Southwest help for some1 that has never flown:(

[mommyof3princess27]

okay so i have never flown before or bought airline tickets... we booked our trip to wdw awhile ago and i kept checking their website for flight info.. i was ready to book a flight through wdw travel company but all the direct flights were gone(bwi to orlando) they only had delta and us airways-which seemed expensive... so i checked out southwests website and they have only scheduled up until maybe august 13(we are going october 24-29th) the cm i talked to suggested waiting a couple weeks and check sw again because they seem to have nonstop flights and we are taking 5 kids so that would be better... i just dont want all the flights to be booked i am scared and nervous to wait until april to book! anyone do this? wait until sw has their schedule up and book through them or should i book through the cm at wdw travel? any help would be wonderful

 

[fkj2]

I'd wait for Southwest.

I like their service. I'm planning a trip for March and I've changed my flight three times because of lower fares. I didn't get the money back but I do get travel funds credited that have to be used within a year of the original booking. I just changed a flight earlier this month and saved $30 on one leg of the flight. I just keep checking the flights often and once the price drops, I rebook it. Southwest also has the DING software you can install on your computer that will alert you for special discounts.

I know Southwest isn't currently in the Magical Express program but that's not a deterrant that wuld stop me from flying the airline.

 

[ChickieToo]

I don't know how you are to Baltimore, therefore I don't know how much of a drive it would be for you to Washington/Dulles, but you can fly from Dulles to Orlando on your dates for as little as $59 each way. There are other flights that cost a little more ranging from $94 to $114 each way, but they are booking right now. And JetBlue gives you assigned seats which may be better with 5 kids. Anyway, you can book that now:

http://www.jetblueairways.com/cgi-bin/skylights.cgi?intcmp=minibooker&

 

[tazdev3225]

I have only flown Southwest my last couple of trips. You can pay a small fee for preferred boarding but if you check in online at the right time you will get early boarding. I would wait for Southwest. They usually are the most reasonable in fares, you can check 2 bags per person and I find them to be very friendly. They are not part of the check in process at the resort but I just have bell services pick up and hold my luggage on check out day until the ME bus comes. I won't fly any other airline now.

 

[surfergirl602]

I'd wait for southwest! I flew them for the first time with my Children over Christmas, and they were fantastic. Checked bags are free (so helpful!) and they had curbside check in so we could skip the long lines.

The attendants were great with my kids and checked on them and kept them entertained.
We paid the for the early bird check in and got very high A seating, which was helpful so we could all sit together.
THe one thing I didn't like, was that their snack selection can be rather small, so bring some with you for the flight if your kids like to snack like mine do.

 

[mommyofboys]

I too vote for waiting for SW ~ we also live in MD and fly out of Baltimore just so we can use SW.

They offer so many flights a day to Orlando that you don't need to worry about not being able to catch a flight. When we flew last year I waited a few months after the schedule was released before we booked to make sure that we got a good deal.

According to their website they will be opening their schedule for flights through Oct 30th on March 23 (but that could change be earlier or later).

Like the PP mentioned - bags fly free!

 

[andrews_dad]

Another vote for SW. 2 free bags per person. That adds up FAST. Places like Delta charge $23 for the first bag.

 

[branv]

Don't worry too much about Southwest. This is just what they do (the not releasing dates). You're not flying during a major peak time, so I wouldn't fret at all about them booking up right when they open.

I would say that I would never book my air through Disney. Now, I know plenty of people have fine experiences, but I have read many bad experiences. Overpriced, being flown at bad hours or with long connections when better ones exist, and the biggest complaints: flights being changed around constantly. I have gathered that this is due to their using Delta, for which there are multiple threads on this site about Delta for moving peoples flights around in insane ways (i.e. they were booked to fly out at 9 am, and suddenly they go online to see that they've been moved and are flying out hours later, killing a day of their vacation). And this isn't last minute changes due to weather or mechanical issues, but just a random shuffling of flights. Again, I haven't used them, but if you're thinking about using them, I suggest you do a search or post this over on the Transportation thread. I know you can get all the answers you need, so don't worry too much. It will be okay!

 

[pediatric-rnp]

We won't even consider any other airline if SWA flies to our destination - it is the best! Easy to book online and easy to get the credits if the price drops. They don't have assigned seats, which put me off at first, but I really like being able to choose your own seat upon boarding. We are usually assigned the "A" boarding category as we confirm the flight right at the 24 hr mark, but have been in the "C" category a few times, and still have no problem with the four of us getting seated together. I wouldn't pay the extra for their new priority seating program, as it's always been a non-issue for us. (We don't bring a computer to WDW, so we always stop at the front desk or concierge of our resort the day prior to departure, and they very cheerfully will do the confirmation for your return flight home, and print it out for you, so you can still get the "A" boarding category. When on a cruiseship. we just go to the computer and do it ourselves.If you travel with a computer, you can just do it yourself and print it out later at the airport. ) Also, on almost every flight we've been on, if a family boards late and needs a certain number of seats together, the flight attendants will ask if anyone is willing to change their seating to accomodate, and I've never seen it not be successful for the family.

