Advice needed: SWA $75 + BDL Long-Term Parking $72 (UPDATE)

[SleepyatDVC]

The $75 SWA fare from BDL - MCO is extremely tempting. $225 for 3 people! BDL is exactly 117.5 miles from my house and I don't mind the drive. Airfare is around $160.00 from NYC right now but I expect it to go down a little before November trip.

We are going down for about 2 weeks. Long term parking at BDL is $36/week so we're talking $72. Total cost per person is now about $99.

Hmmm... we got $109.50 out of NYC for September. LGA is 14 miles from my door. Even if NYC fares only drops to $125, we save on 5 hour round trip drive for extra $75 for all three of us! We would get dropped off in NY and not have to park car. Of course, the gamble would be if fares stayed around $150, I would be paying $150 more. Now if fares did drop below $125, I would be kicking myself for having to drive so far.

Sale ends midnight tonight so, I need to decide in the next few hours! What would you do? Are there any parking alternatives? Hotel nearby with shuttle? I wouldn't mind paying to stay there the night before and get an early flight out. However, would they even let you park for 2 whole weeks?

Yikes! Decisions, decisions!!



Couldn't wait for a response so, I called airport hotels myself to ask about stay/park/fly rates. Found 2 potentials. (Most hotels/motels only let you park one week.)
Bradley Ramada Inn $129/night + tax, 2 weeks parking, free bkfast, and free airport shuttle.
Bradley International Inn $80/night + tax, 2 room suite, up to 21 days parking, free coffee, and free airport shuttle.

What do you all think? If we go the stay/park/fly route, leaning towards Ramada because of free bkfast and because the website picture of Bradley Int'l Inn (http://www.sleepparkandfly.com/) seems like small mom&pop operation. Although, it does say that the car is parked in a "secured, fenced and lighted lot."

Int'l Inn tells me the lot is behind the Inn and they also require you to leave your car keys with them. Ramada does not keep your keys but you park your car in the regular lot up against the building.

Advice? Anyone do this before?

 

[SleepyatDVC]

bump

 

[denisenh]

You will like BDL's curb side check in, and there are a lot of on and off site parking lots that will shuttle you right to the curb....have you considered just doing it that way? I mean as opposed to spending the night near the airport? We used Excecutive Parking (or something like that)when we were in a pinch this past April...all of the airport lots were full and we had no "plan B". We ended up at Excecutive and were rushed right over to SWA curb side check in. (I live at least 117 miles from BDL and have flown from there all of our last 3 trips to MCO))
But if I were to chose a hotel from the 2 you list, it would be the Ramada. Have fun! Aren't these air fares great?!!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Grace,
Try the Bradley International Inn. They have a decent nightly rate, free parking for up to 2 weeks and free shuttle to and from the airport. We had a room for 70.00 per night.
Not a bad place at all.
http://www.sleepparkandfly.com/

 

[tarmand]

By staying at a hotel that costs $129 (plus tax I'm assuming) and wasting 5 hours driving time you really are not saving that much money. I would personally wait for lower fares closer to home. If they come down great if not, try Priceline. In the long run is it really worth the hassles to save around $120.