Please share your Lehigh Valley/Sanford experiences

[MiJo]

Hi,
My DW and I will be using Southeast Airlines from Allentown (PA) to Sanford for the first time in February. Due to schedule changes at USAir in Allentown, we decided to try this rather than use USAir out of Philly or Newark. We have found that, although the airline tickets are very reasonable, the cost of a towncar rental from Sanford to WDW is double that of the trip from MCO. Also, Sanford Airport does not seem to advertise National as one of their on-site car rental options, but National's site does list Sanford as one of their rental sites. We would like to hear from anyone who has flown from LVIA to Sanford and would like to share their experiences, both good and bad. Thanks!

 

[Talinthor]

We used to live in Easton (now back in NJ). When we lived there, they had direct flights from ABE to MCO via Delta Express but they cancelled that for whatever reason. So I've never flown into Sanford but just being able to fly out of ABE vs. Newark I think makes it all worth while. Long term parking is literally right in front of the terminal. No long lines and no hassles.

Isn't Alamo no the "official" rental car agency of WDW?

Tal

 

[Mskanga]

I jus flew SouthEast from allentown last month into Sanford and besides the snow storm we left in , everything else was fine, check in was quick and painless , the only thing is we had a delay due to the storm and also a problem with the water system in the aircraft but other than that it was fine, do not expect anything else on the flight but a soft drink , no snacks or anything else.
I rented a car from National at Sanford airport, they have Avis and I Hertz rental car counters right by the baggage claim area and National/ Alamo and Dollar have the rental counters right across the street outside the baggage claim area , not far at all.
I would not hesitate to rent a car from there, I had rented a geo metro for 4 days because I was travelling alone for $98 all taxes included and when I picked up the car they gave me a full size Chevy Malibu instead, there was nobody at the counter and the pick up was a breeze. The drive to WDW could not be easier, all I4 West, no tolls and there was no traffic when I went.
The airport is nice and clean too.

 

[hentob]

I would like to hear some Southeeast out of ABE stories as well.

Hentob

 

[MiJo]

hentob,
We flew USAir from Lehigh Valley to MCO 3 times between 9/99 and 4/02. The first two times, they were direct flights that left LVIA (ABE) around 6:30 AM and returned around 11:00 PM. Those flights were no longer offered after 9/11. In April 2002, we flew USAir from LVIA to Philly on a commuter and then flew from Philly to MCO. The return trip went through Pittsuburg where we had to change planes with a very short time in between. The trip down left LVIA during the late afternoon and the flight in Philly was overbooked so they were offering all kinds of incentives to people to give up their seats. The trip back left MCO during the late morning hours. In our minds, we lost our first and last days in WDW due to the change in flight times. We have a friend who works for USAir in Allentown and would have preferred to fly with them for that reason but we really prefer the times of the Southeast flights and the cost was pretty reasonable. Also, my DW didn't care for the commuter flight even though it only lasted 20 minutes. USAir always gave us good service, though.

 

[padkasper]

How long is the drive from Sanford to WDW?
-Pam

 

[Mskanga]

The drive from Sanford to WDW is @ 50 minutes and it's very easy, I took I4 West all the way, no traffic at all and no tolls.