saving on airfare ??

[Living_the_Dream]

Ok here is delima

fly from our home town of Destin Florida for two or us $1750

Fly from Orlando for the two of us $700 plus a hotel $100 for a night total $800

We save $900 but have to drive to Orlando a day early and stay in a hotel one night, coming home we get to Orlando early enough to drive home, it is about a 7 hour drive.

Do any of you drive that far to catch a flight to save 800 to 1000 dollars and actually we get home a little earlier doing the 7 hour drive because of the layovers

we would be flying Jetblue from Orlando and either Delta or US Air from Home

Thanks Tim

[negrilaholic]

When I went on my first trip in '06, drove nine hours to St. Louis, but it was three of us going nonstop charter round trip for $900 for all three of us round trip. We did stay in a hotel the night before for $99. Then my next trip was from Dallas in July '07, a six hour drive, and that was again another nonstop charter for only about $300. My third trip was from Tulsa, with a connection in Dallas, a three hour drive, in November '07, and that was about the same price, then my last trip was '09, from Ft. Smith and it was about $400, and it was only an hour drive. Since I moved, Tulsa is only an hour away, and will probably go that route, unless I find a good bargain from Dallas, which is still a six hour drive away. It's harder to find charter nonstop flights..

Right now they have flights for about $400..but for when I want to go, the cheapest I have found is about $650. Usually the best site to find the lowest price is either straight through American Airlines or through Bing. I only hope when my time to go draws nearer that the prices drop a bit..but if I could drive a ways to save money again would definitely do it since it is worth it to me.

[Rambo]

that is a saving not to take lightly.......that converts to lots a mo fun on the Island...

[jon c.]

We drive to Orlando from Tallahassee. Save about $500 for the two of us. Maybe only $400 as we use a hotel there each way (my wife doesn't like the drive home that evening even though it's less than 4 hours for us). Not only is Orlando a lot cheaper, but it's a direct flight. Both Jetblue and Airtrain fly direct from MCO, but Jetblue has free baggage.

[rastagirl777]

That's a tough one. The price difference is huge so my gut reaction would be for you to make the drive. BUT...that's a long drive. How far are you from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa? Those markets might provide good fares...

I once (and ONLY once) drove to LA to make an Air Jamaica flight, that great one that would leave at 10:00pm and put you in MoBay at 6:00am the following day. The reason for the drive was we were being comped by AJ. Between the drives there and back ( we did not stay in LA overnight) it made for exhausting travel.

Now, I had friends in the SF Bay Area that would take a "commuter" flight such as on Southwest and somewhat successfully do this. Is this a cost efficient option for you?

[SweetSue]

I have similar issue. I no longer live in NYC but have an airport about 25 minutes from home. Airfares from Stewart are generally much higher and would involve parking costs too ($20/day adds up when you're gone for 10 days or more). So, I usually make the 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive to JFK or LaGuardia to save a few hundred. Sometimes, I can take Metro North & the train or bus to the plane thereby saving the parking fee too. It makes for a long day's travel BUT sometimes that translates into $300+ which I would rather have to spend on the island. It is hard to get rides to the airport these days - especially when the haters get jealous! (Friends & family have accused me of having too much fun! )

[Mr. Twister]

I have driven to Birmingham, AL and Charlotte, NC from Atlanta a few times to save that kind of money. If I were in your situation I would do it to save the money.....but thats just me.

[booger]

How about out of Pensacola or new orleans? New orleans is about 4 hours away and what I used when I lived in the panhandle.

[J-Ville Mark]

Slightly off subject, but check rates daily from http://matrix.itasoftware.com, Kayak, etc. I read that airfare rates are lowest on Wednesdays and have literally seen a difference of $800 in two tickets from one day to the next. I also read that the lowest rates for international flights are in the 3-5 month range before departure. Kayak and other search engines allow you to receive fare drop e-mails.

To answer the original question, I would schedule another day off work and enjoy Orlando. It's a great city with plenty to do.

[jasperpso]

i am beginning to feel lucky, i live near 3 regional airports about 1.5 hrs from my home, i live 3 hrs from st louis, 3.5 from chicago, and i can fly out of my home town to either of those(to stl or chi) for 50$-100$ round trip - but that would also mean having to get a room for the night for good connections, so i always drive the 1.5hrs to MLI or CID or PIA - either of which are within 100$ pp of ohare or STL to mbj, but it is still a wash, cause i end up paying for parking at the regional when i could leave me car at home if i flew out of my home town.. still it would be a little more - so i drive.. lol i have considered it though - and may do it one day..