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By Donald D. Groff

Dec. 9, 1999 | A friend told me that airlines offer college students discounted fares if they buy multiple tickets. She said they are open-ended tickets that can be used at any time. Where can I find this program?

Airlines love the student niche because many students have flexible schedules and are willing to go through all sorts of hoops to get lower fares -- they'll fly standby, for instance, or fly at off-peak times. And if an airline can generate brand loyalty in young passengers, the company benefits for years to come.

You might be referring to a program offered by TWA called the Youth Travel Pack, available to students ages 14 to 24. The Travel Pak contains four coupons, each redeemable for one-way travel between any two cities served by TWA or Trans World Express within the continental United States or between the continental U.S., San Juan, Montego Bay, Santo Domingo and Toronto, Canada. The coupons also are valid for travel to Hawaii, in which case the passenger redeems two coupons for the westbound journey and two for the flight home. The packs cost $548, or $137 per flight. This can be a very good deal, as long as the flight wouldn't otherwise cost less than $137. For restrictions and details, call TWA at (800) 221-2000 or check the TWA Web site.

So hot is United Airlines to catch students that it recently set up the College Travel Network, a Web-based program aimed at college students and offering student discounts and a special frequent flyer program. Among other features: a search engine that scans 500 airlines for the lowest student fares, fare specials from United and a wealth of planning resources. There's also a 10,000-mile frequent flyer bonus for graduating. Of course, all the features are designed to encourage travel on United and use of programs such as a co-branded Visa and calling cards.

To get the lowdown for other students deals, check out the Web sites of each airline under "specials." Among them: