HELP, anyone that traveled on SW from LI, NY?

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Hi, after many years of travel I have never traveled on SW or from LI, NY. I usally travel from LGA, JFK or EWR on other airlines. Please, share with me the good and/or bad of traveling via SW and how is the LI, NY airport? I will be driving from upstate NY to the airport. Thanks in advance for any information!

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Anybody???

 

[Lewisc]

Long term parking is now over $10 /day. Rush hour traffic on the LIE is legendary. Newark, LGA, JFK and maybe even Hartford might have been a better choice. How far upstate? Albany might have been a good option.

The airport is nice, SW is in a new terminal. The flights are generally on time. You better of saved a lot of $$$ to justify driving over 2 hours.

 

[dsneydude124]

We leave from Islip each time we go which is 2-3 times a year. It is a nice airport. Security lines generally are not bad, since SW has their own terminal. Parking is fairly reasonable if you decide to park. It is much easier to deal with than JFK or LGA. But it is certainly a longer drive for you than me. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions.

 

[tinkamom]

I fly SW all the time now, the airport is small and very easy to get around. Long term parking is a bit expensive, I think its $11.00/day so it adds up if you have a long trip! Otherwise, I find it much, much easier to fly out of than JFK or LGA.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We use both southwest out of Islip or American out of LGA. Islip is definetely low key, less traffic, less crowded compared to LGA. Easy to find on site parking etc. You just have to deal with the southwest cattle car mentality. I only chose them this time because I couldnt find a good direct flight on american. Just remember to print out your boarding pass ahead of time etc.

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Thanks for the great information/tips/ideas. I wasn't aware of how far the airport is from me, about two hours by car. I don't think it's a good idea traveling with small children via two hour car ride and then a 2 1/2 hour flight. I'm searching and searching for inexpensive airfare to and from MCO for a family of five and it is difficult to find for the holidays (a day or two after Christmas). So, any suggestions, maybe arrive in a different airport (Sanford)?

Thanks again.

 

[bg4]

What town or at least County in NY do you live? I will assume Lower HUdson Valley area so Albany, NYC, Hartford are all possibilities? SWA flies ut of Albany, Hartford and Philly

Two hours at rush hour may be a minimum for Islip anywhere along I-84 area. May be more like 3 hrs. Getting a inexpensive flight in Dec may be rough. Jet Blue prices out at over $1800 for two adults/2 children.

 

[gigi1313]

we LOVE swa out of islip... but that's because we live east of riverhead and we would have to pass islip to get to JFK/LGA/EWR/etc...

not sure where you are coming from, but definitely look into other airports as suggested... or plan to get an early morning flight and stay over the night before (some of the hotels in the islip area offer free parking/shuttle for staying the night before travel)

another airport that was not mentioned was providence, rhode island... depending on where you are coming from, it could be easier and quicker than islip (as you will not have to travel thru NYC area) or, again, depending on where you are coming from, it might behoove you to take the ferry from bridgeport to port jefferson (but it's not cheap) to get to long island...

 

[Ludwig Von Drake]

Try Allegiant Air
from Newburgh, NY to Sanford/Orlando. They have not begun to sell your travel dates, and you may be able to get a deal if you book when they first release them. You may want to give them a call to see if they can tell you when they will release the holiday dates.

Good Luck! Holiday travel is tough!

 

[canwegosoon]

Thanks for the great information/tips/ideas. I wasn't aware of how far the airport is from me, about two hours by car. I don't think it's a good idea traveling with small children via two hour car ride and then a 2 1/2 hour flight. I'm searching and searching for inexpensive airfare to and from MCO for a family of five and it is difficult to find for the holidays (a day or two after Christmas). So, any suggestions, maybe arrive in a different airport (Sanford)?

Thanks again.

Hey...I live upstate...and I used to live on LI...and I am always trying to find a great deal on flights. In Dec, I am flying out of JFK to Mco, and March I am still investigating...looks like not much available yet at what I want to pay...but so far my best deals are out of LAG or JFK. I use www.itasoftware.com and that you can put airports in a radius of 25,50,etc miles or if your dates are flexible you can search for the cheapest times to fly in a week or month. I also look on www.sidestep.com slightly different format, but also good. BDL(hartford is another great low cost airport due to the carriers there).

If you tend to fly for longer trips it might be cheaper for you to rent a car- drive to NYC, drop everyone at airport, drop car, have car rental take you to airport and check in. Think about the larger airports and cost of parking, you can do the same to get home too. I am going to post a question about Bestfars.com...so you might want to keep an eye on that thread.
Good luck