Question about Flights

[Bambi Sunshine]

Ok maybe Im just dumb but I was wondering about the different flight companies that fly to Florida.

I know Virgin fly there and British Airways and American Airlines (I think) but there seem to have sprung up a load of budget airlines or something and I dont know who they are and if they are any good.

When Im looking at holidays some of them say things like "Charter flights" or the travel agents flight and I dont understand what this actually means in English

Im a nervous flyer and claustraphobic and so these sorts of things worry me....if I could afford to fly PE I would but there is no way my boyfriend would go for it unless it was for the same cost as flying ecconomy....I was lucky last time I went to Florida in that we were upgraded at the airport on the way there but on the way back I had a really hard time.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Due to the popularity of Florida over the past few years, more airlines have put on flights to the Sunshine State.

It used to be that there was a major difference beween scheduled and charter airlines, but the line has thinned somewhat.

Scheduled airlines, such as Virgin atlantic, British Airways etc, have a year round daily flight to Florida, normally into Orlando International.

Charter airlines (the name come from originally travel companies chartered the aircraft to take their holiday makers to their hotels) such as Thomsonfly, First choice , Travel city Direct (though they cross the line between the two types) normally do not run every day, are for set periods of time (7 day or 14 days)and fly into the smaller Sanford Airport and do not have a year round service.

Scheduled airlines fly either direct or via an American "hub" (American airline companies have a hub in a particular city which their internal american flights work out of and they will have a complete terminal to themselves, rather like BA and Terminal 5 at heathrow)

exmples of these are
Virgin
BA
American Airlines (via a hub)
Continental (code share with virgin)
Delta (via hub)
United (via hub)
Northwest (via hub)
US Airways (Via hub)
BMI (Via New york then interhnal flight with another airline)
Then European airlines via a European city
KLM (Via amsterdam)
Air Lingus (Via Ireland)
Air France (Via Paris)
etc..

Charters
TCD
First choice airways
Thomsonfly
Monarch
FlyGlobespan
Brittania
My travel lite

The lines have blurred as originally schedluled gave you more things for your ticket and different classes of service on board (Economy, Buisness and First) whilst charters were one class service and even headsets cost extra.

Now because of cost cutting and more airlines fighting for the same passengers, Charters offer different classes of service and their prices have risen, and the scheduled airlines, essentially the American ones to cut costs, have started charging for drinks etc. Schedulked airlines have also in the main on what are known as "Bucket and Spade" routes have removed first class cabins, made buisness cabins the highest level and added a sort of economy plus instead.

Out of season, the choices drop, in the school holidays seasons the choices are vast both in terms of airports to fly from and airlines servicing the routes