Can't find airfare from Chicago to Orlando :(

[ckrum]

Well we've got 13 people going so I'm also going to look into group pricing. I didn't know airtran had a fee to sit together? I've never heard of that.

It's actually a reserved seat fee. I think it's $5/seat each way. It is worth it for us. But, you can also take your chances.

 

[IheartAriel]

Ok well we scored a really great rate! We looked into the flight that was posted here and it ended up to be $226 a person, not bad when you consider United and American have been in the $400's! With the group we were able to put the seats under contract/hold. The flight is early on the 1st and mid afternoon on the 8th, plus it's non-stop which is a must for us. Thanks for posting that!

Southwest just changed their open date for August from January 29 to February 2nd so if you're lookin' that's been changed. I'll be calling them to see if they can beat the $226 because then we don't have to pay for baggage.

6 months is a long time to wait but now I at least know how we're be getting there!

 

[SarahKate]

I agree w/ other posters about holding out for Southwest.

We've always had excellent experiences with them. Another thing to keep in mind is they don't tack on the baggage fees that the other airlines charge now. I also would recommend holding out for a while after the fares are released - you might be tempted to book them NOW, but you really don't need to just yet. Southwest will give you travel credit if the cares drop, BUT if you're not going be traveling again in the next year then it doesn't do you much good. We've normally booked our flights 2-3 months before our trips.

 

[amergren]

It's pretty crazy how quickly fares can change once your travel date gets closer. We're heading to WDW in a few weeks, and we started looking for airfare out of ORD at the beginning of December and prices were approx $287 on United, which was a decent price but I still felt it was expensive. Once we were able to confirm our resort a few weeks later I decided to bite the bullet and was pleasantly surprised to find a $157 non-stop, round trip fare from ORD on United. We leave at 6:30am which is REALLY early (I'm not a morning person!) but $157 round trip is too good to pass up. Plus, we'll get to MCO at 10:15am and we can get a good part of the day in at the parks.

Good luck!! Hopefully you can get cheaper flights the closer your vacation approaches. I'm guessing with our economy as lousy as it is that airlines will need to offer cheap flights to keep people buying.

 

[tinachris]

You could also look at Allegiant Air out of Rockford. They do charge for checked luggage and are a "no frills" airline, but their prices are good and they are almost always on time. My family has flown them numerous times and have had no issues. They aren't booking for August yet, so you might want to wait. Most times, my family has gotten it from $75-$89 each way from Rockford to Orlando/Sanford. Plus parking at Rockford is free! Just another option for you.
Christina

 

[rebecca314]

I'd second Bloomington. With free parking and a direct flight, I think you might find it is reasonable. Check, though, because I think AirTran recently implemented charges for baggage - so it might not be as great of a deal as it once was! Good luck!

 

[AwaitingMagic]

Last May, we flew out of Bloomington on Airtran too, and we loved it. The Bloomington airport is so easy - we booked thru Expedia and all of our seats were together with no problem.

 

[dzneelvr]

I second looking west to Rockford and flying Allegient We've been doing it for years. I booked our June flights the first week of Jan., so get on the flyrfd.com website daily to enter in your flight dates, once that month is listed you can do all the reservation work in 10 minutes. Our base price is $79 each way, with taxes, fees, etc. it is still under $250pp. Rockford has free parking, stress-free checkin and security and same for Sanford in Florida. Sanford's website will list the ground transportation companies where you can pick up a ride to your resort. We use Happy Limo. As at Rockford, in Sanford you are one of only a few flights, so baggage claim is quick and you can be on your way soon. We figure 6 hours from the time we leave our home until we're in our resort room. Can't ask more than that OHare was simply a nightmare each trip, same for Orlando International and boy are we glad Rockford came along.