Delta, Comair, Atlantic SE thru Cincinnati or Atlanta

[disneygrandma]

Our location doesn't offer any non-stops to MCO. So we're open as to which airline, and we're looking mostly at schedule and price. Delta offers a good schedule, and not a bad price........but should we stay away from Delta because of their bankruptcy situation? Also, we would have to take a smaller regional jet, either Comair or Atlantic SE, to a connecting Delta flight, either in Cincinnati or Atlanta. We're unsure about these smaller airlines. There's not a lot of time between the flights to make the connections, either.

Does anyone have experience with Comair or Atlantic SE regional jets? How about confidence booking with Delta? Transfer problems from these regional jets to Delta in Cincinnati or Atlanta?

There will be 4 adults and 3 small children on this flight. We're thinking maybe we should get something booked instead of waiting to see what Southwest offers. Also, the unassigned seats on SWA concerns us with having 3 small children and having to change planes.

Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I am a frequent business traveler and elite on Delta - no worries at all about booking them in the bankruptcy situation. Most of the major carriers ARE in bankruptcy right now but are still operating just fine.

Comair and ASA flights will be on regional jets - usually a CRJ which is a 2 x 2 seating configuration or an ERJ which is a 1 x 2 seating config. Both styles of jets while much smaller then the bigger jets are perfectly safe but a little cramped inside. I'm almost 6' tall and my head brushes the ceiling when I stand up in the aisle. These jets are relatively new and quick and speedy. I prefer the smaller jets because they don't take as long to load or unload (you get your bags quicker usually). These jets are the same size as most private corporate jets so just think of them as your own private jet!

Good luck with your trip. Flying thru CVG (Cincinatti) or ATL (Atlanta) wouldn't really make a difference - both are easy to navigate with ATL probably being a little bit easier in my opinion since in CVG most of the RJs go into Terminal C and you have to take a bus to Terminals A or B if your next flight leaves out of there. In ATL you just take the underground subway to your next terminal without having to go outside.

 

[CarolA]

Delta's bankruptcy is a non-issue.

Personally I like ComAir better.. (Atlantic Southeast is pretty badly run IMHO)

However, the connection in Cinn. is harder. Comair's terminal is a bus ride away from the DL terminal so you need a little more time.

Also, DL just took over the running of Atlantic Southeast (THANK YOU DELTA!)and hopefully ground operations will improve soon!

 

[Devil_Dog99]

The bus ride at Cincinnatti is not that bad - maybe a five minute trip for terminal B and 5-10 for terminal A. Cincinnatti is a much smaller airport than ATL and the concourses at ATL are very long so if you need to go from one end of one terminal to a far gate at another you might have to really hustle.

The smaller airlines I think are all wholly owned subsidiaries of Delta - I have always treated them as one. And the bankruptcy issue is a non-issue. In fact they should be out sometime this year.

 

[snowy76]

We've had no problems with either Comair or ASE. In truth unless they mention the names I never give it much thought since they're usually referred to just as Delta Connection. I would agree with ClarabelleCowFan that ATL is a bit easier to navigate since the terminals are all connected. In Cinci we had to ride a shuttle bus from one terminal to another and it made us a bit nervous. In ATL the underground shuttles are constant and you can even walk from terminal to terminal although it's quite a hike.

 

[CarolA]

They are owned by Delta. However they have their own management. Atlantic Southeast's management should have been FIRED when Delta bought the stupid airline, but it wasn't.... They were finally let go recently and Delta took over the day to day running of the operations.... (This is the airline that once "forgot" to announce boarding and took off with an empty plane by accident!)

 

[disneygrandma]

Thanks for all the quick responses. We have 2 choices on the day of departure, 1 is Comair that flies in to Cincinnati for the connection, the other choice is Atlantic SE that flies in to Atlanta for the connection. It sounds like Comair is the better of these 2 regional jets, but Atlanta would be the better connection. Unfortunately, we're not able to get this combination for the flight times we want. There's only a 30 minute difference between the two, for both the departure at OMA, and the arrival at MCO, so that won't be a deciding factor.

What would you suggest?

Again, thanks so much!

 

[snowy76]

For me it might depend on the connection times. How much time would you have to make the connecting flights once you land at ATL or Cincinatti?

 

[disneygrandma]

We would have 52 mins in Cincinnati, or 1 hr 10 mins in Atlanta. As I said, there will be 4 adults and 3 children - ages 5,2 and 11 mos. The youngest will have a stroller that he will be in until we board on the 1st flight out, and we'll have the stroller in between the 2 flights.

What would you suggest?

Thanks again!

 

[snowy76]

I would fly through ATL for two reasons:

1) A slightly longer connection time can mean a lot if one or both flights have timing issues or if gates change. An obviously with small kids you're less rushed too - time for the bathroom, snack, stretching legs, a good time to get your bearings.

2) The differences already stated above regarding the terminals. I think you'd have a much easier time at ATL if you have to change terminals because of the layout of everything. Despite being a very busy airport, it is very easy to navigate.
http://www.gofox.com/flights/airportmaps.php?code=ATL
http://www.gofox.com/flights/airportmaps.php?code=CVG

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If both flight choices are the same fare and the flight times are just as convenient for you then I would go thru Atlanta with those options.

I wouldn't want to deal with a stroller and kids on the bus in Cinci.

 

[Devil_Dog99]

I will agree about the stroller and the bus at CVG. My only concern is getting from gate to gate at ATL and the fact that ATL is the busiest airport in the US. You could get ground delayed at Eppley (I fly into OMA a lot - nice city you have in Omaha - love the Old Market), then have to sprint to make your plane in ATL. But then thunderstorms could wreck havoc with CVG as well.

OMA-CVG
Pros: Shorter flight; shorter distances between gates; not as busy as ATL
Cons: Bus between terminal (normally no - I do it all the time - but with a stroller a definite maybe); shorter connection (but really a non-issue with the size of CVG)

OMA-ATL
Pros: No busses to navigate; underground subway to take you from concourse to concourse; longer turnaround (for potty and/or snack stops)
Cons: Long distances between gates (chances are you will arrive at Terminal D and have to go to Terminal A, B or C);busiest airport in country (time of day could dictate huge crowds and/or flight delays)

Summary - you can't go wrong with either. They are both nice airports with plenty to offer. When I make my plans, I go with whichever is offering the cheapest fare for that week. However, in my two years of flying through both, I have only ever missed flights in ATL.

 

[disneygrandma]

Thanks for all the info on our Delta options. I'll be discussing everything with our daughter today.

Yes, I agree, Omaha is a pretty nice city. The Old Market is quite popular in the Downtown area. Years ago Eppley was a hub for Midwest, and that made flying in and out of OMA pretty easy. But now, there aren't any non-stop flights to MCO.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[OKW Lover]

Being a DL frequent flyer, I've changed planes in both ATL and CVG. I prefer CVG connections, even when going from a RJ to main-line. The bus ride between terminals is quick and there is just about always a bus there waiting for you. I've made the transfer there faster than I could at ATL which almost always requires a trip to the transportation concourse.