Which airline for US internal flight?

I am looking at booking a one way fare from MIA to MCO. I have found fares of around (£50) with AA, Continental and Delta.

Because of the short distance I'm not sure if there's much of a debate with which to choose, but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks Jilly

[mcmbenjamin]

Go will Continental as it is the easiest way to earn VS miles assuming you can earn on a Gulfstream Intl flight. Most carriers use a turbo prop FYI on this route.

If you want a jet, go with Republic Airways (Delta) on the ERJ or American mainline on the 757.

The flight is 1h10m so assuming no delays does not matter too much as the service will be the same in F or Y and miles earned will be minimal. I would go with a turbo prop as they are fun.

[HighFlyer]

Id also second going with CO.

I would go with a turbo prop as they are fun.

Err ... thats debatable! Personally, first time i went on a Fokker it scared the life out of me! But yes, certainly an experience!

[mcmbenjamin]

Originally posted by HighFlyer
Id also second going with CO.

I would go with a turbo prop as they are fun.

Err ... thats debatable! Personally, first time i went on a Fokker it scared the life out of me! But yes, certainly an experience!

Well IIRC CO is really Gulfsteam International Airlines in the 'Big King Air' aka Beech 1900. The Beech 1900 is a turbo prop just to be 100 percent clear.

Turbo prop have the cool factor in flying. IIRC from a airliners.net trip report, there is no FA and the cockpit door is open. Was a normal 14CFR121 flight. Would be cool to see that if you have not, seat 2A was suggested on the B1900 to see the cockpit. ISTC

Thanks Ben - thought about the miles but with such cheap flights and the short distance thought it might not be applicable. The flight I found with Delta was a 757 so this may be better for me because I'm not sure about the turbo prop - I thought I was brave riding 'The Mummy' in Universal and 'Soarin' in Epcot - and that's only virtual - now an actual flight well that's another matter.

Sarah you're a braver woman than me - but tempted to give it a go just for the experience. I once said I'd never take a helicopter flight and it's the best thing I ever did.

Will have to think this one through - don't want to arrive in Miami after consuming alcohol (in moderation of course)and then end up throwing up somewhere over inland USA.

Sorry, one more question - would 2 hours for change of flight be reasonable in Miami?

Thanks again Jilly

[HighFlyer]

Certainly no FA on the two flights i took on a prop [:(] but the cockpit door was definately closed (though this was post 9/11), although i cant say if it were locked.

So Jilly, has Ben convinced you to 'go prop'??

[ChuckC]

Jilly,
One other thing ... check the cost of a return versus one-way. Even if you don't use the inbound sector, you may save some money. Try booking the inbound for 1, 2 or 3 weeks following the outbound to learn whether there are significant price differences based on how far out you book.

Chuck-

[HighFlyer]

Sorry, one more question - would 2 hours for change of flight be reasonable in Miami?

*should* be ok!

Last time i was in MIA i had just under that for my connection, and MIA was busy as anything [:(] i didnt have much time to spare. You never really can tell until the day, but generally it should be fine. I wouldnt advise any less though. Just make sure you get off the aircraft nice and quickly to get to the immigration queues, and through-check your bags if you can!

Also, check which concourse your connection departs from - if they are a way apart that can cause havoc! VS operate from Concourse E IIRC?

Thankis,
Sarah

Chuck - will definitely check that one out, thanks.

Sarah, still considering the turbo prop, thanks for the info. on the concourse that could also be a deciding factor. More investigation me thinks. That, along with hotels to book, cars to hire etc. I could be here all evening.

Jilly

Jilly, we flew MIA to MCO last year and used American Airlines (booked through their UK website) - cheap and all very easy. I would go with whoever is the cheapest because it is such a short flight.

A word of warning though when we flew immigration at MIA was absolutely diabolical. We had flown in with Virgin UC and were very quickly off the plane. When we got to immigration there were only 4 others in the line in front of us but it still took over 40 minutes to be processed by which time the lines behind were so long you couldn't see the end of them. I'm not sure whether you could be pulled out of the queue if you had a connection to make - if not a connection time of 2 hours wouldn't have been enough. Virgin's Premier Team had also warned me of this before we flew.

Lilyjosh I had just been looking further and it seems that AA is my best option if I want to connect straight away. It's also a 757 which I feel happier with. Landing in MIA at 16.00 and flight leaves at 17.56 so may be a bit tight. However, the next flight is not until 21.09 and I don't like the idea of spending 5 hours in MIA airport.

So I'm still looking.

Sarah - definitely gonna give the turbo prop a miss, sorry Ben, you didn't convince me.

Chuck - looked at returns and they are more expensive, but obviously was worth looking.

Jilly

Jilly, I wouldn't want to spend 5 hours at MIA either! I'm sure if the immigration queues are really bad they would pull you out of the line so you can make your connection.

Lol I have never seen people pulled out of the line to make a connection- this is america we are talking about- MIA the airport where my sister at 4 years old almost got shot for stepping over the yellow line prior to being called forward...yes im being serious- though this was early 80s!

The props are fun. Flew a number when i lived in NZ and swore after taking off from Queenstown in a tiny beech, and thinking i was about to crash into the side of a mountain- even the fa swore very loudly, I would never do it again...well that was until last week when i flew on a dash q8 of flybe from Exeter to Glasgow and back. Was the smoothest flight i have ever had on a plane and was a great expereience all round- amazing take off climb the dash gets- unlike say the ATP which feels very slow. Go for the prop you will love it.

[HighFlyer]

I have seen staff at immigration call out flight numbers asking for passengers on those flights to come forward. Its not always common practice but it does happen. Ive also seen families with crying children get ushered forward.

Immigration/customs are notorious for being a pain, but they can be helpful if you are polite and genuine. When i flew out to the LAS social my flight in to SFO was on time but the huge queues (and a delayed flight in) caused chaos at immigration. Passengers from another flight were being ushered infront of the line. I got very stressed but on telling someone that i had a connection they were really helpful, telling me the time that check-in closed for that airline and how long it would take me to get to the gate and so on. A big thumbs up for them from me that day!

Thanks,
Sarah

Originally posted by lilyjosh0
I'm sure if the immigration queues are really bad they would pull you out of the line so you can make your connection.

Unlikely from what I've seen. You just end up misconnecting and getting put on the next flight. The CBP don't like being told what to do by the airlines!

MIA is absolutely awful for immigration. I entered once there, last year, and I said to myself "never again", entering through another airport and getting a connecting flight is more preferable.

Cheers!
Mike