Need some held with Allentown, PA airport

[TammiMcMan]

First a little background, I'm surprising my family with a trip to Disney in early December. Unfortunately, when I planned the trip, I couldn't find anything to accomodate oldest DD's college schedule. Well, the other day, her school released the final exam dates and it looks like I might be able to get her down for at least part of our vacation. She'd be flying out of the Allentown airport and what I can find looks like very limited service on the major airlines. For instance, I have a choice of a noon flight or 6pm flight on the day I'm interested in and that's about it. I saw the Southeast charter which is very tempting. The price is great, but I'm not really secure in the thought that flight times can be changed and that if anything happened, she'd have to find alternate transportation on her own. I've ruled that one out. Does anyone have any tips about this airport, or do you think I should have a travel agent look into flights for me instead?

Thanks for the help,
Tammi

 

[AlexandNessa]

I only fly out of Allentown now (in fact, we are just back from another great trip!).

We fly Delta. They have early morning flights as well, which probably won't help your daughter. We like to leave at 5:50 or 6:15 am as that still gets us into Orlando before noon. They also have flights at 7:45 and noon. NW, Continental, United, and US Air all offer flights too.

I have not flown SE yet. My parents have, and they didn't like the plane. It's a gamble as they are a charter company, and if there's a mechanical problem or bad weather, you could be flying out the next day.

I would try putting your flight times into the AAA website. Allentown's airport code is ABE. I think there are more choices than you actually think. I love ABE, and my co-workers wife works there. If I can help at all, let me know.

 

[Pete W.]

FWIW, we used Southeast Airlines out of Allentown in June and were very pleased with the service. We plan to use them again next June.

Yes, they can change the schedule, but so can any major carrier. The major advantage to using Southeast (other than the price and less crowded airport) is that you get a direct flight from Allentown rather than a connecting flight.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I agree Pete. I liked the fact that Southeast was a direct flight, but DD is still a novice solo flyer and if there was a delay or anything, I'm not sure she'd know what to do. At least with a major airline, there's always the hope that customer service would be better.

I checked out Delta and they have two available flights that might match her schedule. The plus side is that I can book round trip w/multiple destinations and get her on the same flight as us coming back from Orlando. The price is $201, which I don't think is too bad. She's flown out of Allentown a couple of times now on USAirways and she loves the airport. It's really convenient to her school also. When we visit her we usually fly into Philadelphia and drive up because it's so much less expensive. I wish it was easier to get her down to Philadelphia so that we'd have more choices and she'd get a non-stop flight, but price wise, it works out to be about the same.

Thanks,
Tammi

 

[wildernessbride52105]

i have only flew out of allentown once on a charter flight to orlando and no complaints. it was actually really nice cause it's a very small airport and not busy at all. my recent trip down was from philly and boy i wish it was allentown. i don't think your dd should have a problem with her flight as they will notigy you in advance if anything changes.

jessica
getting married at the wilderness lodge may 21, 2005

 

[cranbiz]

The thing to remember about Southeast is that they fly into Sanford. While that is not a bad thing, it is further away from the mouse.

It is about 40-50 minutes (if I4 is good), or will cost about $6.00 in tolls (one way) on 417.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Tami- we have a daughter who graduated from Lehigh and she has joined us at Disney by taking a Delta flight from Allentown. It was so convenient. They had service to Atlanta and then down to Orlando. There were always friends who were able to pick her up once she returned. Hope you all have a wonderful trip! Caroline

 

[TammiMcMan]

Caroline, my DD is in her 2nd year at Cedar Crest. I found 2 Delta flights that do have a short layover in Atlanta. She can get a ride to the airport with friends or take a taxi. She's going to check with her professor and get back to me by the end of the week about which flight time will work better for her. It's the start of her winter break, so she'll be flying back home with us and won't be returning to school until mid-January. I'm keeping it all a big surprise right now. Well, my younger kids don't even know about the Disney trip yet and DH doesn't know about DD being able to join us. I don't want to rush the holiday's, but I can't wait to see the expressions on all their faces.

Tammi

 

[MiJo]

It's really nice having an airport so close to home. However, since USAir no longer flies to MCO from ABE, and since SE no longer has their early morning flight, we will be flying USAir out of Philly in January. We did fly SE our last trip to WDW and thought it was pretty good, although the seats are more cramped and there is the chance that if your flight is canceled you may not get another one for a while. USAir has numerous flights out of Philly each day for a reasonable fare ($158 R/T) right now. USAir may still fly their shuttle between ABE and Philly so that may be an option for her.

 

[behappy]

I would be more inclined to fly the direct Southeast flight than send her into Atlanta! At least if she misses her flight or the flight time changes in Allentown, she can get a taxi or a ride back to school...what will she do if stuck at Hartsfield?

On the other hand, Sanford is a solid hour from Disney....will you have a car to go get her?