MHT to MCO on Southwest

[areno79]

Hi all,
I'm flying out of Manchester, NH to Orlando on Southwest and I have a couple of questions. It's been 6 years since I've flown, so I feel kind of out of date.

I'm flying with my DH, Aunt, and 2 cousins (11 & 13); my Aunt and 2 cousins have never flown before, so I'm looking for suggestions to make the whole process a little easier on them. We're aware of the carryon restrictions, so that's all set, but what food choices do we have after the security checkpoint? It's a non-stop flight, and I know they're going to want some food and drinks.

Also, our flight is leaving on Thursday March 22nd at 2:55pm...is the airport going to be a madhouse at that hour? We're planning on getting there around 1, and yes I will be checking in online 24 hours before.

Lastly, what do you do to keep busy for 3 hours on the plane? I'm bringing a deck of cards, some notepad and pens, but beyond that I'm out of ideas. The kids don't have gameboys or anything like that, but since they're scared of flying I'm looking for anything to help get their minds off of the fear.

Thanks so much for any tips, experiences, etc!

 

[Lorix2]

Hello!

We just flew out of here (Manchester) in August to Orlando.

You still have access to food even after the security checkpoint, we didn't think so either until we noticed another McD's counter adjacent to the one before we went thru security, so don't worry about that.

Make sure you check-in exactly 24 hours prior to departure (and coming home) to ensure you all get A boarding passes and you can all get into A line together and board at the same time. For our 7:10AM departure, people were lining up around 6:40AM with their bp's to get their pick of seats.

I took magazines and a word search book with me and did those, I slept a little, etc...the flight was great and didn't seem endless at all.

For the kids, cards would be great, activity books, CD players, portable DVD players, books, fave magazines, etc..would all be great for them.

MHT isn't a huge airport and at that time of day and that particular day shouldn't be a problem crowd wise. I'm always able to get in and out when dropping off or picking up people every time I've gone (I live 10 minutes away).

Have a great vacation, Southwest was great. Feel free to ask again

 

[amy2girls]

We love MHT and Southwest!! The airport is very small and usually not very busy. We have found parking at the Highlander Hotel, just a few minutes from the airport is the best. It is only $8/ day and they bus you for free right to the termimal door entrance. When you return you call them on the baggage claim phone and they will pick you up, help you with your bags and return you right to your car. The Highlander has a web site and you can pre register for parking! Good luck and have fun. The flight goes by very fast even for us with little ones!

 

[aynt79]

Of the top of my head, I can think of 4 places with food once past security. To the left after security is a little bar/counter service type place that I think serves light stuff like sandwiches (never ate there myself). To the right after security there is McDonalds (they are available before and after security) and a little further down is Starbucks and then a bar/grill sit down place (food was pretty good if you want something other than McDonalds).

Since you are going to be on a non-stop that's about 3 hours or longer, you should be served a better snack on the plane. We always get a snack pack with 3 different things in it, usually it's cheese crackers, some 100 calorie snack bag and dried fruit. Plus the soda/coffee/juice and usually peanuts as well. So if you guys aren't really hungry for a full meal, you will probably get enough to hold you over on the plane.

I think MHT is one of the best airports to get around. We've gone different times of the day and security has never been too bad. The last couple of times there has been no line at all.

 

[areno79]

Thanks for the tips...I seem to remember Manchester being much easier to fly out of than Boston, but since the last time I flew was pre-9/11 it's always good to check.

I have a feeling the girls are going to be so anxious about the flight they won't even want to eat. Although maybe shoving food down their throats will get their mind of the flying

 

[Jeanne B]

We've flown SW out of MHT many times, we love flying out of MHT because it's so much smaller than Logan. On the flight to MCO they'll give you a "goody" box, usually with some cookies, crackers and some dried fruit as the other poster mentioned plus a drink.

We usually eat at the food court before we go through security or you could stop at McD's before you even get to the airport (it's about a mile before the airport, if that).

I think morning flights tend to be the busiest so it should be fairly quiet in the afternoon but we still always plan to arrive 1-1/2 to 2 hours early.

Do the kids like the Sudoku puzzles? I always bring a Sudoku puzzle book with us for DD13 (you can get them in the airport at the magazine shops) and they're great for passing time for both kids and adults.

 

[areno79]

Not sure if the kids are into Sudoku...but that's a great suggestion. I was also thinking of getting a travel board game, like Scrabble or something.

 

[Detailor]

Amanda,
I agree with the others who have suggested that the airport probably won't be very busy on a weekday afternoon (it isn't all that busy anytime, but weekend days and mornings tend to be the busiest). You can take drinks on board that are purchased after going through security. You can take snack foods like trail mix or nuts or any number of other foods purchased BEFORE security in your carry on. Just be cautious of anything that isn't allowed.
I'd suggest that you can avoid the line up at the gate by printing off your boarding passes online. You can print boarding passes 24 hours before your flight's departure time. Generally, if you print them early (as close to 24 hours out as possible) chances are pretty good that you'll get A Group boarding designation which means that you'll be amongst the first third of all passengers boarding. As Southwest doesn't assign seats, Group A assures you that all of the members of your family will be able to sit close together.
For in-flight entertainment, is there anyplace locally that rents those portable DVD players? Or do you or someone you know have a laptop with a DVD drive that your cousins could use during the flight? A movie passes a lot of the time on that 3 hour 10 minute flight from Manchester to Orlando.

Dick Taylor

 

[1000th happy haunt]

Since you haven't flown since pre-9/11, make sure you understand the new TSA regulations regarding liquids and gels.