We originally had the idea to chill out at our house and during our stay visit other parts of Florida.

After Carol had done her flight costing routine with the Internet she concluded that it would be cheaper for us to do a hop and stop than it would be to fly from Manchester direct to Orlando. It worked out £40 each cheaper.

When Carol had finished she presented me with the following itinerary.

Depart Manchester airport direct to JFK airport, New York. Stop over 3 nights.

We booked a room in the Metro hotel one block away from the empire State building.

Depart JFK, New York, direct to Toronto, Canada. Pick up hire car drive to Niagara Falls. Stop over 2 nights.

The Marriott hotel at Niagara Falls (16th floor) directly over looked the falls.

Depart Vancouver, direct to Miami, Florida, Stop over one night.

Pick up rental car drive to Islamorada Key, Florida. Stop over 2 nights.

Ragged edge resort motel, overlooking the Atlantic.

Drive to West coast stop over one night in Naples. The biggest bed we have ever slept in.

Drive to our house10 night’s chill out.

Fly home from Orlando airport direct to Manchester airport.

I briefly thought (for about 0.01 of a second) that I should point out that the additional costs we would have staying in the hotels ‘we’ had chosen would far our weigh any savings we would make on our flights. However I could see Carol was now in full flight making the arrangements so I thought if I wanted to reach our 26th wedding anniversary I had better keep my thoughts to myself. After she had finished making reservations at hotels, booking flights and renting cars we could barely contain ourselves. The thought of us visiting and seeing some of the ‘must see’s’ in life in one holiday was beyond belief.

When we made our plans, decided what we would do and were we would visit we anticipated that all might not go as planned and alterations to our itinerary may be encountered. It turned out fate had some additional items on our agenda which proved to be every bit as memorable for very different reasons.

I can highly recommend a hop and stop holiday. For us it was totally exhausting but the sights; experiences and memories will stay with us forever.

Brian Pearson

1 Cost

2 The duration of the flight including the number of stops on route.

3 If people have experienced bad flights either due to the weather or the airline they flew with was poor.

Because we are frequent visitors Carol (my better half and is the one that makes all our flying arrangements) usually has a good idea when she see’s a flight advertized if it’s a good, bad or indifferent price.

As well as being able to judge the cost she can also equate in the additional time taken for potential stop over’s, the experiences we have had with the different airlines (if we have flown with them before), the time of year we intend to fly which in turn dictates how close to our departure date before books the flight.

She also takes into account the differences between chartered or scheduled flights.

This is all way over my head so my input is usually limited to a whine if the flight is delayed, there is not enough leg room or we don’t have our own headrest TV’s but credit were credit is due Carol usually says ‘I am a great help’ when I make one of my observations.

When we are asked for ideas from people it usually boils down to 2 main areas depending on individual circumstances.

During high season especially for new visitors to Florida, people who are not frequent flyers or if they are flying with very young children we would suggest a direct flight. Not always the cheapest but you get on a plane 8-9 hours later you get off.

If lowest cost is the main aim then chartered flights with stop over’s can usually be the cheapest way to travel. The main disadvantage is the time it takes to get to your destination.

We once took 24 hours from taking off at Orlando to landing at our local airport Durham Tees Valley. I can’t remember my exact words at the time but in a nut shell I stated I wouldn’t be doing it again in a hurry.

I think that was an occasion when Carol mentioned that I was ‘a great help’.

We have had a number of odd, interesting and unplanned experiences using scheduled flights. If you are interested I will put some of our experiences on the articles site.

 Brian Pearson

Direct Scheduled Flight
This may be the preferred option if you live in easy driving distance of one of the major airports.  There is a choice of carriers from London, and scheduled flights are also available from Manchester, but if you are looking to fly from a regional airport this option may not be available.  The main advantage is the time element - a flight directly to Florida means a mid afternoon arrival rather than later into the evening.  It is also easier to keep youngsters happy on a shorter flight.  An additional advantage is the luggage allowance - this is typically two suitcases each, which is ideal for bringing back all those shopping bargains.

Indirect Scheduled Flights
This option opens up more departure airport choices, and will involve a flight via either an American ‘hub’, or occasionally via a major European airport.  This will involve an earlier start or later arrival, and naturally a longer flying time.  But if this inconvenience is acceptable to you, the costs can make this option worthwhile, particularly during peak times when the demand for direct flights is at its highest.

Check out the luggage allowance - it may be different for the ‘internal’ leg of the flight than the ‘transatlantic’ leg, in which case the lower amount will be the limit.

Charter Flight
Many charter airlines also fly from the United Kingdom to Florida - they tend to use Sanford Airport, a much smaller airport than the International Airport used by scheduled airlines.  It involves a longer drive to the attractions area on arrival in Florida, but tends to have shorter queues through immigration and security, which saves much of this time.

The main advantage to charter flights is that they are direct, and fly from many regional airports.  Many also offer an enhanced service at relatively low cost (although these are sold very quickly).  Their disadvantage is that return dates are usually restricted to 7, 14 or 21 days (which is fine if this fits your holiday plans), and that the luggage allowance is much lower.

Our Recommendation
Our conclusion is that visitors should consider the advantages and disadvantages, and then seek quotes from a travel expert, and base their decision once all the options are known.  The owner of your chosen villa will be able to offer advice as well.

We were delighted when a company called Fly Globespan started a direct flight service from Glasgow International Airport to Sanford Orlando International Airport.

We had previously used Continental Airlines for all our visits to Orlando, but had always to fly via another American city, usually Newark or Chicago. This meant our journey could take up to 16 hours with long stop overs between flights. We also had to retrieve our luggage and then go through passport control when we arrived at the first U.S. airport. Following that we had to check our luggage back in and then sit around waiting for the next flight which was often delayed. Travelling with kids or elderly parents made this a nightmare journey both flying to Orlando or flying back home to Glasgow. On occasion our first flight was so late that we found ourselves literally running through the connecting airport to catch our next flight.

But not any more !!!!!

Thanks to Fly Globespan we now look forward to our trips without the dread of connecting flights. We’ve had very few delays on our Globespan flights so far and the service has been great. Our flight now takes almost half the time and flies us directly to Sanford Orlando International Airport. This airport is about an extra 30 minutes drive from the Davenport area which we stay in when in Orlando, but it’s such an easy drive that we don’t feel that it’s much longer. The airport is also much smaller and therefore much quieter than Orlando International Airport which for us is a positive thing There is still a good Duty Free shop, the usual sweets and magazine shops and a decent place for a sit down snack before your return flight home.

Over the quieter winter months there is a weekly service from Glasgow, but come Easter and throughout the summer season you can normally choose from around five flights per week. So if like us you’re travelling from Glasgow to Orlando any time in the future, check out their website on www.flyglobespan.com and see if they’ve got a flight to suit you needs. It will certainly help to make your trip to Florida an even more enjoyable one.

Tampa Airport  (TPA)

Address:

5503 West Spruce Street
Tampa, Florida 33607
USA

813-870-8700

www.tampaairport.com

Directions – and maps can be found at this link:

http://www.tampaairport.com/maps/directions.asp

Passenger airlines serving Tampa Airport:

Air Canada, AirTran Airways, America West Airlines, American Airlines,

British Airways, Cape Air, Cayman Airways, Continental Airlines,  Delta,

Frontier Airlines, Gulfstream International Airlines, Jet Blue Airways, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Ted Airlines, United Airlines,

US Airways, US Airways Express, WestJet

BA fly direct from Gatwick, London

Rental Car Companies (Located at Airport)
Rental Counters are located across the walkway in the Red Baggage Claim Area and across the walkway in the Blue Baggage Claim Area. ( Avis, Budget, Dollar,Hertz, Enterprise, Thrifty)

Wireless Internet Access

Tampa International Airport offers FREE wireless internet access in the landside Terminal and all airside buildings

Sarasota Airport (SRQ)

Address:

6000 Airport Cir,

Sarasota, FL 34243,

USA –

+1 941-359-5200

www.srq-airport.com

Directions – and maps can be found at this link:

http://www.srq-airport.com/traveling.asp?page=directions

Passenger airlines serving Sarasota Airport:

Air Canada, Air France, AirTran , Alitalia, Cape Air, Continental, Delta         

Jet Blue, KLM, Northwest  

Rental Car Companies (Located at Airport)

Rental cars may be obtained from eight on-site car rental companies which have rental counters conveniently located in the baggage claim wing.  The cars are located in the rental car lot just a short walk across the street. (Alamo, Avis,  Budget, Dollar,  Enterprise,  Hertz,  National, Thrifty)

Wireless Internet Access

Sarasota Airport offers FREE wireless internet access in the terminal buildings.

Fort Myers

Address:

16000 Chamberlin Pkwy,

 Fort Myers,

 FL 33913,

 USA –

 +1 239-768-1000

 www.flylcpa.com

Directions – and maps can be found at this link: http://www.flylcpa.com/rsw/parking/maps.php

Passenger airlines serving Fort Myers Airport:

Air Canada,  AirTran Airways,  American/American Eagle,  Cape Air,  Continental, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, LTU International

Midwest Airlines,  Northwest,  Southwest Airlines,  Spirit Airlines,  Sun Country

United Airlines,  US Airways,  USA 3000 Airlines,  WestJet

On-site Rental Car:
The airport’s Rental Car Service Center is located on the ground level of the parking garage. Arriving passengers should proceed downstairs, exit baggage claim and walk across the street to the rental car facility.

Car Rental Companies operating at Fort Myers are:  Ace/Continental , Alamo,  Avis , Budget, Dollar , Enterprise , Hertz, National, Payless/Fox , Thrifty

Wireless Internet Access

Free Internet access is offered as a convenience to passengers in the new terminal.

I have to say that the writing was on the wall! The price undercut all it’s rivals and appeared to good to be true. I booked my August departure flight on the 18th of February 2008. Zoom Airways wanted payment in full. I did not want to loose my 32-night holiday so I reluctantly parted with the full amount. I booked direct flights from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale!

I found out not from Zoom, but from a friend of mine that my direct flight was now going via Bermuda, both my out going flight, and my flight home. I rang Zoom Airways and they told me this was indeed correct, and that if I looked at their terms and conditions that they could change the flight. I ask them was it not proper to inform the customer! I accepted their explanation and waited several months before we flew out to Florida on the 3rd of August 2008.

When we arrived at Gatwick airport we were told that our Zoom flight was suffering a seven-hour delay! This was not the start we wanted on our long haul flight across the Atlantic. It cost us a hotel room at Gatwick, and a hotel room at Fort Lauderdale! The staffs at Zoom were very polite and apologetic about the delay, and the flight was excellent!

The airline Zoom went “bust!” a week before we were due to fly back to the UK. I found out via a text message from a friend at work, whose wife is in the airline business that Zoom had ceased trading leaving passengers stranded all over the world.

I did not get official notification from Zoom Airlines until 24-hours later! I had this delay period in order to book a flight home for my family of four.

I paid for my airline tickets by credit card, and hopefully I am covered for a refund. Under section 75 of the Credit Card consumers act if I paid out more than £100 I should get some money back! Watch this space.

Those good, old, reliable suitcases we have used for our past holidays, usually still complete with a few grains of sand from that last beach holiday - are no longer as practical as they once were. Our traditional suitcases  weighed up to 6 kilograms (13 pounds). That’s over a quarter of our total baggage allowance gone before we even begun packing! and we were looking at being charged a fee for excess baggage!!.
So we decided to act, and invest in a new set of Lightweight luggage. What a difference it has made. it has given us much more room for manouvre! 
Lightweight luggage is a great solution to the stringent baggage weight limits and means you will be able to get extra presents home. 
The initial cost easily outways!!! the Excess Charges you can save in the long run.
Check the weight of your Cases now and see how much you can save, it was worth it for us.

As a hardened and regular traveller to Florida over the last three years I have flown on most direct flights from various UK airports, mainly Gatwick Airport in the South of England and on one occasion even flew from Glasgow Airport in Scotland. I have flown to Orlando International, Sanford International and Miami Airport. I have flown with Virgin, Thomas Cook, My Travel, Thompson Fly, and Travel City Direct, Air tours and Delta Airlines. I have flown to the states in February, March, August and November. I have in the Majority of cases flown with the cheapest Courier to the states. I am constantly probing the net for flights to the states. This summer I could not find a cheap flight this summer; I was looking at prices ranging from £600 for a return direct flight up to £900. I was even considering staying at home for the summer, but I know I would be sad and miserable if I did not have my Florida fix!

I was delighted, amazed and even shocked when I had a good friend of mine inform me that another Airline was travelling out of Gatwick and flying direct to Fort Lauderdale on Sundays, or a one stop flight via Bermuda on Thursdays! What’s the name I hear you ask? The reply was Zoom Airlines. A well-established Canadian Airline, which now flies from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale. There is a lot of scope for flying for a week, two weeks, three weeks or more! I opted for a 32 nights stay with my family of four, but the best thing is the price, wait for it, under £1600 for a direct flight from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale and return. I cannot find any better deal on the net. The only downside I can see is that I will have to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Clear Creek. I believe this is about 150 miles, and obviously do this again on my return. I think this is a very small price to pay when you take into account the money you are saving on a direct flight from the UK. Zoom Airlines offer a lot of flexibility with the dates. I will update you all with my Zoom experience in September.