want to fly from florida at a reasonable $$$

It's that time of the year to be on here again.
I have a question I have a friend that is coming from Sarastota.
Where would be the best location to fly out of ....any suggestions??
Thanks muchly...

i should say how great this board is and looking for your advice...

I looked hard for a newbie friend this summer and it seemed you need to drive/fly over to Orlando for the best fairs? Check skyskanner.

Orlando. Use Jetblue or airtran.

thank you for the info looks like the better flight is from Orlando with sky skanner

well I live in St Petersburg about an hour away from Sarasato......
and have flown Air Tran and Jet Blue out of Orlando twice each round trip in the last year.......
and flown Spirit out of Tampa round trip twice in the last year........

the prices for Air Tran and Jet Blue have been generally under $300 R/T to Mobay from Orlando...
but there has been a price increase and those flights are hovering around $350 R/T from Orlando.....
and Spirit flights have been around $120 - $135 one way or like $260 R/T from Tampa......

the problem with Orlando is the long drive and then paying for parking......
parking is really cheap in Orlando and you can leave your car for like $4 a day......
but for mi to go to Orlando and leave mi car for an extended period of time......it cost prohibitive....
but if I was only going for a week or two.....or maybe close to a month.......
I'd do the drive and just pay the parking fee in Orlando and be done with it.......

problem with Sarasota is that is a like a 2.5 - 3 hour drive.....versus my hour and half.....big difference
also Sarasota to Miami/Ft Lauderdale is about that same 3 hour drive...so they should look at that option
you can't get any better airline than JetBlue......top notch from the word go....
AirTran isn't bad either...just the planes are a lot nicer with JetBlue.....
Spirit is the pits......mi can't say anything good except for their airfare prices....tuff to beat....
flew Spirit this summer back to Tampa....they were so late to Tampa they practically at a riot in the terminal....
instead of getting home at 11PM in St Pete......mi got home at 5:30AM.....ugh

overall mi would suggest that the Sarasota people get a room in Orlando the night before......
or a room in Ft Lauderdale/Miami......depending on the pricing....
and a hotel that offers free parking......and jump on a JetBlue's or AirTran flight to Montego Bay.....
yes it will cost them more than the Spirit flights but overall they will have peace of mind.....
and the great start and end to a wonderful vacation.......
hopefully they can budget the monies.......so they don't have to fly Spirit.....

Cool Runnings, Marko

I just booked round trip tickets from Providence RI with a stop in Orlando (MCO) and then to MBJ for $350 each. I'm guessing the MCO to MBJ part of those prices must be cheap. Oh and that $350 price is on Jet Blue....nice comfortable seats...TV's in head rest...unlimited snacks...no charge for carry on and 1 or 2 checked bags.

Marko, are there any 'cheap' transportation options between St Pete and Orlando?

Thank you for all the options and info Marko. I will pass this on to my friend. I sure hope she can make it...
And thanks Eco too.

Cheers Jamaicamary

there are some stay and park hotels that let you park your car if you spend the night with them --- they shuttle you to the airport

i also like flying out of MIA --- 'cause you're up and down in Mobay before you know it

Don't know if you were responding to my question or not Seveen, but more specifically if I did NOT have a car and wanted to get from St Pete to either Orlando or Miami/Ft Lauderdale...

I use Caribbean Air/ Air Jamaica from fll to mbj all the time.... $350.00 r/t , direct flight,,,,,1 1/2 hours later....you are on the rock

Saw $250 flights out of Orlando today.

There is no cheap St. Pete/Tampa to Orlando transportation that I'm aware of. Someday there may be high speed rail, but that plan looks like it will take a long, long time to come to fruition.

Rental agencies often need cars in Orlando and you can sometimes get a cheap one way rental with no drop off charge. I've done that before to get to the Orlando airport cheaply and quickly.

Jon C., thank you!