Questions about flights to WDW...........

[HatboxGhost]

Hi all.........As most of you know, my wife and I just got back from WDW a few days ago. As usual we drove from CT. to FL. which takes us around 20 hours. The problem is that between driving back and forth, we are wasting 2 days that could be spent in Disney. We discussed flying but haven't been on a flight in years and have some questions if you guys don't mind answering.......

What are some of the best companies to fly with?
Can we get a non stop flight and what companies offer that?
Price difference between coach and first class.
If you buy a lot of things in Disney, do you ship it back home or do you take it with you on the plane?

Thanks again.

 

[hrmom26]

lets see what i can answer lol
1 i love jetblue, they are reasonable in price and good, but they have no first class ... i think lol
2 yes a non stop flight is always a option for any airline , maybe if you book last minute you might have issues but otherwise you can pick it
3 i have no idea the price difference in first class , lol i've never flown it but i would imagine it was a case by case basis
4 i always take everything home on the plane. i bring a extra bag , my carry on i stuff with clothes so i can stuff my checked bag with extra food on the way up and souvenirs on the way back

hope this helps

 

[Gomer]

I'm not sure about flying out of Connecticut. But, if you fly out of JFK, Laguardia, or Newark, you can definitely find non-stop flights easily. Agree on the JetBlue call above, but again...no 1st class.

I've never flown first class, but have looked at it from time to time just to see how the other half lives. Its a significant increase. I think the time i looked, the price went up 4x.

We always ship stuff home and have only had an issue once where a mug broke. Disney makes it so easy to ship from their stores, that e have become addicted to it. Receiving the packages for a week after we get home is one of favorite parts of coming home. Although, admittedly, that has lessened in recent years as we have found ourselves becoming less and less interested in what Disney has to offer for souvenirs.

 

[tmm7899]

You can fly non stop out of Bradley. I think its either on Jet Blue or Southwest, both are good airlines. First class is not really worth it from CT to Orlando, its not that long of a flight.

 

[lilclerk]

Depending on where you are in CT, you can also get direct flights out of TF Green in Rhode Island on either Southwest or Jet Blue. Very reasonably priced most of the time, I can often find $99 or less each way. Plus SW gives you 2 free checked bags instead of one, and they have several more time options.

 

[copakedave]

Hartford to MCO Orlando, Southwest direct flight with 45 day advance purchase 103.00 return 99.00. Multiple flights per day.
Transfers via Magical Express
Two bags fly free, again as previously mentioned food down, gifts back.
First class not an option.

 

[Kate Alan]

JetBlue, JetBlue, JetBlue. I fly them pretty much exclusively now - I find that their prices often undercut every other airline, including Southwest (at least from my airport - we have a JetBlue hub here). Your experience may differ - but usually I find that Southwest or JetBlue carry the lowest airfares overall. I also have a JetBlue Amex that allows me to accrue points via their TrueBlue loyalty system which I then put towards flights, and there are survey sites where you can "cash in" for even more JetBlue points. I've paid for a number of round trips to WDW that way.

No, they don't have a first class, but they do have ample legroom even without it. That, combined with the free entertainment in the form of the TV on the back of each seat, plus the snack/beverage service...makes for a nice, comfortable flight for me from Boston.

 

[BrianV]

While we live outside boston, we have friends who drive to Hartford to take southwest to orlando. (Because the prices are cheaper). A little extreme for me because the drive is several hours.

For us we use only JetBlue or southwest. Jet blue out of boston or southwest out of Manchester or providence.

Neither has first class. Southwest allows two checked bags. Jet blue one checked bag. Either way, always enough space. As long as you are not traveling prime time, you should be able to book 200-300pp rt. spring break could be double or triple.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Hi all.........As most of you know, my wife and I just got back from WDW a few days ago. As usual we drove from CT. to FL. which takes us around 20 hours. The problem is that between driving back and forth, we are wasting 2 days that could be spent in Disney. We discussed flying but haven't been on a flight in years and have some questions if you guys don't mind answering.......

What are some of the best companies to fly with?
Can we get a non stop flight and what companies offer that?
Price difference between coach and first class.
If you buy a lot of things in Disney, do you ship it back home or do you take it with you on the plane?

Thanks again.

JetBlue followed by United imo.
But for us we fly whatever is cheapest, non-stop, and gets us there early. Which lately has been Frontier, Southwest, or US Airways.
The price between first class & coach varies but we have found the cheapest way to get first class is to upgrade at the gate if available.

