Allegiant Airlines

[walt-sent-me]

Has anyone here used Allegiant Airlines, and if so what was your experience? We are using them this Sunday to fly down to WDW for a few days. Can't complain about the low fares...just wondering about service and reliability?

 

[ewensell3]

Has anyone here used Allegiant Airlines, and if so what was your experience? We are using them this Sunday to fly down to WDW for a few days. Can't complain about the low fares...just wondering about service and reliability?

Flew them from Knoxville to Sanford/Orlando June 2008.

Flight staff is prompt and friendly. The plane was clean and the flight was smooth. Comfortable seats. Had good weather the whole time so flights were on time. Allegiant caters to vacationers/recreation, so it was an overall casual atmosphere.

In-flight refreshments are not free. Bottled water and sodas $4, bag of chips $2, etc. I'd recommend drinking/eating before or after the flight.

If you're flying into SFB, it's a 5-10 minute walk from the gate to the baggage claim. I was surprised to find our luggage waiting for us on the belt. First time I ever had my luggage beat me to the claim area.

If you got the Alamo rental car option, they do not have a desk in the main building, nor do they provide a shuttle. Signs will direct you to the Alamo office which is a 1 mile hike away from the main building. If you're traveling with family, I'd recommend having an adult and the rest of the family fetch the luggage while the other adult who booked the trip walk out to the Alamo office, then bring the car back around to the baggage claim to pick everyone up. Reverse on the return trip (drop everyone off at the terminal then take the car back)... Otherwise you're dragging luggage/family the 1 mile to/from the Alamo office.

I'm seriously considering flying with them again for our March trip.

 

[walt-sent-me]

Thanks for the review. We are renting from Dollar. I'm spending more on the rental car per day than I am on a single airfare to get there. Crazy! Any idea how long it takes to get to property from the Sanford airport? Are there tolls along the way? We have always flown in to MCO prior to this upcoming trip.

 

[ewensell3]

Thanks for the review. We are renting from Dollar. I'm spending more on the rental car per day than I am on a single airfare to get there. Crazy! Any idea how long it takes to get to property from the Sanford airport? Are there tolls along the way? We have always flown in to MCO prior to this upcoming trip.

It's about an hour drive from SFB to "The World".

There are tolls along 417/408, the route Google Maps wants to use.

I take Lake Mary Blvd out to I-4, then I-4 to "The World". A few more red lights to deal with, but no tolls.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I LOVE Allegiant. It's the only airline I can get a direct flight from Sioux Falls, SD to Orlando. I will be flying them in March and in May. Did you try Alamo? Alamo tends to be cheaper than Dollar for the Sanford airport and they are 'partners' with Allegiant.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

I fly to LasVegas at least once a year and every time I fly Allegiant. They are wonderful, from check in to deboarding they always have a smile on there face and are happy to help any way they can. So go for it and enjoy your trip!

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

Flew them from Knoxville to Sanford/Orlando June 2008.

Flight staff is prompt and friendly. The plane was clean and the flight was smooth. Comfortable seats. Had good weather the whole time so flights were on time. Allegiant caters to vacationers/recreation, so it was an overall casual atmosphere.

In-flight refreshments are not free. Bottled water and sodas $4, bag of chips $2, etc. I'd recommend drinking/eating before or after the flight.

If you're flying into SFB, it's a 5-10 minute walk from the gate to the baggage claim. I was surprised to find our luggage waiting for us on the belt. First time I ever had my luggage beat me to the claim area.

If you got the Alamo rental car option, they do not have a desk in the main building, nor do they provide a shuttle. Signs will direct you to the Alamo office which is a 1 mile hike away from the main building. If you're traveling with family, I'd recommend having an adult and the rest of the family fetch the luggage while the other adult who booked the trip walk out to the Alamo office, then bring the car back around to the baggage claim to pick everyone up. Reverse on the return trip (drop everyone off at the terminal then take the car back)... Otherwise you're dragging luggage/family the 1 mile to/from the Alamo office.

I'm seriously considering flying with them again for our March trip.

I agree with everything about the airlines. We would use them again in a heartbeat. Great service and the only delay was due to weather (not their fault).

We used Alamo also and it was not that expensive. We reserved a mid sized sedan and they upgraded us to a van which was very nice! Alamo is outside the airport but it is not a mile away, but I would say it is a good 200-300 yards away. When we landed it was pouring rain but they did have cover the whole way so you will not get wet.

 

[walt-sent-me]

Thanks all. I'm feeling better about using this airline now. Dollar was less expensive than any of the other car rental agencies. Kept waiting for the price to come down, but this has not happened yet.

 

[ann0d]

We used them last year, enjoyed the savings! From Allentown to SFB. Which I like SFB because it is such a small airport. No complaints from me, except because of an ice storm in PA we had an 8 hour delay, but everything was delayed that day. I would use them again.

 

[walt-sent-me]

Well, I checked again with Alamo as some of you suggested. I got about $50 reduction in rate off the rental I had with the other rental, so naturally I changed my reservations to Alamo. The car we'll get now is larger and less expensive. Thanks to all who provided the encourgement to try again. I have since told other people about Allegiant Air, and one guy told me he didn't believe the rates. He booked with them to go to south Florida to spend time with his girlfriend over the Christmas break. Wea re off to WDW in just 3 days!

 

[ewensell3]

I have since told other people about Allegiant Air, and one guy told me he didn't believe the rates. He booked with them to go to south Florida to spend time with his girlfriend over the Christmas break. Wea re off to WDW in just 3 days!

Just be sure to warn them about the little "add-ons" to the base fare. The $69-each-way flights look real good until they add on the "convenience" fee, per-leg "security" fee, per-leg-choose-your-seat fee, baggage fee, etc etc.

Still ends up less expensive than the major airlines, but it's a bit of a surprise the first time through.

 

[tecowdw]

I also love Allegiant. There is nothing like a direct flight to Sanford (1 hour away from WDW) or to St. Pete (about 1.5 hours away from WDW) from my hometown airport. Since they use only smaller airports, it makes everything a breeze! They do charge for alot of things as extras (assigned seating, priority boarding, drinks, etc.) but that's not so unusual these days. However, most of them are optional so their base fares are really good. For me, they are usually pretty good on meeting schedule times (barring weather). Only issue is they have very little choice since they have one plane out and only on certain days from my aiport. The majors have several flights everyday to choose from.

I've grown to really not care for the majors now actually. Big airports, connections...blah!