Smaller airlines spur airfare deals across industry

Travel headlines have been dominated lately with airline mergers. Delta absorbing Northwest; United taking over Continental. Will US Air buy American Airlines as they face bankruptcy? Soon there will be only about three major airlines to compete for your travel dollar.

But there are a growing number of smaller players out there you may not have even heard of. Allegiant is a small carrier that caters mostly to vacation travelers. Spirit Airlines offers deep-discounts. And Clark is  excited about Southwest, who are expanding and strategically growing with a new hub based in Atlanta, the world's largest airport.

People Express, a discount airline from the 80's, is eyeing a comeback. RyanAir, a european discounter, may also soon be offering low fares from Europe to the U.S.

So, the real action is happening with these smaller airlines, and the full-fare airlines will be forced to follow suit. Expect some real deals coming down the pike!