I need to vent my displeasure...

[Liberator]

OK, September 2013, this will be the month when a buddy and me will travel to Orlando for ~14 days.
When in September doesn't matter, depends on the flight we can get

We want to have a non-stop flight, as conncection flights are soooo exhausting. Stopping 2-3h in Detroit or Washington, that is very stressful, did that twice. This is the point where the problem starts out. You need to book early, there are not much seats selected for the cheapest price range.
There is only one airport that provides non-stop flights to Orlando, that is Frankfurt. Well, a little more than a 1h drive on the Autobahn, no prob.
BUT: Only Lufthansa offers this flight. And, for sure, they know about their position.

Our limit is 700 € ( ~ 900 $).
Lufthansa says: ~ 1035 $

GREAT...........

Price changes daily, about 5-10 € up or down
THANK YOU Lufthansa for 10 € savings, WOW.

aaaaaargh I am tired of checking prices daily with no positive results...

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I'm surprised that you could find any non-stop flights from FRA to MCO. If you don't want to pay for the convenience, you'll just have to book a flight with a connection.

 

[sympatico]

Well, at least you have a choice for non-stop. Most of the year we have no non-stop fights to Orlando so what would take 3 hrs and 45 min. turns into 2 hrs or so plus a 2-3 hr layover then 3 hrs to Orlando and that's a good connection. We only get non-stop from Dec - Apr.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Have to agree with lost*in*cyberspace. Airlines aren't charities, and you specifically are paying a premium for the convenience of not having to change planes.

Did you try British Airways? At least your layovers could be in one or another London airport - not the US ones you find so tiring . Their single-connection flights are just about in your price range.

 

[Liberator]

Yes, I tried British Airways, but for the moment I only found flights going to Heathrow and the connection starts in Gatwick. Crazy, but true..

And they are also very expensive
Maybe I need to wait 2-3 months for getting a good price


The last time we felt like we needed to be carried by someone to our hotel room. And the next morning we were still exhausted


The Lufthansa return flight back to Germany is quite cheap, but the flight to Orlando increases the €€€
some booking systems say that US Airways do also offer non stop flights to from FRA to MCO, but when you start booking it says stop in Charlotte/Atlanta/Detroit etc.
it is really only Lufthansa

 

[jmasgat]

Hope you find your non-stop at a reasonable price. But if you do end up having to layover in Detroit, for example, may I recommend the Vino Volo wine room, where you can get a nice flight of Michigan wines to enjoy, followed by a stop at Ora Oxygen for a brief massage.

The wine certainly helped me once when my flight to Orlando was delayed!

 

[NJRRK]

I would wait. September is not a big travel time, I'm thinking after January you might have better luck.

 

[DebbieB]

Yes, I tried British Airways, but for the moment I only found flights going to Heathrow and the connection starts in Gatwick. Crazy, but true..

And they are also very expensive
Maybe I need to wait 2-3 months for getting a good price


The last time we felt like we needed to be carried by someone to our hotel room. And the next morning we were still exhausted


The Lufthansa return flight back to Germany is quite cheap, but the flight to Orlando increases the €€€
some booking systems say that US Airways do also offer non stop flights to from FRA to MCO, but when you start booking it says stop in Charlotte/Atlanta/Detroit etc.it is really only Lufthansa

USAirways and Lufthansa are both in the Star Alliance. So the USAirways non-stop flights you see are probably operated by Lufthansa, the same flight just also offered under a USAirways flight #. Sometimes the prices are different, so it doesn't hurt to check both airlines.

 

[Danibelle]

USAirways and Lufthansa are both in the Star Alliance. So the USAirways non-stop flights you see are probably operated by Lufthansa, the same flight just also offered under a USAirways flight #. Sometimes the prices are different, so it doesn't hurt to check both airlines.

That flight looks like it has a layover of 1 1/2 hours in Charlotte. You would have to reboard but not actually change aircraft. If the price was right, that looks like a good choice.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, I tried British Airways, but for the moment I only found flights going to Heathrow and the connection starts in Gatwick. Crazy, but true..

