Alligient Air--Sanford?

Mousefan mom

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 21, 2015
Any of you ever fly in from Sanford Airport versus MCO? We can get very cheap flight in--but from what I understand Magic Express or Uber are not available. Thanks!
 
We did, about 10 years ago. I was naive and didn't realize there were 2 Orlando area airports until I went to book the Magical Express, lol. So yes, ME isn't an option. We ended up renting a car that trip. I have no idea what the Uber situation is there, Uber wasn't around 10 years ago. If the flights are cheap enough, it might be worth it. It wasn't a bad drive to WDW at all. (Albeit further than MCO.)
 


Make sure you priced out all the fees. That airline charges extra for everything. By the time you add in fees and transportation from the airport it often doesn’t look like a good deal after all.

Also check the schedule. Might be only a few flights a week. If your flight gets cancelled you might not make it to Orlando.
 
I, personally, have never flown Allegiant. For me, there is only 1 flight a day in and out of Sanford. I also agree with Best Aunt, and you should check the additional fees for everything. For me, once all that is factored in, it's cheaper for me to fly Delta into MCO.
 
I have chosen to use Sanford before, usually getting a non-stop versus a layover somewhere for some inordinate amount of time. I will say Allegiant is not well known for being on time, but with non-stop flights there's no chance of missing a connection.

Last time I went to Sanford I booked a Lyft ride with the app the day before and updated the time before taking off (since we were late). The Lyft ride to my Disney resort cost more than the flight did and took about 1 hour.

Allegiant is what I call a "nickel and dime" airline. They charge for every little single thing you want to do (except using the restroom while in the air, legal steps have put the kabosh on that stunt when another airline tried it). You can get a better sense of the total cost by completing all the ressie steps right up to you putting in a CC #. Decide if you will check a bag, take a carry-on, want a seat assignment, etc. etc. then it will tally up your total cost. Not a problem really, just have to compare actual and total costs and flight times/flight duration when deciding to book Sanford or MCO, and that includes a consideration of ground transportation.

Sometimes I chose one and sometimes I chose the other.
 


We flown once into Sanford and that was the only time we ever rented a car on our Disney trip. My husband hated it because he does not like 'big city' driving. Since we've always flown into MCO and taken the Magical Express.
 
Im late to this thread, but we have flown into Sandford a bunch of times on Allegiant. And we have done both rental cars and Ubers to the resorts. Just pick which works best for your schedule. The airport and car rental areas are both very manageable, and easy. Allegiant isnt my favorite airline, but the prices are reasonable if you dont choose a bunch of their add ons.
 
After fees and considering DME is free from MCO. It’s always been cheaper to use Southwest. And no bag fee. Or transportation fees to worry about. In our experience.
 
Never flown Allegiant before but I have heard too many horror stories about them to even consider flying them.

Like other posters before me have stated once you take into all the additional fees that Allegiant has, transportation costs, etc. it turns out to be around the same price if not more money.

There's no perfect airline every one of them has their pros/cons. Best thing to do is to do some number crunching along with the flight schedules and then do what is best for YOU and what fits YOUR budget.
 
Allegiant has had a lot of safety issues - you have to decide if low fares are worth the risk of using an airline that does not have the best safety record.


So much this. Look up the episode 60 minutes did on Allegiant. No way would I ever fly on them, or put anyone I care about on them.
 
^^ I agree, they are one of the airlines I would NEVER use. Airlines who cut corners when it comes to safety aren't worth the risk of saving a few dollars. You can't just look at the cost of airline ticket to do a valid comparison. Be sure to add in the cost of the rental car/taxi, parking at Disney along with the baggage/seat assignment/etc. fees to see if they are really any less in total.
 
We flew with them once, rented a car, did not enjoy the whole experience. My son's soccer team flew with them as well on another trip and the flight was cancelled and they missed part of their trip as there is only one flight per day. Thank goodness they were flying in a few days before the tournament.
 
Agree with those stating watch 60 Minutes! Be aware that Allegiant might only have 1 or 2 flights A WEEK to Orlando and from Orlando to your home airport. You might lose precious vacation time.

Posted on another thread my husband sat my a gentleman on our only Allegiant flight (my son flew a second time). Anyway this man was traveling with his wife and when they got to the airport Allegiant had switched aircraft from 3/3 to 3/2 configuration. So everyone in the seats that were not on new plane were bumped to next flight ——days later!

NO WAY! There is also an active Allegiant thread on Budget Board- under Ultimate Budget Tip (which in itself is a joke). Lots of negatives there also. OP there thought they were posting a great tip.

Do what works for you but check everything out in case flight cancelled!
 
Our local airport (which has free parking) offers non-stop flights to Sanford. DH and I did it once and rented a car for a cheap, off-site stay at Disney. We only had carry-ons, and stopped at Walmart for some snacks since we had a car, so we were able to avoid the bag-check fees.
Our preference is usually to book Southwest, even though it does not fly at our local airport, we have a 2.5-3 hour drive to Chicago, and then have to pay for parking. But we prefer Southwest almost every time.
 
I have flown allegiant many times and will be flying with them into sanford in 2 weeks. I have only had 2 inconveniences with them of all the flights (knock on wood) and it was late taking off. I love the cheap prices of course but mainly take it for the non stop flight. I also prefer sanford airport even though its a bit further from Disney bc i find it to be less stressful then MCO . We usually rent a car or take a cab. This time we are trying something new - a private van service.
 
I totally get the safety issues, but I have recently flown with Alliegent in late May and my sister and I will be flying out of our local airport which is less then 30 minutes from both of our houses. The times also worked out perfectly for us to only miss one day of work and be able to have 2 1/2 days there. The price even with the paying for the “extras” was still almost 100 less then southwest(my absolute preferred airline) and we don’t have a 2 1/2 hour drive late at night when we get back. It’s a crap shoot for sure. Sometimes they are late but the last 2 times I flew with them they were on time. I have southwest booked for our 15th wedding anniversary trip to Disney in October out of Indy, but I’m rolling the dice with this trip. Just wanted to give a perspective from someone with a local airport that has Allegiant.
 
Allegiant has had a lot of safety issues - you have to decide if low fares are worth the risk of using an airline that does not have the best safety record.
So much this. Look up the episode 60 minutes did on Allegiant. No way would I ever fly on them, or put anyone I care about on them.
https://www.smartertravel.com/allegiant-retires-outdated-aircraft-safety-concerns/
Please look at UPDATED safety-they have since retired the planes that were cause for concern. Things DO change.
The pros of Sanford is it is a much smaller airport, so tend to have less flights if something does happen to delay. Security is a breeze, and renting a car is super easy. The drive isn't bad at all but we've had a removable transponder for sunpass for a couple years, so the toll drive is fast and easy.
The cons-like any budget airline check all the fees-heck with Allegiant they charge for online CC use-it is cheaper to go to airport to buy tickets with cash! Budget airlines also tend to have much less flights so again-if delay or cancel that flight you may be stuck for a couple days. It is also a bit longer to Orlando, no magical express etc. When whole family goes we tend to rent a car anyway-our oldest, and myself and DH have all lived in and are comfortable driving in large crazy traffic cities, but not everyone is (totally understandable!!)

We've flown Allegiant a few times as they are the only direct flight from our hometown. We've also driven to larger airport (3 hours) for more flights on other airlines (and after major weather related delays coming home from Miami after a cruise, then driving home meant we were up for almost 24 hours straight). In our delayed case-I think I would have rather stayed an extra day in Miami, and arrive at our home town vs the nightmare of hanging in airports for hours, but I realize that is not an option for many.
 

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