Sanford Airport

[graphite1326]

Has anyone flown into the Sanford Airport? We have an Airline that gives great deals to there. Just want to know how much of a hassle it is to get to WDW from there and would it be worth it not using magical express. And any other info you may have. Shuttles, etc....

 

[Weather_Lady]

These threads are old, but they might give you a rough idea of some of the options available. Several shuttle/limo companies offer transportation to WDW from Sanford.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/transportation-from-sanford-airport.835352/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/orlando-sanford-airport.882915/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/transfers-from-sanford-airport.867913/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/sanford-airport-considerations-allegiant-air.863203/

 

[CP_alum08]

It's been a while, but it seems like it was a pretty good hike from WDW and lots of surface streets. That could be all changed now, but I do remember it being pretty easy to get in/out of.

 

[GoofyDadKB]

SFB is a great airport if you are renting a car. Make sure to use an onsite car rental company like Dollar. It is about an hour from Disney, but you can get in and out of the airport quite quickly. International flights fly out of a different terminal so security isn't a problem. If you do decide to fly to SFB and land around meal time, you should take the time to stop at Mel's Diner. It is on 17/92 right next to the Holiday Inn Express just outside of the airport. The food and the prices are great!

 

[graphite1326]

These threads are old, but they might give you a rough idea of some of the options available. Several shuttle/limo companies offer transportation to WDW from Sanford.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/transportation-from-sanford-airport.835352/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/orlando-sanford-airport.882915/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/transfers-from-sanford-airport.867913/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/sanford-airport-considerations-allegiant-air.863203/

thanks for this info. We are thinking about using Allegiant. Even with the cost of using a town car, it is still cheaper than flying US Air from our local airport. We used to use AirTran but they are now gone and that is really to bad. I liked their airline. I believe they were taken over by Southwest. Unfortunately they don't offer the same service.

 

[disney4life2008]

thanks for this info. We are thinking about using Allegiant. Even with the cost of using a town car, it is still cheaper than flying US Air from our local airport. We used to use AirTran but they are now gone and that is really to bad. I liked their airline. I believe they were taken over by Southwest. Unfortunately they don't offer the same service.

I second loving and missing AirTran. AirTrain flew out of Bloomington, Illinois the airport has free parking and only a 40 minute drive from central illinois. When Southwest bought them out - AirTran at Bloomington was the first to go. I always felt VIP on AirTran. I love Southwest but now I have to drive 2 hours in either direction to take a flight out of Central Illinois unless I want to pay double the rates of a metro city.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

According to Google Maps - Sanford is 54 minutes drive from Animal Kingdon Lodge (assuming no traffic) - you can work out your own times accordingly. We'll be using Sanford for the first time next year, so I'll be interested to see what everyone has to say about it

 

[DisneyDelirious]

I second loving and missing AirTran. AirTrain flew out of Bloomington, Illinois the airport has free parking and only a 40 minute drive from central illinois. When Southwest bought them out - AirTran at Bloomington was the first to go. I always felt VIP on AirTran. I love Southwest but now I have to drive 2 hours in either direction to take a flight out of Central Illinois unless I want to pay double the rates of a metro city.

We flew Frontier out of Bloomington to MCO for crazy low rates a couple times, including for a MVMCP trip. I think they have since pulled up stakes andwdt CIR as well. We generally go Southwest out of St. Louis. Sorry for the thread jack.

 

[disney4life2008]

We flew Frontier out of Bloomington to MCO for crazy low rates a couple times, including for a MVMCP trip. I think they have since pulled up stakes andwdt CIR as well. We generally go Southwest out of St. Louis. Sorry for the thread jack.

I now fly Southwest out of Indy which is about 2 hours from Champaign (not too bad). But I miss the free parking at Bloomington ($10 per day at Indy) but it is very convenient.

 

[DisneyDelirious]

I now fly Southwest out of Indy which is about 2 hours from Champaign (not too bad). But I miss the free parking at Bloomington ($10 per day at Indy) but it is very convenient.

We are in Quincy so we are about 3hrs and 10 min from Champaign. I have a brother in law that lives there and I attended PTI at UIUC so I know the route way too well. When my FIL can't drive us to the airport, I spring for the short flight to STL sometimes as 14 days of parking at STL can add up.

 

[disney4life2008]

We are in Quincy so we are about 3hrs and 10 min from Champaign. I have a brother in law that lives there and I attended PTI at UIUC so I know the route way too well. When my FIL can't drive us to the airport, I spring for the short flight to STL sometimes as 14 days of parking at STL can add up.

