Advice, please!

[tinksmom02]

Looking at flights for our Sept trip.

JetBlue out of Newark (what we usually fly) is $104 each way. PLUS you have to factor in a car service.

Spirit out of Atlantic City is $85/$55. Plus seats and luggage. And they don't participate with Resort check-in, so we'd have to drag our luggage (and how do we get our boarding passes?)

Airtran is $54/$69 out of AC. Plus luggage (and seats?). And their last flight home is at 5:20, which means losing 1/2 day at the parks.

OR, we could take airtran down and spirit back, for $54/$55. Still have to deal with luggage, though. And I've heard BAD things about airtran.

(AC airport is close/small enough that we could
drive, pay $8/day to park.)

:confused:
What would you do???
Thanks!

[CleveRocks]

I've had nothing but wonderful experiences with AirTran. One time, it was a full flight, so they boarded us early, we left the gate 20 minutes early and arrived 40 minutes early.

I wouldn't pay extra JUST for the ability to use Resort Airline Check-in on my last day, and I certainly wouldn't cut my last day short a few hours for it.

If you fly Spirit from MCO to ACY, and you've already paid for and selected seats, there's no reason you'd need to get your boarding passes in advance. People who can't use RAC bring their luggage to the DME bus, the driver loads it under the bus, you get it back as soom as you arrive at the airport, then you take it to your airline's ticket counter and check-in there. It's no different than when you get to EWR or ACY at the beginning of your trip. Think about it ... when you start your trip, you bring your own bags to the airport and either use curbside or go inside to the ticket counter ... same thing at the end of your trip (if you don't use RAC), know what I mean???:mickey:

[sainter]

We also have nothing but good luck with AirTran -newer planes, on time. It is an extra $6 per person if you want to choose your seats ahead of time.

I would probably do the AirTran/Spirit combo. It really isn' t a big deal to get your luggage from under the bus and into the airport from where you are dropped off.

[ShanPooh]

We've enjoyed our flights with AirTran.
We did a split flight AirTran one-way and USAir the other out of PIT and it worked out fine.
We are traveling in mid-Aug. Haven't found great fares out of CLE or CAK yet.
Southwest hasn't released their fares for that time frame yet. Have you considered them? We have gotten some really good deals with their DING! program.

[Insanity Clause]

You might want to try Airtran and they do participate so you could use Magical Express with the resorts.

[CleveRocks]

You might want to try Airtran and they do participate so you could use Magical Express with the resorts.Just to clarify ...

You can use Disney's Magical Express with EVERY airline ... this includes the automatic luggage delivery to the inside of your resort room.

The thing that's airline-specific is Resort Airline Check-in, a separate service from DME. RAC is for the last day of your trip ONLY.

[tinksmom02]

Thanks for the advice, guys! I'm glad to hear all the positives about AirTran...they're a new airline for ACY (actually they don't start until June), so I don't know too much about them.

I'm kind of leaning towards the Airtran/Spirit combo...DH is a little reluctant. But it's a WHOLE lot more to fly JetBlue (plus car service). Will discuss with the other adults in the party.

I've downloaded the DING! from Southwest, and was originally going to wait until they released flights before I booked anything, but we're really not Philly people...it just seems silly when we've got a chance for decent airfare right out of AC. The Airtran/Spirit combo is $99 round trip (without taxes, luggage, seats, etc.) JetBlue is $210.

Anyway, thanks, and more advice is always welcome!!

[tinksmom02]

I decided to book us Airtran down, Spirit back. Once we added taxes, baggage, and seats, it wasn't that great of a deal $185/person roundtrip. BUT, it's done. Plus JetBlue's fares went up $10 each way while I was booking our flights LOL Would now be $250 a person, so we got a better deal than that, at least.

And at least it's done, I don't have to worry about it anymore!

Thanks again for your help!

[mouseketeer mom]

I'm confused. Why would you need to deal with your luggage flying Jet blue? Can't you use DME with any airline, and doesn't Jet blue participate in resort airline check in? :confused:'

[tinksmom02]

I'm confused. Why would you need to deal with your luggage flying Jet blue? Can't you use DME with any airline, and doesn't Jet blue participate in resort airline check in? :confused:'

I'm trying to see where I confused you, but I can't find where I was talking about JetBlue and luggage. The answer to both of your other questions is yes. DME can be used with any airline and JB participates in the Resort check in.

I was comparing Spirits'/Airtrans' bottom lines (flights, baggage, seats, fees) with Jetblue's (flights and fees only). And while I was booking Spirit and Airtran, the JetBlue flights I was watching went up $10 each.

Did that help clear up your confusion? :confused:

[mouseketeer mom]

yes Christi! I got a little panicky! We've never flown Jet Blue before, we have always flown Continental. So we are using Jet Blue for our August trip and I must have misunderstood the luggage/DME thing. Thats a relief! Have you liked Jet Blue? I'm nervous flying that over Continental.

[tinksmom02]

yes Christi! I got a little panicky! We've never flown Jet Blue before, we have always flown Continental. So we are using Jet Blue for our August trip and I must have misunderstood the luggage/DME thing. Thats a relief! Have you liked Jet Blue? I'm nervous flying that over Continental.

Lisa, I LOVE JetBlue!! I'm really nervous about taking not one, but TWO new airlines for our Sept trip, but the allure of leaving out of AC, and the price difference, really made it a no-brainer. But we're big JetBlue fans. More leg room, yummy snacks, TVs, WiFi...bring your own headphones (or purchase theirs for $1).

Personally, I despise Continental. I'd rather WALK to WDW than fly them again LOL

Although, it seems that there are more airport shops/eateries in Continental's terminal, than JetBlues...at least out of Newark.

So to inadvertantly cause a panic attack!

[mouseketeer mom]

Wow! Really? So glad you have had such good experiences with Jet Blue. You helped me feel better. Thanks, and have a great trip in September..a word of warning though...you will be hooked on the Hawaii bldg, I promise you won't want to stay anywhere else again!:) Also, staying GVC..try not to get a ground floor room closest to the lounge..the service area is there, its a little noisy and you look at the back of the Samoa bldg. Request a higher floor, or one more in the middle so you can see the beautiful quiet pool area. The quiet pool area is just beautiful.

[tinksmom02]

Wow! Really? So glad you have had such good experiences with Jet Blue. You helped me feel better. Thanks, and have a great trip in September..a word of warning though...you will be hooked on the Hawaii bldg, I promise you won't want to stay anywhere else again!:) Also, staying GVC..try not to get a ground floor room closest to the lounge..the service area is there, its a little noisy and you look at the back of the Samoa bldg. Request a higher floor, or one more in the middle so you can see the beautiful quiet pool area. The quiet pool area is just beautiful.

Thanks for the advice about the room request. We actually did request a ground floor room, figured it would be easier for Mom (mobility issues), but now I know to politely ask for a room overlooking the pool.

(I'm sure I'll be PM-ing you several times before the trip with more questions!)

[mouseketeer mom]

PM away! I could talk the Poly all day!