Southwest vs. Allegiant with small kids

[GoldenOwner]

My airline options for our fall trip are SW or Allegiant. Our family consists of DH and myself and our two small girls (2 and 4 years, still in car seats which we will use during the flight). We're flying Des Moines to Orlando or Tampa (doesn't really matter which as we want a few days on the beach either before or after Disney - we may fly into one and out of the other, or not).

Allegiant advantages: direct flight!, I've flown Allegiant several times previous so I'm familiar with them

Allegiant disadvantages: may be a little more expensive once we pay all the bag fees and pay for specific seats, they only fly our route Mondays and Fridays this year so not as flexible

Southwest advantages: much more flexible dates, bags will be included, could potentially take advantage of Magical Express (though we'll probably rent a car for the whole time), could get a credit if price goes down

Southwest disadvantages: we would have to switch planes once (a major pain with 2 little kids and carseats, not to mention carry on bags, etc.), I've never flown with SW before so I'm little unfamiliar with all their policies (can you reserve specific seats, etc.?)

The times are not super ideal with either company, though I would have to give Allegiant the advantage (mid-morning flight down if we go to Tampa, mid-afternoon back through Sanford vs. early morning down, mid-morning back with SW).

Which would you do in this situation?

 

[Callie]

Southwest. Allegiant charges for everything, even carry on bags. Also, the Sanford airport is a lot further out as well as the fact they only have one flight usually a day so if something goes wrong, you might not fly out for a while.

Car rentals are usually cheaper from MCO too, plus you can check your bags at a Disney resort with Southwest.

 

[GoldenOwner]

Right now, comparing costs, it's actually a few dollars cheaper to fly Allegiant (with reserved seats and 1 checked bag each) than Southwest, if the main difference is money. And it's very likely we won't be going directly to Disney from the airport, but it is possible.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

With SWA you get 2 free checked bags per person. With SWA you can to RAC and not have to worry about taking your luggage to the airport for your return flight. With 2 kids in tow it would be a huge help to use RAC and only having to deal with your car seats and carry on luggage when you are leaving to come home.
As PP said you Allegient fly out of Sanford airport so you will extra commute time.

 

[GoldenOwner]

With SWA you get 2 free checked bags per person. With SWA you can to RAC and not have to worry about taking your luggage to the airport for your return flight. With 2 kids in tow it would be a huge help to use RAC and only having to deal with your car seats and carry on luggage when you are leaving to come home.
As PP said you Allegient fly out of Sanford airport so you will extra commute time.

Would that work if we aren't going directly to Disney when we get there or if we go to the beach for a few days after Disney before heading home?

 

[tjmw2727]

Would that work if we aren't going directly to Disney when we get there or if we go to the beach for a few days after Disney before heading home?

Yes - you can use DME one way or both ways and you can use RAC on the return to MCO regardless of if you are using DME or not as long as you fly out of MCO on a participating airline. So you could check your bags at the resort for the flight home and then drive to the airport with your rental and return it there. So it would only work for you if you happen to go to the beach first.

As for the hassle of connecting flights and bags- have you considered skipping the car seat for the 4yo? Not sure the benefits outweigh the hassle after age 3 or so - but its been a while since my kids were in them. I would think a 4yo could stay seated properly and would also worry about legroom and being able to use the tray etc with a 4yo in a car seat.

Its a tough call and your already ahead of the game by pricing out your options - I am leary of allegiant or frontier due to the lack of flights as I worry about being stranded due to weather issues etc. I have friends however who fly both and have never had issues so best of luck in your decision

 

[DisneynBison]

With Allegiant it is not if you are going to have trouble but when and when it happens you are stuck for days not hours. A quick little test, just try getting ahold of customer service of both companies. That should answer your question. If it doesn't, google maintenance issues with Allegiant over the last 3 months. Pay attention to the Chief Operating Officer over the last 45 days.

I have one flight left on Allegiant and then we will never fly them again. Direct is so nice but just not worth the risk.

 

[Yellowjj]

As DisneynBison said, Allegiant has had quite the bit of issues with-in the last 6 months with their planes. Multiple emergency landing's. They seem to be skimping out on maintenance somewhere. For such a small airline, it doesn't look good.

 

[Callie]

Have you confirmed all the booking fees too with allegiant? We drove to the airport twice to buy airline tickets to avoid the extra charge, and both times, when they said they were going to be there, they weren't. Plus their check in line moves very slow, so sometimes its a rush to make it thru security. Just first hand info.

 

[GoldenOwner]

It's been a few years since I've flown (since before the 4 year old was born), so I guess maybe Allegiant has gone downhill!

For the pricing, I was all the way to payment so I think they all there.

As to the carseat issue, I imagine the 4 year old would be fine on the plane without one but we will need it when we get there (renting a car) and no way will I gate check a seat!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Would that work if we aren't going directly to Disney when we get there or if we go to the beach for a few days after Disney before heading home?

No it won't work you have to have a reservation at Disney the day you arrive and the day you leave for the airport

 

[tjmw2727]

No it won't work you have to have a reservation at Disney the day you arrive and the day you leave for the airport

Disagree -
We have done DME one way many times, beach or Universal first and then check into WDW and leave via DME with a one way reservation for the outbound.

In addition the OP wants to use RAC and there is no requirement to use DME in order to use RAC. For RAC just check in at the desk in the am and as long as your flying a participating airline you can use RAC to check your bags back to your home airport.

 

[nkereina]

I've never flown with SW before so I'm little unfamiliar with all their policies (can you reserve specific seats, etc.?)

No, you can't, and their boarding/seating process is something you should familiarize yourself with before you book because it may impact your decision with kids and a layover. When you book, you have the option to purchase "Early Bird Check-In" for $12.50 per person each way. By purchasing this, Southwest will automatically check you into your flight 36 hours ahead. When you are checked in, Southwest assigns you a boarding letter & number which is your boarding position for the flight. The earlier you check-in, the earlier your boarding position will be which is why people opt for the EBCI. Obviously, boarding early increases your chances of sitting together and allows you to pick the most optimal seats for your group. When you are at the airport, you will line up in numerical order for boarding, and then it is open seating on the flight. If you opt not to pay for the early check-in, then you will need to check yourself in 24 hours in advance of your flight. Keep in mind this means you will board behind anyone who has purchased EBCI. Southwest offers family boarding usually if you have kids 4 or younger, and this will occur between the A and B groups (after the first 60 people board).

Southwest's boarding process begins 30 minutes prior to the flight time. With a layover, you will want to make sure you have enough time to get to your gate with 30 minutes to spare so you don't run the risk of missing your boarding position. If you do, you can just board the plane when you arrive, but then you lose the benefit of a potentially good boarding position. In addition, there may be carryover passengers on the plane already from the plane's originating city. Just things to keep in mind.

All that being said, I try to fly Southwest exclusively and I love it. But its important to understand their boarding process.