An airline industry struggling to get back in the black is paying off for some travelers.

On Wednesday, WTAE-TV Consumer Watch reporter Wendy Bell went to Orbitz.com and found round-trip airfares from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles for $217. A three-week advance purchase and one stop are both required, and the Web site's service fee brings the total cost to $222.

US Airways charges $278 for a nonstop Pittsburgh-Los Angeles flight. That's at least $100 lower than the airline usually charges for such a trip, Bell says.

Some smaller carriers are also offering good deals, so Bell says consumers should shop around.

For instance, Spirit Air offers a direct flight from Los Angeles to New York for $246, if the trip is booked three weeks in advance. American Airlines and United Airlines charge $362 for that same trip, while US Airways charges $369 and Continental Airlines charges $417.

If you want to book a holiday trip from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, Bell found an evening flight from Pittsburgh International Airport on the Friday before Christmas with a return the following Sunday for just $223. The deal requires one layover each way, but Bell says the same flight with no stops currently costs $380 with US Airways.

For a real steal, Bell suggests flying United direct from Pittsburgh to Chicago for $141. Be sure to make reservations three weeks in advance.

Travel agents told Bell that most tickets bought online are non-refundable and non-transferable. Also, customers run the risk of not being compensated if their chosen airline goes out of business before the flight takes place.

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