American Airlines has a new downloadable desktop tool that tracks fares and alerts you when the fare you want is available. After downloading the tool, you can enter the routes you want to track and the maximum price you are willing to pay. When the fare goes below the number you enter, DealFinder alerts you and directs you to aa.com where you can purchase tickets. You can also specify your favorite destination type, such as beach/resort, golf or ski destinations and will receive an alert each time a match to your preferences occurs; and if you prefer receiving the alerts via RSS feed, you can choose that option. American also promises special travel deals to those who are receiving the alerts.

DealFinder will work on most Windows computers but Mac users will have to wait — there are plans to create a version of the tool that will work with Macintosh but currently one is not available. Visit http://www.aa.com/dealfinder

DealFinder is similar to Southwest’s Ding! desktop update tool that sends low fare alerts according to the originating airports users choose. Users can choose to receive updates on low fares for up to ten cities.

AAdvantage HotSpots at http://www.aa.com/hotspots has been newly redesigned to show you travel destinations with the best opportunities to use an AAdvantage MileSAAver award. You can browse available destinations grouped by travel themes, up to three months at a time. This tool, combined with the other recent improvements to AA’s Web site should help AAdvantage members find the best way to use their miles.