Flights, Help

[Donnask8pro]

I need help. I have never booked flights w/o either a travel agent or someone else doing the work. Any great words on how to approach this? Words of wisdom? We're traveling in Nov. Should I wait? Or start looking now? Thanks ahead for all your help..
Also if we fly in the day before our time share where should we stay?

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

You can begin looking now, but wait to book the flight. Unless you're traveling over Thanksgiving week, you can expect airfare from PHL to MCO for as little as $49 one-way (before taxes and fees). It's too early to book Southwest for November. They're only booking up to June 6, 2005 right now. USAir will most assuredly drop their rates once SWA comes out with their prices. However, SWA's re-booking and re-ticketing policies are so much more lenient than USAir's that if all things are equal, I'd still go with SWA. Just keep you eyes peeled.

Oh, and don't rule out flying out of Atlantic City instead of PHL. Sometimes the rates fromACY are cheaper than PHL. Being in Cherry Hill, you're about half-way between both airports.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

We are also going in November and I booked my air fare when I saw a price that I liked.

I usually look on Travelocity or Expedia and find the price that I like for the flights that I like.

I then go to the that specific airlines website and book it directly. It gives me ff miles by doing that and it is usually $5 - $10 cheaper per ticket.

One caveat - when we went in December I did find it cheaper to book through Travelocity because it offered a child rate for airfare that wasn't available on AA.com.

You may also need to look at other websites that don't use Travelocity/Expedia, such as Southwest, Airtran, ATA, etc.

 

[Donnask8pro]

Flying out of AC is not an option. To far. I am 5 minutes away from Phila. I also have a handicapped son. To much travel time. He'll lose it. Thanks though

 

[Donnask8pro]

Day after Thanksgiving. Who did you book your Nov w/? I also want to fly in earlier and stay 1 night in a hotel. Im thinking Embassy suites close to airport ???? How far is airport from DW?

 

[Donnask8pro]

Are these boards always this slow? I'm used to Cruise Critic.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Since you're flying with a handicapped child, I would strongly recommend a direct flight from PHL. The only airlines that fly directly from PHL--> MCO would be USAir, Southwest and Airtran. All the others (Delta, American) will send you to a hub city like Atlanta or Cleveland for a connecting flight.

You cannot book SWA yet. They are only taking ressies thru June 6, 2005. Airtran is only booking thru October.

USAir has flights for as low as $158 RT right now for Nov. 25 (returning Dec. 2) but the times aren't that great and there is no direct flight on the return trip. You can go directly to their website and play around with dates to see if something better comes up. USAir.com

My advise, still, is to wait until SWA and Airtran come out with their rates for your timeframe. USAir will drop their prices when SWA begins to take away business for them. Or you can just book SWA or Airtran. Patience.

 

[Donnask8pro]

Thank you.. We just got back from Tampa and we did fly Air Tran one way and SW the other. They were really good flights. Patience is a VERY hard thing for me. I am the planning Queen.. lol When do you think SW will open up for checking times and $$$. Do they have a time frame? Like 6 months ahead or so?

 

[poohj80]

I would recommend signing up for an account on Travelocity.com then you can add your route to your fares to watch and Travelocity will automatically send you an email when the fares change. I usually use services like this to track fares but then I book directly through the airlines web site for the extra frequent flyer miles.

 

[Savin4Disney]

we are going Nov. 19 - Nov. 25. I am already booked through Midwest Express. I have a direct flight both ways and times that I love. I paid 217.40 each. Leaving out of Milwaukee. That was the best price that I found.

 

[agnes!]

I'm sure you already know about the DISabilities forum. You might want to also post any questions over there - about which particular airlines to/from MCO are best for travelling w/a handicapped child or for some good tips. They always seem to be very helpful.

agnes!

 

[Donnask8pro]

Thank you. That board is even slower. I'll keep checking though. You guys have been great.

 

[Sherri]

We are flying Phl to MCO in March, got a great deal on Air tran. We never flew on that airline before, but after all the USAIR luggage problems we are done with them.