Allegiant Air and Sanford Airport

[blessedby3]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either Allegiant Airlines or the Sanford Airport in Florida. We have this new (to us) airline (Allegiant) out of Roanoke, VA and its tickets are about the same as what SW has right now out of Raleigh. We have to drive 3 hours to Raleigh to catch SW. The main problem is that Allegiant does not fly into MCO and so we couldnt use Magical Express and Im not sure about how long the drive would be from Sanford. I was thinking I read somewhere it was about 1/2 hour. Any information would be appreciated. I was hoping for a great ding like we had last year ($28 each way), but they seem to be higher this year. The rates from Allegiant are around $89 each way. We are flying in mid December. Thanks for any information or help on either of these two things.

 

[skiingwife]

We flew on Allegiant Air into Sanford last December. The flight was fine, good pilots, smooth landings (even with rain coming in and in snow going home), the flight attendants were nice. We rented a car at the airport which was very convenient (just outside the door and down a walk way). The drive to WDW was about 40 or 45 minutes. We arrived around 10:30 pm so had to drive in the dark and we made it without getting lost, so it wasn't too hard of a drive. The airport was so small and easy to get around in. Check in and security was quick. I would use Allegiant/Sanford again.

 

[Edd]

You will enjoy flying into Sanford. The schedules for Allegiant are a little different but if you can handle that you should be okay. It is easy and with not much crowds. There is a Mears Taxi stand available and they state $110.00 one way to Disney. You can check out the web and find rides from different car services for around $190.00 round trip. The ride is closer to an hour and could be longer if you go I-4 to Disney during the busy hours. Taking the 417 is the easiest but is a toll road (total of $5.00) to Disney.
I am surprised the tickets are comparable to SW. Most of Allegiants tickets to Sanford have been quite a bit less than airlines flying into Orlando.

 

[EjandMD]

We loved it! our first time in May and they were really nice and the airport is super convienant! Quick in and out and we rented a car...very nice, enjoy the non-rush of a big airport like mco. Security super fast!

 

[blessedby3]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I will see who has the best fares for our travel time in December. I wish they would hurry up and post fares and flights so I can get this airfare headache behind me. I always feel much better once the airfare is booked. Guess I will also have to consider the $110 each way for transportation if we go with Allegiant. What kind of vehicle takes you to WDW? We will probably have 7 in our group flying and the others driving. I wonder if we would have to get two taxis. Yikes, that would be $220 each way. Thanks

 

[Ludwig Von Drake]

... to and from Sanford/Orlando for your party of 7.

If you click on the link at the top of the page you will see a van for up to 10 passengers is only $15 more than a towncar. Much more convenient than taxi's for such a large group, and cheaper to boot!

Sanford is a great airport, only about 15/20 minutes further than MCO. We loved it!

 

[Edd]

You can go to the internet and find companies who will pick you up for approximately $180 - $190 roundtrip. The cheverolet Suburban will hold 7 passengers and there are also vans available. Some of these companies will even stop, while you pick up groceries for your stay. I quoted $110.00 because the taxi stand up there advertises that price. You might check this site, Taxi-SFB.com, for more information about transportation and the airport. It is up to you to ask for a grocery stop. Most companies will stop at the Publix or Walmart. Neither is out of the way.

 

[CleveRocks]

Just my personal opinion, but I'd use the closer home airport and pay for transport to WDW versus taking the time and effort (and expense) to drive three hours in order to get a free ride on DME.

I live about 15 minutes from the Atlantic City, NJ airport. Spirit Airlines has always been reliable getting me to Florida, but for when I'm flying the cost is over $500 a ticket!!! I'm about a 75 minute drive to Philadelphia's airport, where my airfare will be about half that. I hate the fact that I'll have such a relatively long drive versus going to the airport around the corner, but for a family of 4 I'd be spending about $1,000 extra for that convenience. According to Edd your shorter drive to an airport will only cost you about $200 more.

I'd gladly pay $200 for 6 hours' less driving. It'll make your arrival day less tiring, and your departure day a lot shorter.