Allegiant air

[kappman]

We are close to allegiant airport they are pretty cheap but fly to Sanford airport. Has anyone used Allegiant and have any thoughts?

 

[fitmom3]

My friend flew with Allegiant out of Niagara Falls NY and had no issues. We are thinking of using them this March. I will most likely have to book last minute. I think my only concern would be that they only fly out on certain days so if there was a snow storm would they fly out the next day?

 

[Casemily]

They are a charter airline so they don't fly daily. Depending on the location only weekly. If your flight were to cancel they do not rebook on other airlines so your options would be limited. It's a cheaper ticket I'd you purchase at the airport and I thought they were going to start charging for carry ons.

 

[vacationer1954]

My brother uses them a lot. He says it is worth it as long as you understand the rules and are okay with it when things are a little different than what you're used to on other airlines. He's only had one bad experience when he was delayed due to traffic and missed the deadline for checking in. (I think you have to check in at some airports 45 minutes prior to the flight or you're considered a no-show and lose not only your flight but also forfeit your airfare.) You can find lots of complaints about how they're different from other airlines but there will always be complaints from people who didn't read the rules or didn't think the rules applied to them. As long as you know what you're getting into and don't assume that they're going to treat you better than that it's a great choice.

 

[disneymarie]

We are close to allegiant airport they are pretty cheap but fly to Sanford airport. Has anyone used Allegiant and have any thoughts?

We fly, limited flights, we have one a day twice a week. I have found $55 rates, but they charge to breath! The check bag $20 carry on $16, soda $3. For our legs. The only thing free is a back pack.

They go into Sanford which was about another 30-40 minutes and tolls from MCO. The rental cars are not as low as MCO. That being said I will use them again. For 5 of us it was $800 after bags, but we needed the mini van rental and sweated it out until two weeks before and found Enterprize with a $300 for 8 days. The car had ton of dings, but was clean. At least I didn't worry about dmg.

Oh, getting something to transport our bags from claim to car was on exsistant that day. Remember to leave in time to get back to Sandford, it will take longer. Security was easier then MCO.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I flew Allegiant into Sanford last week and then back home and it was super duper easy. The flights were fine and I found the staff to be friendly. Plus I couldn't beat the price! The car rental area is easy to find and walk to and security is easier than at MCO due to it being a much smaller airport. I hope that the Allegiant flight stays at my local airport because it's the way to go, in my opinion.

 

[Jennifer_W]

I would agree with the previous posters.

I would also add:

*you can save about $10 per ticket per person by going to the airport ticket counter and buying the tickets there, if that's convenient for you. (I guess I would call their customer service line --which is NOT toll free & can take FOREVER--to double check for your location & hours of operation), but for our family of 5, that saves us $100!

*Allegiant is about the only airline where you can get cheap fares last minute, providing there are open seats. They sell by what's open, not just raising the prices sky high 14 days out.

*Because they are a charter type airline, if the crew has been timed out, or there is a problem with the plane, you'll be at their mercy to get another plane/crew/whatever brought in from somewhere else. We've never had that happen, but my in-laws have.

*Their flights can be at crack of dawn in the morning. Ugh.

*Baggage fees will vary by location. Our location is $15 per way per carry-on, $25 per checked bag if pre-paid; much more at the airport. Your free "personal item" can be a backpack, small duffel, etc. Just has to fit under the seat in front of you (which has much more height clearance than the 7" bag depth they quote you, by the way). Hope that helps!

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

We fly with Allegiant frequently and have used them at Sanford, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Bellingham WA. They are the best option in our area because they are the only way to fly direct.

Sure, there are lots of charges, but as long as you know that going in its okay. They are still they cheapest way to get there for us.

 

[milmore104]

We flew Alleigant in April. We were doing a split vacation between the In laws and WDW. Our flight was delayed about 45 min. leaving our airport. Due to an old man that couldn't get off the plane. Then our flight was delayed for about 5 hours on the way home due to mechanical issues. We lucked out. I had asked to switch our flight instead of staying in the airport. Even though we didn't buy the extra insurance they switched our flight for free. I would fly them again. However you do need to be careful. Even though your price may say $60 for your flight you do get charged for EVERY bag even carry on. Plus if you want an assigned seat you'll have to pay for that as well. Being a family of 5 we needed to sit together but if you are a single person and don't care you can save that $. They do charge for snacks and drinks. But you can bring your own stuff. So I didn't worry about that. We did purchase their boxed meal. It was good.
We are very relaxed and carefree on vacation. So not much bothers us. Luckily my in laws live close to Sanford airport so when our flight was delayed. We just changed our flight and went back to their house for a few extra days. We had no problems or delays w that flight.
We enjoyed Allegiant. We did miss the tvs from jet blue. But we all have enough electronics we kept busy. Plus the fact that the airport that flies Allegiant is only 1 1/2 hours away. Compared to the Jet Blue one that is 3 hours away and requires an overnight stay.
We would be flying Allegiant again in Feb if I didn't just realize we could drive for $500.

 

[dramaticmissy]

We have used them several times, they are the closest to South bend, In and fly with no stops. We really like them, there are no snacks or drinks unless you pay for them, as they are a no frills air line, but they still try to make it fun, they even held a winner take all drawing on board, which we won, BTW $127.00 is what we won, paid for one of our airline tickets
We have used them 3 times flying to Disney and once to tampa and once to Vegas

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We are going to fly with them for the first time this coming June. We chose to take our chances with seat selection. This is a BUDGET trip...so, anyone have any experience with waiting until checking in online to get your seats?

 

[LetsDoDisney!]

We fly Allegiant every year when we go to Disney. Last year we did not purchase Priority Seating. After the people that DID purchase seating were sent onboard, then they let the families with kids 6 and under go, so since we fit that bill we were the first on after the PS people (which wasn't many). So we had NO problem getting seats together.

This year my son is 7, so we won't get that luxury. What we did is buy Priority seating for two of us. Myself and my son will go on first and then my husband will come eventually when they let him. We won't have any trouble "saving" his window seat. I'll just say that my husband is coming and will be sitting there. I was tempted to buy it for only me or my DH and hope to be able to save two seats, but I was afraid it might not work.

We love the direct flight, and the onboard drawings, etc. Last year we did have a delay coming home. We were already boarded when the pilot came on and said "well folks, we just heard a thump when we shouldn't have heard a thump, so we're going to get a mechanic out to check things out.". After a half hour or so they decided to send us back into the terminal to wait it out. Soooooo glad they did that! They had to get another plane from somewhere to come in to replace ours. Even worse, they had another flight leaving just after us, and they had the same thing happen, a mechanical problem that needed to be addressed. So, two flights of people waiting for replacement planes in the terminal. It was a 4 hour delay. Since we didn't have a connection to make and we were on our way home it really didn't bother us as much as you'd think it would. We were just glad he decided to go the safe route and get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.

Flying Allegiant again next month, can't wait!