? Airtran flight out of Allentown OR Wilkes Barre Scranton flight

[Mylifeplus4]

Hi, my first time posting but I have been very busy reading these boards! Great information thanks everyone =)
QUESTION: AirTran out of Allentown on Oct. 15th direct, or flights out of Scranton Wilkes Barre same day, but no direct flights. If we fly out of AVP the deal is leave at 8:43am, arrive in Charlotte @ 10:40 with a 40 minute layover then get into Orlando @ 1pm. I am nervous to fly out of Allentown, because WHAT IF they cancel or change flight times, it is an HOUR drive from our house (probably more like 1hr 15mins)...

AirTran is direct, only 2hrs 20 mins (Allentown), UsAirways is 4hrs 20 mins no matter how I schedule it...

We have always flown out of Wilkes Barre Scranton (AVP), however they dropped the Atlanta routes so the only option is Charlotte OR pray that our luggage doesn't get lost as it normally does going through PHILA...We are traveling with two children...

Any help in deciding would be greatly appreciated. BTW: The cost is not what is driving me, it is more or less what is the least sressful & most likely to save time and energy...

THANKS EVERYONE! I think I have read every single post on here

 

[Mylifeplus4]

That if we do fly out of Allentown on AirTran Oct. 15th our children will not miss a day of school & we are taking them out for the entire next week. If I leave from AVP they will miss that day, OR we can book flight on Oct. 14th and they will still only miss one day of school. This is a business trip, but we are also cutting half into family trip. THANKS AGAIN!

 

[DebbieB]

Hi, my first time posting but I have been very busy reading these boards! Great information thanks everyone =)
QUESTION: AirTran out of Allentown on Oct. 15th direct, or flights out of Scranton Wilkes Barre same day, but no direct flights. If we fly out of AVP the deal is leave at 8:43am, arrive in Charlotte @ 10:40 with a 40 minute layover then get into Orlando @ 1pm. I am nervous to fly out of Allentown, because WHAT IF they cancel or change flight times, it is an HOUR drive from our house (probably more like 1hr 15mins)...

AirTran is direct, only 2hrs 20 mins (Allentown), UsAirways is 4hrs 20 mins no matter how I schedule it...

We have always flown out of Wilkes Barre Scranton (AVP), however they dropped the Atlanta routes so the only option is Charlotte OR pray that our luggage doesn't get lost as it normally does going through PHILA...We are traveling with two children...

Any help in deciding would be greatly appreciated. BTW: The cost is not what is driving me, it is more or less what is the least sressful & most likely to save time and energy...

THANKS EVERYONE! I think I have read every single post on here

I would take the non-stop, less stressful.

I checked USAir's website. Your flight AVP-CLT would likely be on a regional jet. Those flights usually come in on E concourse at CLT. It's quite a hike over to B or C where the mainline jets are. 40 minutes isn't much time considering they board at 30 minutes.

 

[Mylifeplus4]

I would take the non-stop, less stressful.

I checked USAir's website. Your flight AVP-CLT would likely be on a regional jet. Those flights usually come in on E concourse at CLT. It's quite a hike over to B or C where the mainline jets are. 40 minutes isn't much time considering they board at 30 minutes.

Thanks so much Debbie =) Yes you are correct about CLT and us having to RUN like heck to get to our next departing flight, which worried me because I know THERE IS NO chance that our luggage will make it onboard...There is also the Phila. flight that leaves AVP @ 7:43 am, it gives more time in between flights - but still it is PHILA, which I despise, however I just worry about AirTran cancelling the flight out of Allentown since we have never flown out of there (but we have flown AirTran several times in the past).
Oh decisions decisions!!!

 

[thumbalyna]

i flew out of ABE on airtran in december and had no problems - i went that route because avoca was just too expensive. my friend just fly out yesterday on airtran from ABE they were delayed an hour but were give food vouchers (even though there is only a subway in ABE). i am driving down this time because flights are just too high for 9-16.

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks so much Debbie =) Yes you are correct about CLT and us having to RUN like heck to get to our next departing flight, which worried me because I know THERE IS NO chance that our luggage will make it onboard...There is also the Phila. flight that leaves AVP @ 7:43 am, it gives more time in between flights - but still it is PHILA, which I despise, however I just worry about AirTran cancelling the flight out of Allentown since we have never flown out of there (but we have flown AirTran several times in the past).
Oh decisions decisions!!!

I would not say no chance on your luggage. I have flown through CLT many times, as recently as last month, and have never lost luggage even with short connections. Luggage can be put on the next plane last minute. Frequently you are sitting on the plane and are past the departure time because they are still loading luggage. One time I arrived in CLT on a flight that was late, I had to run between B and C and was the last to board my next flight. I was amazed that my luggage made it. The only time I have had luggage not make it was through PHL.