Wow a fellow Illini. I am a graduate student at uiuc now the drive to STL or IND is easy and enjoyable.

 

[EdC]

We were looking in to Allegiant as well, especially since Mid America airport is just as far as STL for us. Allegiant also added flights to the Tampa area starting in November.

It'll be cheaper for the four of us to fly there than mco even when renting a car. Only marginally more than driving the 2k miles.

 

[BrerJon]

Has anyone flown into the Sanford Airport? We have an Airline that gives great deals to there. Just want to know how much of a hassle it is to get to WDW from there and would it be worth it not using magical express. And any other info you may have. Shuttles, etc....

I've only flown into Sanford from the UK, so not sure if things would be different when flying domestic, but I think it's a great airport. It's very calm, quiet and relaxing compared to MCO, and is a lovely way to begin a vacation.

The time from the plane landing to getting to your ground transportation is much, much quicker than MCO, so when you factor that in there's not much more than 30 minutes longer travel time by going to Sanford.

Someone said a shuttle would cost an extra $250 - I don't know where that figure comes from, the Sanford equivalent of a Magical Express coach - something like Orlando Carriers, is about $50 per person each way and will take you direct to your hotel.

So basically if a return flight to Sanford + $100 return bus is cheaper than a return flight to MCO with Magical Express, then go Sanford all the way!

 

[DznyGrlSD]

If you book through Allegiant there is an option to add on round-trip shuttle to/from the airport for like $60/person (I think) Otherwise rent a car. I refuse to fly Allegiant anymore because they nickel & dime you.

 

[EdC]

Yeah, they look fairly nickel & dime style. Willing to try it once though, especially if it helps us avoid having to walk through such large terminals with little kids.

 

[tecowdw]

I like Sanford International airport. I fly there using Allegiant Air as well. It's a smaller airport and getting in and out is really much smoother process than crowded MCO. It doesn't have a lot of services (food/shopping) but it's got a few things available if desired. Basically a seat in the gate area and a bathroom in the airport is all I ever need anyway. It is about an hour drive via tollway 429 but it is an easy drive if you are renting a car anyway. I took I-4 once from that airport but never really want to again - way too much traffic!!

I've been using Allegiant Air for many years now. They do nickel-and-dime you on the tickets & on-board service but I have found they still almost always end up cheaper than any major airlines (DL & UA) from my home airport. Plus the advantage of a direct flight without any stopovers is a huge plus from my airport.

Drawbacks that I can think of are travel disruptions and timeliness:

• Since they don't have multiple flights a day or any extra aircraft at the hometown airports you are in trouble with any cancellations (mechanical, weather, etc.). When they do have to cancel, it's never rescheduled until the following day for that reason. There's just no same day flexibility in their equipment schedules.
  
• Allegiant's on-time record is probably below average. I think it rarely leaves my home airport less than 30 minutes late. And at my local airport, the boarding process is usually haphazard and slow. Just a little better luck with leaving Sanford on time with usually much smoother boarding process. However without connections it doesn't really matter so much.
• Allegaint doesn't fly to every airport everyday so you must fit into the days they fly. And they only will fly once on those days from the hometown airport. This does prove to be challenging sometimes when trying to factor in time off from work. For a long time, our flights out have been after 7pm - not the best use of a travel day. Now they shifted the schedule so they mostly leave around 9am however that means my return flights home out of Sanford are now at 6am. Definitely not a departure that's my cup of tea!

Now for convenience sake only MCO is better on many fronts. Many more options both in airline options/schedules, airport services, ground transportation and shorter distance to WDW. The crowds and prices are the drawback usually.

If you plan to rent a car anyway definitely consider a Sanford airline. If no car, then weigh that cost savings versus your airfare between the two locations. Every now and then I have to fly a major into MCO but it is usually because of the days I have to travel on over anything else.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Worse - their history is one of pulling out of local airports RAPIDLY, if they do not see serious business. For this reason? IF anyone books Allegiant: PLEASE use a Credit Card for your tickets, and book within the 90 day CC Challenge Time Frame. In our area - Allegiant ARRIVED and LEFT within six months.... many folks (not us), just got left holding the proverbial sack.

I could fly directly from Sioux Falls, SD to Sanford for a week on Allegiant WITH a rental car for less than $400 round trip a few years ago. Now it's $300-$400 for just the flight + baggage fees + CARRY ON fees. I won't fly them again. Rental car rates are unreasonable anymore too. I'm flying Southwest in October for $250