1st time flying out of Buffalo

[Tinkermom76]

Jan will be my 4th trip to WDW but this is the first time I will be flying out of Buffalo.
Could anyone help with some tips i.e

which airline is better and why?
who charges for luggage?
which bridge?
and any other tips you think would be helpful

TIA

 

[cdnmickeylover]

There is a sticky at the top of the Canadian Boards which should answer most of your questions.

 

[boundfordisney]

we always fly out of Buffalo, its so easy to navigate! I choose to fly with southwest as there are no charges for baggage and we always bring 2 each , they have early morning nonstop flights which is what we book usually around 7 am so you have a full day to spend at wdw.The fares are good and have never had any problem whatsoever with this airline.We stay overnight at the quality inn across from the airport since the flight is so early, it just makes things a little less hectic. As far as which bridge we have done them all but The easiest one would be the peace bridge in Fort Erie.Any other questions I would be happy to answer if I can.

 

[iluveeyore]

we always fly out of Buffalo, its so easy to navigate! I choose to fly with southwest as there are no charges for baggage and we always bring 2 each , they have early morning nonstop flights which is what we book usually around 7 am so you have a full day to spend at wdw.The fares are good and have never had any problem whatsoever with this airline.We stay overnight at the quality inn across from the airport since the flight is so early, it just makes things a little less hectic. As far as which bridge we have done them all but The easiest one would be the peace bridge in Fort Erie.Any other questions I would be happy to answer if I can.

Ditto

 

[tink1969]

We have always used the Queenston/Lewiston bridge. The airport is about 30 minutes from there. Very easy to navigate.
As for airlines, we mostly use Airtran (best deals) and have also used Delta because we got a good deal with them once. I'm flying out in a couple of weeks from Buffalo using Airtran and for my family of 4 (stopover on the way there, direct flight on the way back) the total with taxes was $745. Isn't that crazy? The best I could get out of Toronto was $2500.
We fly to WDW yearly and will only go out of Buffalo now. I think that no matter what airline in Buffalo you get a deal with, you are ahead of the game!
(Airtran did recently start charing for bags. $15 for first bag, per person, and $25 for a second bag, per person). Considering our huge flight savings, $45 for our 3 bags is no big deal. We also use the park'n'fly at the Buffalo airport which runs about $50 for the week.
So all around, flying out of Buffalo is definitely the way to go!

 

[snickerboo]

I like Southwest for an airline but have also gone AirTran with no problems. Take the Queenston-Lewiston bridge. BUF is a nice airport to fly from because it's small and easy to navigate/park.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I second Fort Erie.

Always seems so much easier and faster to cross.

 

[mom22belles]

This up coming trip will be our 5th out of Buffalo. Have used Southwest and Air Tran , out of those 2 I prefer Southwest. As for which bridge ... we never decide before hand. We call the 1 800 number for the Niagara Bridge commision from the road and decided based upon wait times. So far it has always been the shortest at the Peace Bridge ( Erie) .

 

[Tinkermom76]

Thanks for all the tips!!!

 

[JW2]

When we have early flights, we stay at Holiday Inn Express (only nearby hotel with pool - for kids) - have shuttle over and keep car there. (it is little more costly but peace of mind re: being right there for early flights) Otherwise, we just drive straight to the airport. We use Queenston - have had no problems. Love going through border in car rather than through customs at airport in Toronto!! I won't do it any other way. We have used AirTran and Southwest - I'd say both are equal!

 

[Rileygirl]

I like the border crossing as well - its so nice to take care of it before you get to the airport ( no schlepping bags around pearson with the kids). Its actually a bonus flying out of Buffalo.

I love southwest, -- once we flew for 49/a person each way, our family of 5 was just over 500 bucks!!!!!!! (ok, that was a few years ago, but still, holy cow!)

The quality inn also has a pool and a free shuttle and free parking. The pool is nicely heated too - I will never forget our first trip to Disney and flying out of buffalo - my son (then 5) refused to leave the Quality Inn,--he wanted to stay in buffalo and swim in the 'warm' pool for March break

It is an older hotel though -- the rooms are a little shabby. But hey, we are on the way to Disney!

If you fly southwest, remember to do your boarding passes exactly at 24 hrs before your flight to get the best seating. I just read on their website they have a mobile application to download on your phone, so you can do it for your return flight too without having to bring a laptop with you.

 

[iluveeyore]

When people ask which bridge to cross, to me Fort Erie just makes sense (Peace Bridge), and not just because I live here and cross it all the time. The QEW Niagara ends at the Peace bridge crossing, so you just take the QEW towards Niagara until you can't go anywhere but across the bridge - no exits, no turns... And to get to the airport, you have to come back towards Fort Erie direction (Buffalo), so I think it's just easier and faster. We'll be crossing the border to go to the airport in just 13 more sleeps

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have used Southwest and AirTran. I really don't care which one travel with I book the best deal. Sometimes it's a price thing (usually) and sometimes a schedule thing.

In a couple of weeks, , we are flying ATA and the total cost for 4 tickets was $580 USD. We got nonstop flights both ways.

 

[dsneygirl]

We usually prefer SW because of their rebooking and canellation policies. Also if the fare goes down you can rebook and get credit.

I agree with Fort Erie it's pretty much fool proof as soon as you clear US Customs you get right on the highway and then just follow the signs to the airport. If you come from Queenston/lewiston you'll need a little more navigating.

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

I have used both AirTran and Southwest in the past. This time I will be using JetBlue. They are sometimes a little more pricey than SW or AT but I got a great deal. The four of us are travelling during American Thanksgiving weekend (a more expensive time to travel as you can imagine) and we got the cheapest flights through JetBlue. The prices have now gone up slightly so I don't think they are the cheapest...but they offer the most with the flight...I'll let everyone know how it was when I return in 120days!!!!

 

[Alderbrook]

Just wanted to add if you go on the Buffalo airport website there's a coupon for Park N Fly.

We always book an afternoon flight, I don't like the extra cost for a hotel room & it gives us time in the morning so we're not rushed. We don't do parks the day we get there, I'm always too tired from travelling. We use our first day as a pool, relax & unpack day.

We are flying A/T for $59 each way, plus $6 per person each way to book seats. We only have 1 bag to check so another $15 for a bag. Still can't beat that price. I don't even bother to check flights out of Pearson anymore. We have non-stop there & back.

We're in Hamilton so the drive is about 2 hours but we always give an extra hour for the border, just in case. If they decide to pull us over for some reason, we have extra time. Our flight this Sept is 1:05 pm, we'll leave here around 8:30 am. There's 5 of us going.

If you've ever flown from Pearson you will probably never go back after flying out of Buffalo.

 

[Tinkermom76]

Thanks for the tips!

it's just my and my DD's 5 & 7 going.. should we go down the night before or chance crossing the border in the morning?