HELP! Phil to MCO: If not USAIR, who?

[barbeml]

Desperate for advice. I have not booked a flight anywhere since 2000. DH and I have decided to give flying a try again, since our last drive to WDW was not a happy one.

We have always flown USAir with no problems, but I'm not comfortable with them these days. I checked out Continental, but they don't seem to have any Non-Stop flights to Florida (searched Jacksonville & ft. Myers in addition to Orlando, was flexible with departure time & dates). I have no intention of flying if it will take 9 hours.

Recommendations? Thanks for any help you can give.

Barbe

 

[Rhonda922]

You can try Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia. That way, you can get results for a few different airline carriers and pick the departure/arrival times that look best for you. We're in the same boat. We fly out of Phl. or A.C. I usually book my airline tix first but this time we booked the hotel first and we're going to book the airline tix in a week or so. I keep hearing about the airlines dropping their prices but when I go online to check, I don't really see any good deals. We may opt for Spirit Air out of A.C. I like the smaller airport.

 

[barbeml]

Thanks Rhonda!

 

[PADisneyNut]

We flew out of Philly in Sept. on AirTran which was a direct flight. AirTran has a couple of scheduled flights everyday nonstop to MCO and vice versa. Their prices were cheaper than USAirways when we flew in Sept. We are probably going to fly them again when we go to Disney in June.

I think that you can book them on Travelocity or go directly to their web site to check prices.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

We are flying Airtran in April and in July nonstop from PHL to MCO. We flew Airtran back in July 03 and had no problems. The fare for both trips was $530.70 R/T for 3 of us.

I also considered Southwest Airlines, they had the exact same times and flights, but I just could not have the worry of not having my seats. With Airtran I can check in and select seats 24 hours prior to flight time. With SW, I could check in after midnight the day I fly and I am only granted a boarding pass that I then have to wait until it is time to board to hope for seats together.

There are plusses and minuses to flying both from the info the nice people here on the boards provided...

Southwest:
Plus - I have heard great customer service and they will issue a refund if there is a reduction in fare.
Minus - The boarding procedure

Airtran:
Plus - Selecting seats 24 hours prior to flight and so far my service has been fine with them
Minus - I have heard they can often times change flight times. We have had that with USAir but nothing drastic, maybe 15-20 min. I have heard here, it could be a few hours. Also, they do not issue any refunds or credits if fare goes down.

Good luck with your decision. Have a super trip!!!

 

[zurgswife]

Definately AirTran or Southwest...personally I have chosen SW lately over AirTran...don't mind the boarding proceedure..

 

[beccasmom]

We're using USAirways on Tuesday.....DH dislikes changing (but may have no choice eventually! ) I've flown SW and was very impressed. Prices are usually the same. The unassigned seating did not bother me and is supposed to be changing sometime this year. Delta offers no non-stops to MCO and that pretty much blows a whole day. Have not tried AirTran.

 

[barbeml]

Thanks so much everyone. It is good to hear the pros and cons. Can't believe so many airlines have no non-stops to MCO.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Definitely give SWA a try! I've been so happy with their customer service, especially if I need to change tickets (no charge) plus if their fare goes down I have a credit to use on my next flight. I don't mind the boarding procedures at all. I always print my passes at midnight or as soon as I wake up the morning of my flight. I've always had an "A" pass. Good luck!