If flying Jetblue or Southwest we take them back on the plane because Southwest offers two free checked bags and Jetblue offers one free checked bag.

Otherwise we watch what we buy or stuff what we can into our carry ons but only ship things home if needed. (only once a few years ago.)

Google Flights is awesome. They will show you all carriers and nearby airports. Make suggestions for cheaper flights. (like flying Tuesday instead because it will save your $xx off)
We fly out of Philly or Newark. They suggested buying a train ticket to Newark airport from Philly and taking a non-stop flight Newark to Orlando. (Was considered a "flight with stops" and was $75 cheaper per ticket than just buying the flight from Newark to Orlando)

We didn't even use the train ticket just drove to the airport like normal.

 

[JohnD]

I like using sites that Orbitz.com that provide multiple airlines where you can compare routes and prices.

 

[rt06]

Much depends on the airport you fly out of.

First class runs about $300-$500 more out of NYC area airports. Use seatguru to determine each flight's amenities, as some of the carriers that use older planes are not up to snuff, in which case, Economy Plus will suffice.

 

[Disnee4Me]

I just booked JetBlue out of Westchester County Airport for my mom to West Palm and they always have 2-3 direct flights a day. Depends what part of Connecticut you live in. They may not have first class but I think they offer extra leg room seats. Plus the airport is so small, it's not very crowded. When she comes back home it May, we arrive literally ten minutes before her flight gets in and within a half hour we are out of the airport. Of course, she brings only a carry on as my brother drives her car back and forth with a suitcase.

 

[JillC LI]

Be careful when booking Southwest, expecting to get free checked bags. Southwest recently merged with AirTran. If you get a code-share that is actually an AirTran operated flight, they will charge you for checked bags.

I was actually getting ready to possibly book SW for a flight elsewhere. I did not know this. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Be careful when booking Southwest, expecting to get free checked bags. Southwest recently merged with AirTran. If you get a code-share that is actually an AirTran operated flight, they will charge you for checked bags.

We've booked many Airtran flights through Southwest and never had to pay for our baggage. Unless they altered the policy recently (its been a little over a year since we did that), before it was as long as you booked on the Southwest website, you pay nothing for the first two bags.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Maybe the booking site is the key. It's been a few months since I was price shopping, but I thought I noticed the difference on the Southwest site. But, perhaps I had also looked at the AirTran site. Anyway, I know the AirTran baggage page still shows they charge a $25 1st checked bag fee, $35 for the second bag. I don't understand how the two airlines could merger, yet have different policies...

I know for a while now (since they merged really) Southwest has been saying they want to stop offering free baggage. But IMO that is the only reason I fly them. Lately their prices have been getting more expensive for me. They wanted wanted $430 for a round trip flight from Philly to Orlando in October. I flew them earlier this year for $268 round trip and last year for $190.

None of my flights have been good either.

I do believe the booking site is key.
Any southwest flight regardless of the booking site has no baggage fee for the first two bags.
But Airtran, the fee is waived if you booked through Southwest.
Fees apply if you book direct through airtran.

 

[EOD K9]

<-------Huge JetBlue fan. They have great service, free first checked bag, free entertainment, and ample legroom. I also have a an Amex JetBlue card and earn free flights.

 

[bethymouse]

Yuck on Air Tran, which is run by Southwest. No problems really, except for overbooked flights!

 

[HatboxGhost]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. There is some great info and my wife and I are leaning toward JetBlue although SW is not out of the question.

 

[BrianV]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. There is some great info and my wife and I are leaning toward JetBlue although SW is not out of the question.

JetBlue is better. Southwest is cheaper.
JetBlue gives one free checked bag. Southwest gives two.
Jet blue gives seat assignments. Southwest gives baording zones...and you could get a really bad seat.

Either way, you can't go terribly wrong. And for a 2.5 hour flight, either is fine.

 

[Rob562]

I'll add my vote for JetBlue. It's my airline of choice when I'm flying somewhere that it's an option. Though I do keep an eye on other airlines in case one is offering a significant sale price the others aren't.

I suggest using a search site like kayak.com or hipmunk.com to compare all the airlines. You can choose to have it show you only non-stop flights, and at least on Kayak you can tell it to add luggage into the equation to get an accurate total-cost price comparison. Hipmunk has the option of their "sort by agony" feature that takes multiple aspects into account when sorting flights, not limiting the deciding factor by just price.

The only downside is that none of the sites will check Southwest, you have to go onto Southwest's site to do that.

-Rob