Minnesotans? How are you getting to Florida?

[plymouthmom]

Just checking in with my fellow MN DVC'ers. We are planning our trip for next Spring Break and the air prices , as all of you know, are SO HIGH? Wondering if anyone has found any deals on air. I know Sun Country will come out with their prices in late August or Sept, but....do I want to wait till then?

 

[GopherHockey]

Have you tried AirTran?

 

[dianeschlicht]

You wont find deals at spring break. The only time we find deals is on off seasons. Our January and May trips next year are already booked as frequent flyer flights on NWA. We decided we'd better use them up in case Delta does away with them once the merger is completed.

 

[plymouthmom]

I did look on their website, would prefer a non stop. Not ruling it out though. But...with four kids flying, the quicker the flight the better.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Sun Country is a great airline, but spring break their prices are high.

 

[plymouthmom]

Just cannot stomach $500 a person with NWA. Is Sun Country that high at Spring Break?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just cannot stomach $500 a person with NWA. Is Sun Country that high at Spring Break?

Yes, most will be for spring break.

 

[plymouthmom]

Yikes! I am going to see what there prices are for Christmastime, I would imagine it is similiar?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yikes! I am going to see what there prices are for Christmastime, I would imagine it is similiar?

Yep, all holiday times are bad and that is especially true to Orlando from MSP. It's too popular a destination, so no need to offer deals.

 

[sbittner]

I did find a deal with Sun Country thru Hobbity Travel for the 2nd week of December. I booked for $285 per person and that included all our fees and seat selection. The deal was better than any thing I could find on the internet. I have used AirTran, but I am not a fan of the $7.00 per flight fee for reserving a seat in advance. That means I have to pay and extra $14.00 per person per round trip ticket.

 

[plymouthmom]

Think I will wait till Sun Country releases their fares. Air Tran is my second choice right now. There are also a few websites out there that have combo deals.

I just really really really don't want to do a 1 stop. 6 of us get very cranky ( okay who doesn't) flying too long!

 

[crisi]

Think I will wait till Sun Country releases their fares. Air Tran is my second choice right now. There are also a few websites out there that have combo deals.

I just really really really don't want to do a 1 stop. 6 of us get very cranky ( okay who doesn't) flying too long!

I flew U.S. Airways with a stop in NC for a conference in Orlando. It wasn't bad - the two gates were very close to each other and the Charlotte airport - while not a small airport, is not so large as to make getting from gate to gate difficult. You may discover that breaking the trip into two legs is not the worst thing in the world - gives everyone a chance to stretch and run around a bit - maybe buy a snack. You can play an airport game while you wait, everyone picks a shirt color and you count the number of people walking by wearing that color.

We buy our tickets early on NWA and don't travel holidays - but we do go MEA week which isn't a cheap week to fly.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I can believe that you got a deal early in December, but there wont be that kind of deal at a holiday or break time.

 

[Starr W.]

NWA out of DTW, if you want to fly out at 6:40am you can get $444 RT for Spring Break.

Reasonable times I have seen $500-600 for direct flights DTW-MCO on NWA.

CarolA's favorite airline Spirit is $630 RT

 

[dianeschlicht]

NWA out of DTW, if you want to fly out at 6:40am you can get $444 RT for Spring Break.

Reasonable times I have seen $500-600 for direct flights DTW-MCO on NWA.

CarolA's favorite airline Spirit is $630 RT

DTW is a LOOOONG way from MSP!

 

[Starr W.]

DTW is a LOOOONG way from MSP!

But we are both NWA dominated, though I think being in DTW, NWA is a little more flexible on price with the competition. Just watch your flights, especially if you are booked on a DC9, as they are going to take the blunt of the capacity cuts later this year.

But who knows what is going to happen once if the DL/NWA merger goes through. DTW will probably be the main Midwest hub for the new airline.

 

[plymouthmom]

I saw some of those stops at DTW from MSP to Orlando. I was like WOW, let's fly to Texas then Florida......no.

Decided I will wait for Sun Country but keep checking the sites that are out there. I did find a combo for $386. Out on NWA, non stop, back on AA with one stop in Atlanta. I could live with that.

When we flew out Sun Country last year MEA we paid $1600 for the six of us round trip, Sunday to Sunday. I know I won't find that but would like to spend less than $2500.

Gotta get these kids jobs (okay there a little young) to pay for air!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I saw some of those stops at DTW from MSP to Orlando. I was like WOW, let's fly to Texas then Florida......no.

Decided I will wait for Sun Country but keep checking the sites that are out there. I did find a combo for $386. Out on NWA, non stop, back on AA with one stop in Atlanta. I could live with that.

When we flew out Sun Country last year MEA we paid $1600 for the six of us round trip, Sunday to Sunday. I know I won't find that but would like to spend less than $2500.

Gotta get these kids jobs (okay there a little young) to pay for air!

DTW is Detroit, not Texas. We HATE going through Detroit though.

 

[zulaya]

plymouthmom-

The bare bones of it is you just aren't going to find a deal at any popular travel times. Even before the crazy oil prices.

We prefer non-stop, usually because it's slightly faster, but also cheaper. Fewer landing fees.

But we have, on occasion, made a stop. I did it when my kids were 6 and 7 and 7 and 8. Deal was too good. We went on Delta through Atlanta on the way down and Cinci on the way back.

People complain about Atlanta being so big, but their tram system is great. And yes, we did go from one end of the airport to the other, but it was easy, even with the kids.

It gave us a chance to stretch our legs and get a snack.

My kids' biggest beef was, "What? We aren't at Disney yet? We have to ride another plane?" It was over in 5 minutes. No biggie. They had their vent and it was over.

Sure, it would be easier non-stop, but if it's cost-prohibitive, take the stop and just explain to your kids ahead of time that this was the only plane you could take. You can manage the itinerary so you have a short enough stop to not get bored, but long enough to make your connection.

With my 6 and 7 year old in ATL, I distinctly remember we had 47 minutes. I was worried. You know how long it took to get from one end of ATL to the other. 7 minutes. We got there, they weren't even boarding yet so we got food and we were ready to go.

In Cinci...the gates were 3 gates apart. No problem.

So it can be done if you have to do it that way.

 

[LynnTH]

I just booked our airfare last week for Spring Break. We are going in Mid March. I had been waiting on Sun Country also - but with the price of gas I did not want to wait for them anymore. I kept looking on Orbitz (and other sites, but this one seemed to be the best). I like that you can look at dates 3 days prior and after to compare prices.

Usually, we fly in Friday and stay until the following Saturday. This time we got better prices flying in on Sunday and staying until the following Monday. We are on NWA. Got direct flights. Leave at 6:00 Am going out (perfect so we don't lose a whole day) and coming home we leave about 3:00 PM.

I paid $327 per person (including taxes). Other rates were up to and over $500 per person. So, I jumped on this right away. Now we have friends who want to come with and the same flight is $400 per person. (But, I keep checking because it changes daily). I did see Air Tran had the $327 fares for the dates I originally wanted (Fri-Sat) but too late now.

I would check orbitz and other sites on a daily basis or couple times a day and when you see a good fare - jump on it. They are out there - you just have to be looking at the right time.