Considering Flying STL to MCO, and I HATE to fly :(

[taylor1293]

We are considering flying this upcoming January. For two reasons. First because of the weather problems we may encounter while driving. Second, because of time issues.

I hate to fly. So I'm not even sure if I can do it . If anyone has any tips, I would appreicate them. We rarely fly and when we do, it's just DH and I. So I usually just drink (a lot ) before we fly. However, this time we would have our children with us and don't want to do that.

Also, how do I go about finding discounts for flying? Our dates are Jan 1st(or 2nd) - Jan 11th. The flight must be non-stop. American Airlines is quoting $300 per person to fly round trip. Southwest is $280. Can I do better?

Thanks

Teresa

 

[DJT]

I hate to fly, too, believe me, but I have been flying to WDW twice a year for the last two to three years because of getting such good deals on flights and rooms. I just don't ever think about the flying part until I'm boarding the plane. I find that sitting in the aisle seat helps, too. I turn the air on my face and I close my eyes when we take off and keep them closed for a few minutes. DH holds my hand and that helps, too. I would think since your kids will be with you, that will help distract you from your own feelings about flying because you will be attentive to their needs.

We always fly SW because we get the best deals with them. As low as $111.00 a ticket roundtrip from Louisville to Orlando. This trip we got $115 out of Indy to Tampa because we are spending a couple days on the Gulf coast. Keep reading these posts, as the people here are absolutely wonderful about posting good deals. Also keep checking the airline website, as you never know when a better deal will come along.

 

[taylor1293]

Thanks DJT for all the help!

I was thinking the same thing about my kids distracting me from my fears. I really hope it works that way !

I agree about sitting in the aisle. I have no desire to have a window seat, lol!

The last time we flew (from Vegas) we had a lot of turbulence, and I swore I'd never fly again! That was 6 years ago.

I'd love to find fares that low! I'd be happy with $200 per person!

Teresa

 

[Castlebound]

I would keep checking Southwest's web site for your travel dates to go on sale. Southwest just finished having an airfare sale from STL to MCO for $59 each way. I have been checking for months and American has yet to have a good price to Orlando. If one connection might be ok with your family you might also want to keep an eye on Delta flights. They sometimes have pretty good web fares, but you need to act fast on them because the price can go up in a matter of hours.

Hope this helps.

Christal

 

[NotUrsula]

The "standard" sale price from STL to MCO on SWA is $59 each way on a RT. We usually take a FL trip every time one of these sales comes around; about 4X/yr. Non-sale advance-purchase prices tend to run between $180-210 RT. Half of each day's 5 flights on SWA are direct; the others stop briefly in Birmingham, AL, or Louisville, KY.

After 11/1, when all of the AA STL cuts go into effect, AA will drop the number of direct MCO flights to 2 daily. (They are putting more of their direct-flight capacity into Miami, because they sell a lot of bloc seats to the cruise lines. STL is a big market for cruises.)

One caveat for flying SWA from STL to MCO in wintertime: the planes come from Chicago. Therefore, if there is weather at MDW, the STL>MCO flight will be delayed, sometimes rather
badly. It isn't unheard of at that time of year for the 5:40 pm flight to get into MCO at around 1 am., after a 3 hr. delay waiting in STL for the plane to arrive.

In winter your best bet is an early- morning flight, those get out more quickly when de-icing is an issue, because de-icing takes time, and each airport only has so many trucks to do it; a backlog will usually develop over the course of the day.

 

[taylor1293]

Christal and NotUrsala - thanks for the tips. Hopefully Southwest will have a $59 one-way sale from STL soon!

Teresa

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by taylor1293
Christal and NotUrsala - thanks for the tips. Hopefully Southwest will have a $59 one-way sale from STL soon!

Teresa

Right now they are showing 79.00 each way from Midway and there is a discount code on this board for 15% off. That should bring it down nicely.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by taylor1293
Christal and NotUrsala - thanks for the tips. Hopefully Southwest will have a $59 one-way sale from STL soon!

Teresa

Right now they are showing 79.00 each way from Midway and there is a discount code on this board for 15% off. That should bring it down nicely.

 

[taylor1293]

Thanks Gail but unfortunately Midway is about 300 miles from us. So it won't work. Hopefully they'll have some similar rates down this way soon .

Teresa

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by taylor1293
Thanks Gail but unfortunately Midway is about 300 miles from us. So it won't work. Hopefully they'll have some similar rates down this way soon .

Teresa

Opps, well, what airport do you use?

 

[taylor1293]

We use St. Louis. The lowest rate for the 4 of us with the discount code was around $823 (with taxes/fees). Not a bad rate, but I am really hoping for less !

Teresa

 

[NotUrsula]

There is irony for you; that $79 flight from MDW more likely than not actually stops in STL to take on more passengers before continuing to MCO, but getting on halfway will cost you twice as much. Arrrgh!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
There is irony for you; that $79 flight from MDW more likely than not actually stops in STL to take on more passengers before continuing to MCO, but getting on halfway will cost you twice as much. Arrrgh!

These flights were non stop.