Is This a Growing Trend??

[clkelley]

We only have two direct flights from our hometown HSV to Orlando.

When they were first introduced about 5 years ago, I was dancing up and down with glee!!

They were scheduled with the AM flight heading out about 8:30 am and the PM flight heading out about 6:30 pm. Returning to home the morning flight left Orlando about 9:00 am and the evening flight returning home about 8:00 pm.

It was great! I could work a full day, leave work at 5pm. Drive the 5 minutes to my airport and make the flight. I didn't have to change my work schedule or use any extra leave. And I could get a full day at WDW on my departure date!! Weekend trips were very easy!!

Over the years, these flights have creeped slowly towards the middle of the day, and now they are practically useless.

The morning flight leaves HSV at 9 am and the evening flight leaves HSV at 4:43 pm.

Returning from MCO the morning flight leaves MCO at 8:00 am and the afternoon flight leaves MCO at 2:45 in the afternoon!!!

The morning flight leaves too late to wait till the next morning and get back in time for work and the afternoon flight is just too early!!

Is this a growing trend?? Or do you think they are slowly moving these flights to times that are so useless that folks will quit using them so they can cancel them??

Even with the rising price of gas, and a 12 hour drive, with these terrible flight times I can have the same amount of time at WDW without altering my work schedule.

Anybody else??

 

[Lewisc]

It's not exactly the same but SW is starting to limit the number of deeply discounted seats on the good flights, the first N/S flight of the day for example. At least I have the option of paying extra if I want to be at WDW in time for an early lunch.

Planes fly all day. Not all the flights can be scheduled at the best times. The flights might have been changed to allow for passengers with flight connections or even because they found some passengers have a long drive to the airport and prefer later flights. Even if that's not the case the aircraft might have been needed on a flight route that that connects. It's even possible the airline doesn't want to have aircraft in your airport overnight.

 

[seashoreCM]

If your good flight got moved to a different time and at that moment you discovered a better flight, you should have no problem switching with no charge even if all the deep discount seats on the better flight were gone.

Don't call the airline to reselect seats until/unless you want to lock in the change as is or make a change of your own.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Lewisc]

The complaint was only two flights a day are scheduled. The morning flight was moved to later in the morning, OP no longer gets a full day in WDW. The afternoon flight was moved earlier in the day, OP now can't leave after work.

If your good flight got moved to a different time and at that moment you discovered a better flight, you should have no problem switching with no charge even if all the deep discount seats on the better flight were gone.

Don't call the airline to reselect seats until/unless you want to lock in the change as is or make a change of your own.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[clkelley]

Exactly.

Our other option is connecting in Atlanta and that takes almost as long as driving. Those flights have also been scaled back. Getting there is fine. Can leave home at 6:30pm, get to WDW by midnite.

Getting home is another story. The 5:30 am flight that got us home by 7:30am is gone, and now the latest flight home is about 7:30pm, which is better than 2:45, but still the hassle of changing planes in Atlanta, grrrrrr.

We're only 700 miles from WDW and can't get there from here (it seems like), and folks from the West Coast can get there at 6:15 on Saturday morning, and leave 7:45 Sunday night on direct flights and have more time at WDW that I can.

I guess I'm grousing so much is because our youngest is off to college in a couple weeks. We're semi empty nesters still young enough to burn the candle at both ends occasionally, now with more freedom to take quick trips, but the airlines are fighting against us!!!!

Our last couple of quick weekend trips we've actually driven because we really couldn't get much more time at WDW by flying. Left home at 5:15pm, Friday, Central drove till midnite Eastern, back on the road at 6am Eastern, at WDW by 10am Eastern. Left WDW at 11:00am Eastern on Sunday, home by 10pm Eastern on Sunday.