enjoy yourself without any worries.