Help with Airline - which to choose?

[Jazzerfan]

I am visiting in mid-November 2010. Can anyone please give me any feedback and/or information on BEST airline to book non-stop direct flight from Philadelphia. Also, anyone know of when to book at best pricing?

Any help would appreciated!

 

[GottaGetToDisney!]

Well, I'm at work right now (travel agent) and I see non-stops on US, UA, and AirTran, but without knowing your exact dates of travel I can't give you any idea on pricing. My advice - if your trip is anywhere near Thanksgiving don't wait too much longer to book.

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[dixiegirl]

I can tell you Delta is out as they do not offer any nonstops from Phila to Orlando - they all stop in Atlanta (hub for them).

Usually Southwest or Airtran have the best rates although I don't usually use them so I can't tell you the best time to book.

 

[aurorae]

Check some of the online search engines, like kayak or bookingbuddy.

They will each search many of the travel web sites.

That should give you a good idea of the prices, then you can shop around with a TA or with the airlines directly because you will know what is and what isn't a good deal.

 

[Jazzerfan]

Well, I'm at work right now (travel agent) and I see non-stops on US, UA, and AirTran, but without knowing your exact dates of travel I can't give you any idea on pricing. My advice - if your trip is anywhere near Thanksgiving don't wait too much longer to book.

Gotta Get To Disney!

My dates are 11/10 thru 11/14. I usually pick this week cause of low crowds. Best price I'm finding is Airtran, but heard some bad things about them with change flight times, cancelling etc. Need help

 

[Jenngoofys]

I would try www.southwest.com they dont charge extra for bags and are usually the cheapest prices with direct flights. good luck!!

 

[jenb1023]

My dates are 11/10 thru 11/14. I usually pick this week cause of low crowds. Best price I'm finding is Airtran, but heard some bad things about them with change flight times, cancelling etc. Need help

I have heard lots of bad things about AirTran as well but we have never had any problems with them and have flown with them three times. I think though that it helps that I fly out of Harrisburg and they only have one flight every day from Orlando to Harrisburg and back so there isn't much changing they can do. I am not sure how many flights AirTran has going in and out of PHL but it seems like the bigger the airport and the more flights going in and out the more they mess with times and schedules.

Good luck!

 

[GottaGetToDisney!]

Yes, it looks like AirTran has the best rate for your dates of travel - around $205 per person, non stop...BUT, I have also heard horror stories about cancelled flights.

USAir is just a little bit higher at $233 per person for non-stops and SW is around $266 for their non-stops. The big plus with SW, as the pp said, is the free baggage.

I hope this helps!

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

FYI -- USAir charges $23 to check one bag online. Airtran charges $15. SWA does not charge for checked luggage.

SWA does not have assigned seats, but you can buy a premium boarding number for $10.

Airtran charges $6 and up to reserve a seat, unless you wait until the last 24 hours before flight.

USAir has very recently adopted a reserve a seat fee, but I do not recall the details.

I've been flying Airtran for business since the beginning of the year and have not been disappointed yet -- that's in eight round-trips between March and this week.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I used to always use AirTran out of Philly but for the past two trips I have gone with Southwest. For the trip Im taking in two weeks I paid $220 total rt direct. A similar flight on Airtran would've been $180 but Airtran charges for bags, so that would be an additional $120. Southwest allows two free bags per passanger and their fees are low. I've never had an issue with Airtran and enjoy them as a carrier though.

 

[DISHoppy]

SWA by far. Unless you are Kevin Smith. The only issue with flying SWA to MCO is that WDW does not support advanced check in for return flights.

-Kevin

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

SWA by far. Unless you are Kevin Smith. The only issue with flying SWA to MCO is that WDW does not support advanced check in for return flights.

-Kevin

OP you might want to try the transportation board alot of great Dis'sers over there keep a close eye on the airlines and thier prices

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.