Flight options next summer?

[mommymanda]

After three Florida trips by car, my husband has requested anymore be by flight.
I cringe at both cost and my anxiety in planes, but can't argue as he did all the driving.

We flew Spirit out of Detroit for our pre-pandemic vacation. Return flight was a 2h delay, but that was the only issue. For the short flight we were fine with the lack of frills involved.

What if any options do we out of Ontario (we are in London)? I've looked up Swoop and reviews seem terrible. A delay we can work with, complete reschedule we wouldn't have that flexibility.

We won't be travelling until Aug 2022, so I know I've got time, but I also believe prices are best when booked early...right lol?

 

[Average Joes]

I cannot think of anything in Ontario that would not be a fair bit more expensive than flying out of Detroit. I would love to hear input on this as well. Is the concern with Detroit that you will not be able to drive across the border to fly? We are planning to fly out of Detroit for an August 2022 trip. Although I have taken enough time off to drive if prices are high.

We typically book Southwest as soon as flights come out.

 

[mommymanda]

I cannot think of anything in Ontario that would not be a fair bit more expensive than flying out of Detroit. I would love to hear input on this as well. Is the concern with Detroit that you will not be able to drive across the border to fly? We are planning to fly out of Detroit for an August 2022 trip. Although I have taken enough time off to drive if prices are high.

No real issue, if exchange stays low and prices a good chunk less we can head to Detroit. It just typically means we still add the cost of a hotel the night before and park/fly while gone. If we flew out of Ontario, we could possibly have family drive us so that would only cost a Timmies stop.

 

[Sue M]

No real issue, if exchange stays low and prices a good chunk less we can head to Detroit. It just typically means we still add the cost of a hotel the night before and park/fly while gone. If we flew out of Ontario, we could possibly have family drive us so that would only cost a Timmies stop.

We sometimes fly out of Bellingham, WA and a lot of the hotels maybe 10min away from airport let you leave your car at the hotel. Park & fly room rate. I‘ve done this many times. Usually at a Marriott Springhill suites, Courtyard or Towne Place. They have shuttles that take you to airport and pick you up.

 

[Etch]

Flair Airlines are flying out of Kitchener/Waterloo to Orlando Sanford starting in October. For an example, current return price in October is $198.60 CDN. They are a low cost airline so luggage etc. is extra. At this point they haven't said whether the Florida flights are seasonal or year round but I thought I would mention it to you as something to look into.

I haven't flown with them yet but have had a few different friends report a positive experience.

 

[2Lunds]

After three Florida trips by car, my husband has requested anymore be by flight.
I cringe at both cost and my anxiety in planes, but can't argue as he did all the driving.

We flew Spirit out of Detroit for our pre-pandemic vacation. Return flight was a 2h delay, but that was the only issue. For the short flight we were fine with the lack of frills involved.

What if any options do we out of Ontario (we are in London)? I've looked up Swoop and reviews seem terrible. A delay we can work with, complete reschedule we wouldn't have that flexibility.

We won't be travelling until Aug 2022, so I know I've got time, but I also believe prices are best when booked early...right lol?

FWIW, I have a friend who works for WestJet (Swoop's parent company) and he said "DO NOT FLY SWOOP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES". They basically exist to block other ultra-low-cost carriers from entering the market in Canada, and they care ZERO about customer satisfaction. He went on to clarify that it was ok to take advantage of their prices as long as you were super, mega, ultra flexible about your trip because there is an excellent chance your flights will be changed/canceled with no notice and you might need to make arrangements to extend your stay, book with another airline...or rent a car and drive to get home (yikes). Some routes only fly once a week, and if they cancel that one flight... you're out of luck. Also, they're notorious for poorly scheduling flight crews (resulting in cancellations), fly old planes which break down all the time (resulting in cancellations) and have a tiny fleet (resulting in... you guessed it: cancellations)

Anyway - Swoop rant over

I recommend checking out Delta's prices if they fly out of your airport. I've found them to be cheaper than AC or WJ on most North American routes.

 

[Hopeful8]

I've had luck with great prices with Delta (out of Detroit) in the past. Not sure what it will be like going forward, post-pandemic as prices seem quite high these days. I used to book very far in advance and get great rates. And flying out of Detroit is so easy (but the parking is so-so....need to take a shuttle from the parking to the airport, a bit of a pain!)

 

[Sue M]

I avoid Delta! They’re fine if nothing goes wrong. But if it does they have terrible customer service.
It may not be the cheapest but if Alaska serves your airport they’re great. I’m on west coast, and Seattle is the hub.

 

[NancyK]

Since you are in London you may want to check out Southwest or JetBlue from Buffalo. Not that much further of a drive than Detroit and the airport is small. There are park and fly hotels across the street. We are in St. Catharines so we don't stay overnight. We park at the airport and it is very inexpensive.