direct air?

[tinkerbell423]

Has anyone flown direct air before? Can you tell me your opinion on the airline. What is the boardign process if you do not select a seat? Also there is only 1 flight and only on certain days what happens if it is delayed or canceled?

 

[goofy4tink]

We flew Direct Air out of Worcester, Mass, into Sanford, back in April, and again in Oct. Both times went fine. BUT....since DirectAir flies on so few days, with only one flight on that day, if there is a mechanical or weather issue, you could be stuck. I have one friend who had a delayed flight due to mechanical issues and they brought in another plane but it took a long time. And, there is nothing to say that DirectAir will always do that.

I won't fly with them if there is any chance of bad weather. Way too risky.
As far as boarding without a seat already chosen, I would imagine that they board those who have paid to choose specific seats, and then they allow the open boarding..just not sure how that works since I always pay to pre-select my seat. Although that doesn't always get you the seat you choose.....flying home in Oct, we found that our seats had been given to others...not sure why. It wasn't a full flight, and we got to the airport over 2 hrs prior to our flight. I wasn't happy. We were given exit row seats though....and because there were 4 of us, and each row had plenty of room, we were able to sit 2 in each row, with the middle seat vacant. I did complain about having paid for specific seats only to have to sit elsewhere...I was refunded the money we spent to choose seats.

I think Direct Air is fine...as long as you realize how they work. They usually run out of small airports, which may not have the usual amenities, especially for early morning flights. And you have to pay addtl if you are flying into Sanford...heading to WDW....either pay for a car service or rent a car. Many have booked Direct Air for the terrific fares and then found that they had to budget car money as well as for the addtl time to get to the more distant Sanford Intl. Airport.

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

Direct Air is a charter operation that does not have their own aircraft and utilizes other charter companies to fly routes for them. As a result, They offer services with very few options for travelers if something goes wrong (aircraft or weather issues). There also are hidden charges with Direct Air fare purchases, so the fare quoted does not include any of the surcharges and fees that are required of every air transportation ticket sold. As their aircraft are not their own you may or may not get what you might have thought you were getting when you purchased the ticket. For instance, if you booked a roundtrip flight and inquired what aircraft will be servicing the route, they might advise you of their 737-800 aircraft which is the newest they utilize. However, they frequently swap out the 800 for smaller aircraft if all the seats weren't sold. Other aircraft include an MD-80 and two 737-400 aircraft, all of which are quite old (in excess of 25 + years). For me, I like flying on the newest equipment available.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Well...

If you are really a "captain" you know that the age of an aircraft is a not matter of date of manufacture. A well maintained aircraft that rolled out of the factory 25 years ago probably has practually NONE of the orignal equipment. The engines aren't 25 years old (unless it hasn't been flown for most of those years) etc.....

Airplane age is not like human age. "We can rebuild him" (Am I the only person who remembers that quote)