An emergency transportation question??

[Banshee]

My Dh's uncle who lives in Coco Beach is in the hospital with complete kidney failure and for some reason not known to the doctor's yet his liver is bleeding. They have already given him 3 transfusions.He has suffered from Hepatitis for about 7 years now. My question is my FIL is flying down on wednesday arriving at MCO. We do not trust him trying to drive to the hospital in a rental car. He is truly a country bumpkin and could get lost in a paper bag. That said we are trying to figure out if it would be better to get a taxi or some sort of car service? My SIL called one place (not sure who) and they quoted her a price of 175.00 I thought that was high?!? Am I wrong? Any help would be appreciated. Also he has a one way flight reserved for going down at 285.00. We dont know when he would be coming home but isnt there something we could do for him to bring that price down for his flight home? I am reading about all these fares for 49- to 89- dollars is that possible for him? Thanks

 

[Jasminesmommy]

most of those flights have to be done 7 to 14 days in advance and done on a off day such as tue-thursday. Call one of the places and ask them what you need to qualify for the special rates

 

[ducklite]

Lot's of things to try with the airfare--book a round trip ticket with a Saturday stayover and throw away teh return is one. The other thing to do is look into what are known as bereavement fares. Some carriers will offer them not only in cases of death, but also in cases of grave illness.

As far as the cab fare, that's probably about right. I'd get in touch with a carservice (I like Golden Limo and see if they can give you a better rate.

ANne

 

[dcfromva]

Banshee,
Is MCO the closest airport to Coco Beach or are there commercial flights into Melbourne (?) (MLB) that might be closer--perhaps making the ground transport cheaper? (I haven't looked into this lately, but I could take a look on Expedia and see...)

Which airport is your Dad flying out of and do you have any flexibility with that?

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

Here's a link to the Melbourne International Airport flight schedules... It looks like Delta is the major carrier in there. (I don't see any non-stops from the NY area.)

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

Would PHL be too far for you all to drive?

SWA has a special fare from PHL to MCO:
Trip Date Day Stops Routing Flight Routing Details
Depart Aug 11 Wed N/S PHL-MCO 405 Depart Philadelphia (PHL) at 7:00 AM Arrive in Orlando (MCO) at 9:30 AM

Pricing
Trip Routing Type of Fare Base Fare U.S.
Taxes PFC andSecurity Fee1 Passenger(s) Total
Depart PHL-MCO Refundable, One-Way, Non-Stop Flight Only
Total $120.00 (taxes $12.10 $7.00) $139.10


Same flight refundable anytime=$178.10

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

Jet Blue has a flight from JFK:
Web Fare* US$176.00
Wed, 11 Aug 04
Flight 41 9:05 am Depart New York NY (JFK)
11:45 am Arrive Orlando, FL (MCO)

total with taxes $184.00


-DC

 

[Banshee]

dcfromva Thank you for all the advice. I am going to talk to my FIL today and see if PHL is ok with him. The flight he has is out of atlantic city. I never thought of melbourne airport. I will talk to him today and see what he thinks he wants to do. Thank you so much for all the info! I really appreciate it.

 

[NotUrsula]

When you say reserved, do you mean that he has already purchased the ticket? If so, and it is on a traditional major carrier, it will cost him $100 to change or cancel it. SWA and JetBlue don't charge those big change fees, which is why they are ideal in situations like this, where plans may have to change at the last minute.

Though Southwest and JetBlue airlines go only into MCO, in addition to Melbourne, there is also Daytona Intl. nearby; and there are direct flights on Continental from Newark into Daytona. It's a very small airport, and it is a pretty straight shot from Daytona down to Cocoa if he follows the coast road (US1) no interstate driving required, though I-95 parallels US1. If driving itself isn't the issue, he might be able to manage a rental from there. (Though you should arrange it for him in advance and have all the info printed out. Then tell him to insist that he wants exactly what is printed on the paper he has; no extra-charge upgrades or extra insurances.)

A car service from MCO would probably be cheaper than a cab; cabs have meters, but car services do not use them, so traffic will not run it up. A car service might even let you book a r/t from the airport to Cocoa for him with an open return date, if you explain the situation.

I suppose there is no chance that another relative might accompany him down and stay for a couple of days to get him acclimated? We find that to be the best course when older first-time flyers have to go somewhere in an emergency. They are usually OK on the way home, but it helps to have an experienced air traveler show them the ropes on the way down, especially since they tend have their minds wound up worrying about the sick relative.

You FIL should be on notice that if he is flying on a one-way ticket, he will be subjected to extra security screening by TSA. He is almost guaranteed to have his carryon searched by hand, and he may be wanded and patted down. You should probably go to http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=175 and print out some of the guidelines and FAQ's for him, so that he will know what to expect going through security.

 

[Banshee]

Thank you all for the advice on this situation. My FIL arrived safely in florida a made it to the hospital. His brother though sadly is not doing so well the hepatitis is just wreaking havoc on his body. But thank you all.