Many senior discounts disappearing

The sun has set on fare discounts for hundreds of thousands of senior-citizen fliers. Blame airline cutbacks for that.

But travelers 62 and older – and sometimes as young as 50 – still can land special deals for hotel rooms, rental cars, meals and even plane seats.

Here’s a quick survey of where the senior savings are – or aren’t – and tips to ensure that you get a deal:

Airlines: Discounted airfares for seniors, once common, are getting scarce.

In July, United Airlines stopped accepting new members for its Silver Wings program, which offers double mileage, flight vouchers and special zoned fares for customers 55 and older. (Some current members still can access certain benefits.)

Fewer than 1 percent of the nearly 50 million frequent fliers in United’s Mileage Plus program belong to Silver Wings, spokesman Jeff Kovick said.

Earlier in August, Virgin Atlantic eliminated senior discounts. And, in 2005, America West got rid of its Senior Saver Pack, a four-coupon discount book, while American Airlines stopped offering senior discounts except for certain fare classes to Chile, Ecuador, Honduras and Panama.

“The issue, frankly, is that fares are so cheap today,” American spokesman Tim Wagner said.

Because senior discounts might not apply to the lowest fares, older fliers sometimes are better off booking at market rates, he added.

ATA Airlines, Continental and Southwest are among carriers that still offer senior savings in some markets, said David Smidt, president of www.seniordiscounts.com, a consumer site.

Hotels and rental cars: Senior discounts, typically 10 percent to 15 percent, are common, but you might need to call a reservations agent or dig deep into the company’s Web site to find them.

“A lot of companies don’t advertise what the discounts are,” Smidt said.

One exception is www.hyatt.com, which lists “Senior Rates” under “Special Offers” on its home page. More often, companies offer such rates as pull-down menu options under “Special Rates.”

Still stumped? Try doing a Web search using the company’s name and the term “senior discounts.”

When booking by phone, Smidt suggested, first ask for the best price and then ask whether you can get a senior discount off that price, which might save you an extra 10 percent – or not. Some companies won’t give the discount off their lowest prices.

Restaurants: Many chains offer senior meal deals, sometimes to people as young as 50. Again, you need to ask.

Whatever you’re looking at, the first step in getting the best deal is to research, online or by phone, the lowest price the company offers for the dates you want. Then see whether the senior rate beats this “best available rate.”

When I recently checked prices for a Sept. 18 through 20 stay at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, Calif., the best available rate was $395 a night for a garden-view king room. The senior discount and AAA rates were $455.

When I did a similar search for a Sept. 21 stay at Hyatt Regency San Francisco, the best available and “AAA Promo” rates were $179 per night. The “senior citizen” rate was $159.20.

On Southwest’s Web site, the senior fare for a Sept. 18 through 20 round trip from Los Angeles International Airport to Phoenix was $164, compared with a $98 Web-only fare and a $242 “refundable anytime” fare.

Although price is important, it’s not the entire story.

With Southwest’s senior and “refundable anytime” fares, you can get a credit card refund if you cancel, but on Internet-only fares you must apply the funds to a future flight, said spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger.

At some places, seniors can get deals even after other special rates have sold out.

“Senior discounts are great if you’re going at the last minute or traveling during peak times,” Smidt said.