 

[pipervali]

We had a family friend fly out of ABE last month using AT and they couldn't say enough good things about it. In fact we're not looking at it for our November flights instead of Philly where we usually fly out of. It's slightly more expensive, but it's also a much smaller, and frankly, cozy airport.

 

[Mylifeplus4]

I would not say no chance on your luggage. I have flown through CLT many times, as recently as last month, and have never lost luggage even with short connections. Luggage can be put on the next plane last minute. Frequently you are sitting on the plane and are past the departure time because they are still loading luggage. One time I arrived in CLT on a flight that was late, I had to run between B and C and was the last to board my next flight. I was amazed that my luggage made it. The only time I have had luggage not make it was through PHL.

Funny thing, I fly frequently w/o the family, Charlotte happens to be the place I travel to the most. We as a family have traveled only one time recently through PHL and that ONE time was when my husband booked the tickets, we were off to Disney with 4 children, got there and NO LUGGAGE for any of us....We even had a 2 hour layover in PHL...That and the amount of damage done to my stuff anytime I have been through PHL are the reasons I STAY AWAY....But then last winter I was on a direct flight from CLT back to AVP (Scranton) had gotten to airport departure with plenty of time to kill, and for some reason THE LOST MY BAGS...Believe it or not it took them 5 days to find it and get it back to me (i did some holiday shopping whilst I was in CLT)...

I am just SUPER nervous about getting to Allentown and having AirTran cancel the flight, but I figure it will save us a TON of time...However unless it is for a weather delay we would be in trouble as we are meeting clients in Orlando the next AM early....Decisions, oh how I wish I could hire PARENTS for myself lol....

 

[NJRRK]

Funny thing, I fly frequently w/o the family, Charlotte happens to be the place I travel to the most. We as a family have traveled only one time recently through PHL and that ONE time was when my husband booked the tickets, we were off to Disney with 4 children, got there and NO LUGGAGE for any of us....We even had a 2 hour layover in PHL...That and the amount of damage done to my stuff anytime I have been through PHL are the reasons I STAY AWAY....But then last winter I was on a direct flight from CLT back to AVP (Scranton) had gotten to airport departure with plenty of time to kill, and for some reason THE LOST MY BAGS...Believe it or not it took them 5 days to find it and get it back to me (i did some holiday shopping whilst I was in CLT)...

I am just SUPER nervous about getting to Allentown and having AirTran cancel the flight, but I figure it will save us a TON of time...However unless it is for a weather delay we would be in trouble as we are meeting clients in Orlando the next AM early....Decisions, oh how I wish I could hire PARENTS for myself lol....

If Allentown is 1hr 15 min away, and you're worried about connections, etc., either take the flight from Scranton, or spend another 30 minutes driving and take a non-stop Jet Blue or CO flight from EWR, or SW non-stop from PHL. Non-stop means no missed connections and less likely to loose luggage (I said less likely not unheard of).

 

[Mylifeplus4]

We had a family friend fly out of ABE last month using AT and they couldn't say enough good things about it. In fact we're not looking at it for our November flights instead of Philly where we usually fly out of. It's slightly more expensive, but it's also a much smaller, and frankly, cozy airport.

Thanks much for the info! Perhaps I will get the guts up to just book these flights today....How far of a drive is Allentown from where you live?

 

[Mylifeplus4]

i flew out of ABE on airtran in december and had no problems - i went that route because avoca was just too expensive. my friend just fly out yesterday on airtran from ABE they were delayed an hour but were give food vouchers (even though there is only a subway in ABE). i am driving down this time because flights are just too high for 9-16.

Thanks so much =) Can you tell me please how long the drive took you? We live in Clarks Summit, and usually getting to Allentown takes just about 1hr..I know that whenever we fly out of Avoca I can be there 30 mins before the flight departs and will sail through security and be on my way with no problems. I have read others who said the ABE airport is just as easy to get in and out of..When you say you are driving down, do you mean driving to Orlando or Allentown? Yikes if your driving to Orlando that is a long trip.

Also, which way did you drive to get to ABE, did you take 476, did you hit any traffic when you got into Allentown? THANKS SO MUCH

 

[Mylifeplus4]

If Allentown is 1hr 15 min away, and you're worried about connections, etc., either take the flight from Scranton, or spend another 30 minutes driving and take a non-stop Jet Blue or CO flight from EWR, or SW non-stop from PHL. Non-stop means no missed connections and less likely to loose luggage (I said less likely not unheard of).

We actually booked JETBLUE in Newburgh (Stuart Airport) for our employees who are coming down for business. That is aprox. 95 miles from us but I have been reading about lots of delays on the road down & Jetblue's flights all take off early AM, which is great but would be a long haul of a day for kid unless we slept over and my DH won't go for that. On a Sunday AM EWR only takes about an hour and 30 minutes but during the week ouch, it can take hrs..Wish we had a direct flight out of AVP,,=)

 

[Flyerfan]

Hi, my first time posting but I have been very busy reading these boards! Great information thanks everyone =)
QUESTION: AirTran out of Allentown on Oct. 15th direct, or flights out of Scranton Wilkes Barre same day, but no direct flights. If we fly out of AVP the deal is leave at 8:43am, arrive in Charlotte @ 10:40 with a 40 minute layover then get into Orlando @ 1pm. I am nervous to fly out of Allentown, because WHAT IF they cancel or change flight times, it is an HOUR drive from our house (probably more like 1hr 15mins)...

