Our favorite stories of 2007

When the SmarterTravel.com editors sit down to lunch together, you can bet we’ll ultimately be talking travel. With the year quickly drawing to a close, we have a lot to say about our favorite events of 2007, and we’d like to share our opinions with you.

So we set the scene: Anne serves her award-winning chili, while Erin and Erica compete to make the best dessert. Josh and Zak show off their new baby boys, while Carl chases after Herman, the wonder dog. Pati teaches the gang Spanish, while Sarah impresses everyone with her new Polish vocabulary. Kate sips coffee, Ed snacks on a Hershey bar, and Molly douses everything with ketchup. And as everyone digs in, you lean a little closer to better hear our fond memories of 2007.

Spirit sets the bar for low fares

We, the SmarterTravel editors, spend our days searching out the lowest fares for our readers. One day, the major carriers are matching each other’s best prices, while the next day, the low-cost carriers are wowing us with bargain-basement rates. But does one airline consistently offer the best value?

This year, we believe that airline is Spirit. It has run sales with prices starting at two cents, $2, and $16—setting new lows for airfare from a domestic airline. Its $58 flights and more traditionally priced sale fares are also competitive with other low-cost carriers, such as Southwest. Better yet, Spirit’s low prices aren’t a scam; we’ve been consistently able to find availability at the advertised, rock-bottom rates.

Spirit flies to the Caribbean and Central America and also serves major cities on the East Coast plus Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit. Its nationwide network makes it possible for many travelers to take advantage of its low fares. That combination gets our thumbs up.