$89 for a ticket — but just try to check-in or board the plane

The cheapest tickets from Los Angeles to California can be booked on the website of Mainline Airways. Except that Mainline has no planes, no gates, and no employees. The government is acting against the pseudo airline, which is taking nonrefundable reservations. However, the airline’s “Chief Executive” says the action is all a hoax perpetrated by the airline’s competitors to discourage bookings.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

More articles by Gary Leff »