Last Tuesday evening, the travel Twitterverse was abuzz with news of what one industry pundit called the �sale of the decade�: a slew of late summer and fall fares on Delta Air Lines from the USA to Europe for less than $250 round-trip, taxes included.

By late the next morning, Delta�s pricing glitch (the airline had apparently neglected to add a $200 fuel surcharge) was fixed, and the eye-popping fares were history. But for nimble bargain hunters, the social-media phenomenon known as Twitter had proven its worth as a way to snag a terrific travel deal.

Once dismissed as a fad for high-tech narcissists, the 140-character, real-time updates, or tweets, are increasingly popular among hotels, airlines and other travel companies as a way to interact with customers - and pitch offers. While many deals are available elsewhere, others are unique to Twitter.

Because fares and inventory change so rapidly, �being first to know about an airfare sale is very important. It may take people a few days to open e-mail, but Twitter is a great way to reach people in cellphone fashion,� says FareCompare.com�s CEO, Rick Seaney, who adds that his alerts highlighting the Europe sale resulted in about 450 bookings. FareCompare.com, which has about 3,100 �followers� at twitter.com/rickseaney, recently launched Twitter feeds from more than 100 U.S. airports that offer a combination of location-specific deals and general advice.

�The medium is still a blank slate, and people are throwing everything on the wall, trying to see what works,� says Adam Rugel of buzz.trazzler.com, a just-launched site that posts bargains found on Twitter.

Some recent examples:

� Since late May, United Airlines has offered the company�s approximately 12,500 Twitter followers five steeply discounted �Twares,� including last week�s $53 one-way fare between Denver and Phoenix.

� Pleasant Holidays� new Twitter and Facebook offers include weekly last-minute specials to Hawaii, such as $200 round-trip fare to Honolulu from Los Angeles or San Francisco including a three-day car rental, and expand to Mexico and the Caribbean next month.

� Through Aug. 28, San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre�s weekly Twitter Tuesday and Facebook Friday deals offer hotel rooms as low as $50 per night. The discounts are posted for only one hour and must be booked at summercalifornia.com.