 

[magik]

I just want to say, I'd probably wait for Southwest as well. You can check 2 bags free so long as they are under the weight limit, you can rebook if prices drop and get credit. You can even cancel your tickets and get flight credit as well if you need to. And although others said they aren't part of Disney's Magical Express service, you can fly *any* airline into Orlando, and as long as you are staying at a Disney resort, you can use their shuttle service to your resort and then from the resort back to the airport. The only catch there is that if you are flying in from another country or after a certain time at night, you have to pick up your own baggage and bring it to the bus.

Maybe people mean the resort airline check-in? The resort airline check-in, although "branded" as part of the Disney Magical Express service is really a completely different thing. If you make use of the bus service from the airport to the resort and then back to the airport again, you don't need to use the resort airline check-in service, and vice versa. You don't need to use the bus service in order to use the resort airline check-in. Either way, Southwest was actually just recently added to list of participating airlines for the resort airline check-in service (not listed on the website yet, but I was just at Disney last week, flew Southwest, and I was able to check-in and check my bags at the resort on the day I left).

The only downside to Southwest in my opinion is that you really do need to check in online for your flight *exactly* 24 hours before your flight (or as close to it as you can) if you care about ensuring you are in the first boarding group. Not having assigned seats can be a pain if you are one of the last to be able to board the plane. This isn't so big of a deal when you're at home and checking in for your flight *to* Orlando, but can be a challenge when you want to check-in for your flight back home and you don't have a computer with you or your check-in time is the middle of the day when you're at the parks. They can help you check-in for your flight at any guest services in any of the parks, and if you have an iPhone, there's a Southwest app you can use, but it's kind of a pain to remember to do.

 

[elcodfish]

I just want to clarify SW does do Magical Express, but they do not do resort check in. Now that we have SW they are all we fly, great people, free 2 bags per person, no fee to change flights, and credit if your flight goes down. Just check in exactly 24 hours ahead of your flight for your boarding numbers and you'll be fine. There will be planes available and you will save some money!

 

[eyor44]

another vote for SouthWest. I just flew them a couple weeks ago and it was great. We used the Magical Express and didn't have any problems. Also, don't worry about your dates note being released. As it gets a little closer, the SW web site will post a date as to when the new travel dates will be released. That way you can plan to book on that day. Also helps if you have already chosen the time frame you wish to fly.

 

[mommyof3princess27]

Thanks! I did contact a cm at wdw travel and sw is part of the magical express as long as i call wdw travel with our flight info! with 5 kids- a non stop is a must so sw it is! and it is over $500 cheaper than delta!

 

[Lisha1979]

I just want to clarify SW does do Magical Express, but they do not do resort check in. Now that we have SW they are all we fly, great people, free 2 bags per person, no fee to change flights, and credit if your flight goes down. Just check in exactly 24 hours ahead of your flight for your boarding numbers and you'll be fine. There will be planes available and you will save some money!

I read on the boards that SW does the Resort Check in at POP and ASM (I believe) as a trial. I could be wrong but I'd double check.

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

okay so i have never flown before or bought airline tickets... we booked our trip to wdw awhile ago and i kept checking their website for flight info.. i was ready to book a flight through wdw travel company but all the direct flights were gone(bwi to orlando) they only had delta and us airways-which seemed expensive... so i checked out southwests website and they have only scheduled up until maybe august 13(we are going october 24-29th) the cm i talked to suggested waiting a couple weeks and check sw again because they seem to have nonstop flights and we are taking 5 kids so that would be better... i just dont want all the flights to be booked i am scared and nervous to wait until april to book! anyone do this? wait until sw has their schedule up and book through them or should i book through the cm at wdw travel? any help would be wonderful

Be aware that direct and nonstop are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[magik]

I read on the boards that SW does the Resort Check in at POP and ASM (I believe) as a trial. I could be wrong but I'd double check.

I just stayed at ASM last week, and yes, I was able to use resort airline check-in for Southwest. Worked great, and I was really happy to see they had added Southwest! I had assumed it had been added to all hotels, but if it's just those two, I hope they add it to the rest!

 

[gardengalB4]

I just stayed at ASM last week, and yes, I was able to use resort airline check-in for Southwest. Worked great, and I was really happy to see they had added Southwest! I had assumed it had been added to all hotels, but if it's just those two, I hope they add it to the rest!

Was this all star music or movies?TIA


Another vote for Southwest-I totally agree with this statement:
We won't even consider any other airline if SWA flies to our destination - it is the best!

 

[deerhart]

We book our flights to Orlando generally 2-3 months in advanced (we bought June of last year for August trip). You also have to watch Southwest closely because sales will come and go (I started tracking in April and saw about 7 sales before we bought) so the prices will fluctuate.

For us, we know that one way around $75 is about the best price we are going to get.

 

[mlittig]

Another vote for Southwest I love their nonstop service from Manchester, NH, we have always arrived on time or even early