Hi Revbimbo.

I have just booked 4 flights with Virgin to Orlando in November. £1318.00 from Manchester. £329.50 each.
I know we have the car hire to go on top but that's only about another £280 between us.
Look on the Virgin atlantic sites not the brochure site.

Hi Revbimbo
Have you tried Travelcity they fly to Sanford and most of the time they can't be beaten on price.We have flown twice with them and flights were great(would never book a villa with them again though).People i have spoke to have said Sanford is a much nicer airport to fly into,much calmer and smaller than Orlando.I have only ever flown into Sanford so i can't comment on Orlando.
Sue

Hi,
Sanford is not served by Scheduled airlines, only by UK charter carriers.
Virgin,BA & all US carriers fly to Orlando international (MCO). If you are trying to book a charter prices tend to be high & come down closer to the date. Scheduled are the other way tend to be cheaper the earlier in advance you book. Bear in mind easter is April 8th in 2007 so prices around this date will be high anyway. Scheduled flights you can normally only book 11 months in advance so you will have to wait a few more weeks till they are available.

regards,

Nigel

Actually Icelandair now use Sanford. They operate schedule services from London and Glasgow. They often have good fares but beware that the flight is operated on a single aisle B757 and there is a stop-over in Iceland.

I can sympathise Revbimbo

..we booked Fly drive this time of year, 2005, to go to Florida in Feb 2006 with TCD ..the basic flight price (of course this does not include all their various add on such as booking fee, fuel surchage etc) was only £169 p.p and though this rose to around £249 during the year it actually came down again around Xmas and stayed around £169 for quite some time after (obviously were not selling seats ?).

However, I just looked at the identical TCD flight for Fly Drive Feb 2007 (just being nosey) and the basic flight price was £249 now (plus all their add ons of course) - it can't be the fuel supplements because these are listed separately in their add ons, and which have also double from last year )

I knowtheTCD fly/drive price is still relatively cheap but I wonder what is going on ????
Why has Feb / Mach suddenly become so much more expensive ...does anyone know why ?

Thanks for your replies everyone, it certainly gives food for thought. I'll keep shopping around and not commit too soon so it would appear.

I've just had a quote from Travel City for a Fly/Drive price of £367.50 per person, that's with Intermediate car. Feb/March next year. That seems pretty reasonable, what would you think ?

Why go to Sanford. After a long haul flight the last thing you want is another hour or so to get to your accommodation. We fly to Orlando International as its much quicker to get to your hotel.

I don't agree with that. Sanford is 30 minutes further away but can be over an hour quicker to get through.
Having flown into both over the years Sanford has always been quicker for us.

Also found the journey back to the airport too long. Who needs it just before going on a long haul flight. Orlando international for me every time...

I've done both, and to be honest for the difference in price I would certainly go that extra 20 mins up the road to Sanford..... plus we loved the Guest House lounge at Sanford (couldn't be more different than the hussle & bustle of MCO)

....but at the end of the day it boils down to personal choice.
As for the price for Feb 07 ..booking last year with TCD for Feb 16th 06 -
... 2 adults 2 kids fly drive only 2 weeks (economy car) total cost for party £1210.

Does that give you any help with your decision ? (I note that fuel supplements are currently running at £50 pp where as last year I think it was £15pp we paid - a big hike !)

Have flown into both as we owned a villa in Kissimmee. Although Sanford is a little further out ,it's smaller and quicker to get through.No long hikes between baggage claim areas and the car hire office is right there. Down the Greeneway and you're away. Who needs glass and fountains!

After reading the forum regarding service provided by TCD I'm not so sure now ! Sounds like a big gamble using them. Does anyone know how their service compares to Airtours who have also given me a quote coming out at £350 all in for flight (fky drive) + £314 per car for full US insurance. Is this normal ?

Ive used both Sanford and International, and i must say i prefer International, more to do, less travelling from villa and hotels. Food prices in Sanford are expensive and on par with that british airport prices. Orlando Intl for me im affraid.

Thanks goldeneye. Who do you use for your flights ?

Hi Revbimbo
I think last year was just a bad year for TCD and a lot of the bad reports were about the Air Atlanta flights that they used i don't think they are using them this year.We have flown twice with them with no problems and as they use jumbo's there does seem to be much more space.
Sue

After reading the forum regarding service provided by TCD I'm not so sure now ! Sounds like a big gamble using them. Does anyone know how their service compares to Airtours who have also given me a quote coming out at £350 all in for flight (fky drive) + £314 per car for full US insurance. Is this normal ?

Airtours (MyTravel Airways) flights will be on more modern Airbus A330 or Boeing 767 aircraft. If its the A330 you'll have personal TV screens in the back of every seat which is a big bonus. Although they don't offer free drinks like TCD. I would say for reliability alone choose MyTravel, but that is my opinion.

Hi Revbimbo
I think last year was just a bad year for TCD and a lot of the bad reports were about the Air Atlanta flights that they used i don't think they are using them this year.We have flown twice with them with no problems and as they use jumbo's there does seem to be much more space.
Sue

All Travel City Direct flights are operated by Air Atlanta. The aircraft are in Travel City colours, and the brading is TCD, but the its operated by Air Atlanta. They also operate Air Atlanta branded flights to give extra capacity in busy times. Delays can happen to anyone, but its true TCD/Air Atlanta had an appalling summer last year with frequent delays, 12 hours+ was common.

Thanks goldeneye. Who do you use for your flights ?

Thanks baqand96. I am definitely leaning towards My Travel (Airtours), you don't want to take the chance of a bad experience on such a long flight I guess. You get what you pay for in my experience of travelling.
My next hurdle is finding a villa owner willing to let us take it over on a Friday instead of a Saturday as Gatwick flights are on Fridays, only Manchester leave on Saturdays. It beats working I suppose.