AirTran is direct, only 2hrs 20 mins (Allentown), UsAirways is 4hrs 20 mins no matter how I schedule it...

We have always flown out of Wilkes Barre Scranton (AVP), however they dropped the Atlanta routes so the only option is Charlotte OR pray that our luggage doesn't get lost as it normally does going through PHILA...We are traveling with two children...

Any help in deciding would be greatly appreciated. BTW: The cost is not what is driving me, it is more or less what is the least sressful & most likely to save time and energy...

THANKS EVERYONE! I think I have read every single post on here

Did you ever consider Allegiant out of ABE? It's non-stop. We flew with them in July with no problems. Would do it again.

 

[Mylifeplus4]

Did you ever consider Allegiant out of ABE? It's non-stop. We flew with them in July with no problems. Would do it again.

Hi, Thanks yes indeed I did check out Allegiant, however they don't fly out on the days that I need flights (well one did coming back)..I'd take just about any flight that was direct, we really SHOULD have RT flights out of this area, 96 people a day on average go to Orlando from AVP, 70 a day down to FLL, even if there were just a few flights a week it would help out....I also understand that Boscov's travel has a charter (I think it might be Southwest) going direct to Orlando from AVP but the dates are tough...

 

[Flyerfan]

we really SHOULD have RT flights out of this area, 96 people a day on average go to Orlando from AVP, 70 a day down to FLL, even if there were just a few flights a week it would help out...

That would be nice. We flew out of AVP a few years back going to Vegas. It's a nice, cozy airport. It's the same distance for us going to AVP or ABE. Having the option would be a plus.

 

[Mylifeplus4]

That would be nice. We flew out of AVP a few years back going to Vegas. It's a nice, cozy airport. It's the same distance for us going to AVP or ABE. Having the option would be a plus.

Really? Tamaqua is equal distance to Allentown & AVP? We have been in Tamaqua many times for our children's sporting events, I did not realize it was that close to both airports. Yes indeed Boscov's has direct Southwest flights into Orlando (dates are at the moment 7 days/6 nights-twice a month direct service) however you must (I THINK) book your rooms etc. with this Charter plan....Oh yes indeed it would be fabulous if we had direct from AVP-MCO...Was the Allentown Airport as easy to navigate through and as quick to board flights as AVP is? Goshers, WOULD I LOVE a direct flight to Vegas!!

 

[Flyerfan]

Really? Tamaqua is equal distance to Allentown & AVP? We have been in Tamaqua many times for our children's sporting events, I did not realize it was that close to both airports. Yes indeed Boscov's has direct Southwest flights into Orlando (dates are at the moment 7 days/6 nights-twice a month direct service) however you must (I THINK) book your rooms etc. with this Charter plan....Oh yes indeed it would be fabulous if we had direct from AVP-MCO...Was the Allentown Airport as easy to navigate through and as quick to board flights as AVP is? Goshers, WOULD I LOVE a direct flight to Vegas!!

Yep. AVP is a bit farther (less than 10 mi difference) than ABE but because it's a straight shoot up 81 for us, it takes about the same time. Allentown was very easy to navigate. They are renovating it and it is a little bigger than AVP but it's a piece of cake. I don't fly that much so that's saying a lot.

The flight to Vegas was not direct. We had a layover in Chicago but it was nice flying in and out of a small airport closer to home than Phila.

 

[Mallow]

Flew out of ABE Oct '09 with airtran, had such a nice experience plan to do so again for Sept '11. I live in Swoyersville (Kingston/Wilkes-Barre area), & will probably never fly out of AVP again, too costly & no direct.

 

[Mylifeplus4]

That would be nice. We flew out of AVP a few years back going to Vegas. It's a nice, cozy airport. It's the same distance for us going to AVP or ABE. Having the option would be a plus.

Flew out of ABE Oct '09 with airtran, had such a nice experience plan to do so again for Sept '11. I live in Swoyersville (Kingston/Wilkes-Barre area), & will probably never fly out of AVP again, too costly & no direct.

Thank you! I just decided that WE will fly out of ABE (allentown) for the first time ever Although now I have a new set of questions .....

How long in advance did you drive down? If our flight leaves at 4:25pm I was thinking that I would have the car packed and pick kids up from school@ 2pm on the dot, so we would arrive around 3:25 or so...

 

[OLT2004]

AIRTRAN cancels flights all the time.

Good Luck with them...