And they are also very expensive
Maybe I need to wait 2-3 months for getting a good price


The last time we felt like we needed to be carried by someone to our hotel room. And the next morning we were still exhausted


The Lufthansa return flight back to Germany is quite cheap, but the flight to Orlando increases the €€€
some booking systems say that US Airways do also offer non stop flights to from FRA to MCO, but when you start booking it says stop in Charlotte/Atlanta/Detroit etc.
it is really only Lufthansa

Connecting in the UK is always going to be expensive because of the London airport taxes and fees.

Did you try a charter airline? They usually offer the best prices for intl non-stop flights. You might have better luck flying to Tampa or Sarasota and driving back to Orlando from there -- the west central Florida coast tends to be quite popular with the German tourist market, perhaps even moreso than Orlando.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Hope you find your non-stop at a reasonable price. But if you do end up having to layover in Detroit, for example, may I recommend the Vino Volo wine room, where you can get a nice flight of Michigan wines to enjoy, followed by a stop at Ora Oxygen for a brief massage.

The wine certainly helped me once when my flight to Orlando was delayed!

I would try very hard not to route a flight through Detroit if I were flying FRA-MCO! There is a Vino Volo at Dulles; definitely a better choice of routing and there are many FRA-IAD flights.

 

[Greysword]

Keep looking.

The ITA Matrix (http://matrix.itasoftware.com) has a United flight from FRA to MCO in late Sep for 773 Euros (non-stop on Lufthansa as Debbie said).


If you find a flight you like on the matrix, just take the flight information and provide it to the service agent.

Itinerary details

Itinerary
Frankfurt (FRA) to Orlando (MCO) - Thu, Sep 26
United United 9065 Dep: 2:05PM Arr: 6:10PM 10h 5m Airbus A340 Economy (L)

OPERATED BY LUFTHANSA

Orlando (MCO) to Frankfurt (FRA) - Thu, Oct 10
United United 9054 Dep: 8:35PM Arr: 11:25AM 8h 50m Boeing 747 Economy (L)

OPERATED BY LUFTHANSA Fri, Oct 11
Cost per passenger (including taxes & fees) €772.28
Total cost for 2 passengers €1,544.56


How to buy this ticket
Tickets cannot be purchased directly from ITA Software.
Provide this information to a travel agent to help them match the fares found.
Make sure to provide the exact booking and fare codes shown.
Fare 1: Carrier UA LKNCDEW FRA to ORL (rules)
Passenger type ADT, round trip fare, booking code L
Covers FRA-MCO (Economy)
€192.50
Fare 2: Carrier UA LKNCDEW ORL to FRA (rules)
Passenger type ADT, round trip fare, booking code L
Covers MCO-FRA (Economy)
€192.50
(YQ) €264.00
USDA APHIS Fee (XA) €3.85
US Immigration Fee (XY) €5.39
US Customs Fee (YC) €4.23
German Airport Security Tax (DE) €6.38
German Passenger Service Charge (RA) €30.18
German Air Transport Tax (OY) €42.18
US International Arrival Tax (US) €12.84
US International Departure Tax (US) €12.84
US September 11th Security Fee (AY) €1.93
US Passenger Facility Charge (XF) €3.46

Subtotal per passenger €772.28
Number of passengers x2

Total airfare & taxes €1,544.56

This ticket is non-refundable.
Changes to this ticket will incur a penalty fee.

Fare construction (can be useful to travel agents)
FRA UA ORL 243.57LKNCDEW UA FRA 243.57LKNCDEW NUC 487.14 END ROE 0.790327 XT 6.38DE 42.18OY 30.18RA 4.23YC 5.39XY 3.85XA 25.68US 1.93AY 264.00YQ 3.46XF MCO4.50

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Good luck!

 

[DebbieB]

United is also Star Alliance, so they market Lufthansa flights. I flew to India 3 years ago on United & Lufthansa. My PIT-IAD & IAD-FRA were United planes, FRA-PNQ was Lufthansa. It was all ticketed under Lufthansa flight #'s.

 

[Liberator]

FINALLY, after checking flight prices twice daily...they knocked the price down on 630 € (820 $) non-stop from Frankfurt to Orlando and back. We directly booked and will stay from the 08th until the 24th of September!



so 14 full days of FUN AND SHOPPING AND EATING AAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!