Spirit’s $0.01 sale ends tonight*

If nothing else, low-cost carrier Spirit’s marketing department keeps me entertained. From the people who brought you promotions themed around Jimmy Hoffa, FEMA’s mismanagement of the Katrina disaster, and mullets comes today’s gem: the one-cent sale starring “Pretty Penny & Luscious Lofare.”

Where do I start?

Well, first and foremost, you probably want to know if this is a good deal. The answer is yes. These fares are a steal if you can snag one of them. We’re talking one cent each way (plus taxes and fees, of course) on routes like Atlanta to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale to Punta Cana, and Myrtle Beach to Atlantic City. You simply don’t find prices like this, ever, from the big airlines. It must drive them crazy, actually. I’m picturing Delta’s creditors rolling their eyes even as I type this.

The folks at Spirit have learned a valuable lesson over the years as well. It used to be that they’d list these low prices and then give you a range of dates to search around, needle-and-haystack-like, for the actual lowest price. No more, and thank goodness. Now they even say which specific days on the calendar have the one-cent fares.

So what’s the catch? If you want to get one of the fares, you’d better start looking for one, like, yesterday. The offer’s only good through 11:59 p.m. ET tonight.

Now, back to the whole “Pretty Penny & Luscious Lofare” business. Is it just me, or does this sound like a Leisure Suit Larry sequel?