Save Your Money! How To Find Cheap Flights To Orlando

A while back, I posted an article on some of my favorite money-saving resources for travel and activities in Orlando. But, I noticed that in many of the online Facebook groups that I am involved with regarding Disney or Florida travel, the cost of airfare often is brought up. So, I wanted to expand on that previous post and really dive into a few ways to get cheap flights to Orlando. 

Lake Eola Park, Orlando, Florida

Now, let me disclose that I am not a travel agent. I am just a frugalista who has played the game with airfare many times and am often called upon by family and friends to help them find cheap flights to Orlando for less.

Here are the common questions or phrases:

” How can I save money on airfare?”

” I just spent $1500 on plane tickets!”

“Should I fly or drive? Airplane tickets are so much money!”

“Is there such a thing as low-cost airfare?”

First, let’s talk about when it is the best time to visit Orlando and when you should consider booking your plane tickets.

Due to the heavy concentration of theme parks in Central Florida ( Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World…to name a few), the Orlando area is a favorite tourist area for families.

For that specific reason, the area will be a popular destination during school break periods. This makes your peak seasons during the summer ( despite the heat….), Easter break, Thanksgiving break and from around the second week of December through the first week of January. Additionally, most of March and early April can be busy as spring break periods run during those times.

Your cost of flights can spike during these times, but not necessarily. It’s really all in how you look for them.

Most major airlines fly into Orlando…many have non-stop flights from other major airport hubs. The list includes ( but not limited to):

• United
• American
• Spirit
• Frontier
• JetBlue
• Delta
• Southwest

Plus, Allegiant flies to the Orlando-Sanford Airport, which I discuss later in this post.

The three main budget airlines, Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant are my major focus and possibly your best bet for truly finding a cheap ticket to Orlando.

Let me set up a scenario for you:

A family of 4 travels from Pittsburgh to Orlando on Delta. (Let’s call them the Beachums…for fun. They’re going to the beach. See what I did there?)

Anywho, the Beachums are going to travel in the 3rd week of March…around spring break time (aka peak season).

They check into Delta and book a flight, which has a layover in Atlanta. Each family member is allowed one carry-on bag, but they may still need to check a bag, incurring additional baggage fees. They purchase 4 round-trip tickets at the base level ( meaning some restrictions apply). They pay $1,150 and will still likely have some fees at the gate if they need to check a bag.

Eeks.

Nearly $1200 for the convenience of a flight. It’s for this exact reason that many people opt to drive 16+ hours to get Florida.

I get it.  Many people find themselves in the Beachum scenario. This is why there are a couple of airlines that I always suggest people should look into before booking their flights on a higher priced carrier. I will give you a few pros and cons of my top 3 cheap flight picks, give you a low-down summary below, AND give you a couple of extra tools to help you find your fare. 

Allegiant

We are fortunate that my mom gets to visit us every couple of months here in Orlando. She flies Allegiant every.single.time.  

She was delayed once for a couple of hours, and they ended up giving her a voucher for a free flight. The planes have fewer bells and whistles, but if you are a fairly low-maintenance flyer (or family), they are definitely worth a check. They do only fly on certain days of the week (that differ based on departure airports), so that is a factor to consider. But you honestly won’t know unless you check out their site.

Here is an example of potential savings for the Beachums. 

Allegiant only flies certain days of the week. These days vary depending on the departure airport and the time of year.

If Allegiant air is not flying a particular route on a given day, the day will be shaded out in gray on the calendar feature of the website.

For example, from Pittsburgh, you may only be able to fly Monday, Wednesday or Sunday into Orlando. Those dates can differ from another departure airport, so you just need to check the site to find out.

All that to say you may need to hack your fare (more on that below) or be flexible with your dates. I chose the Allegiant option that gives the Beachums nearly a full week. They will be traveling from March 18-March 24.

These flights are non stop. They purchase 4 round-trip tickets, plus baggage fees. Dad will check the main big bag. Mom and 2 kids also have carry-ons, which should be doable for 6 days. ( strollers and car seats check free). Everyone is allowed one personal item, as well, on the plane. ( Mom—carry a big purse). Total cost: $780.00

It’s getting better!

The great:

 Flights are CHEAP. Many flights are non-stop, which makes it a lot easier with young children.

The not so great: 

Allegiant flies directly into SFB, a smaller airport north of Orlando. If you are planning on tooling around beaches and other areas of Florida, this isn’t a big deal. It is a small, uncrowded airport and you will get in and out quickly.

However, if you are headed to Disney, you will not be able to get Mickey’s Magical Express and would need to factor in the cost of alternative transportation. But, if you weigh the cost of the airplane and can score a good rental car deal, that may be an option and will just add flexibility to your trip. I really like Priceline’s Name Your Own Price tool when searching for car rentals.

Mears Shuttle Transportation is another option to consider looking into, as well.

Additionally, they only fly on certain days of the week depending on route. So, you may need to hack your fare ( more on that below) or be flexible with your days.

Spirit

I have flown Spirit twice and never had any issues. Spirit is known for their bright, yellow planes and $9 fare club.

I have never used the $9 fare club, because it costs $60 to sign up for. It does come with some added perks, so if you fly frequently, it may be worth it. Headquartered in Florida, they fly directly to Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Ft. Myers.

At $173.43/person, the Beachums would still do very well if flying Spirit.

The great: 

With multiple hubs in Florida, you will be able to get here…even if you are not heading to Orlando. From other major cities, there are many direct flights to Orlando on Spirit, and it goes into MCO making transportation to Disney easy-peasy.

Check out the Spirit Air interactive route map to determine if Spirit has a Direct flight to Orlando from an airport near you.

The not so great:

Spirit has some pretty high baggage fees ( even moreso than Frontier and Allegiant). So, definitely take this into consideration if you have a larger family that requires multiple carry-ons and checked bags.

We found that each of us were able to take on a fairly decent size backpack as our free personal item, so you may be able to do that for every member of your party and share one large checked suitcase. Regardless, you will definitely want to master the art of packing light.

Also, there is some limited legroom on the flight. It was a bit tough on my 6′ 1″ husband on our five hour flight to Vegas. However, he did just fine and our shorter flight to North Carolina was a breeze.

Frontier

I highly recommend Frontier Airlines.

You may see negative reviews online and I was wary the first time I flew them. However, I have since flown the carrier many times both to and from Orlando, but here’s the deal: It’s still a budget airline. You do have to pay for extras. But with flights that can start as low as $19 one way ( no joke), even with baggage fees you can save a bundle. 

So, how do the Beachums fare on Frontier?

They snag 4 flights, non-stop— BUT they have to come back a day earlier because Frontier only flies the Pittsburgh to MCO route 3 days of the week in the Spring. However, they only pay…

$545.60!!!

Wowza. A savings of $605!

 That’s a lot of mouse ears and dole whips ya’ll. 

(A set of mouse ears for all 4 of the Beachums and about 122 dole whips, to be exact.)

Another random search from Philadelphia to Orlando in January got me seats for less than $90 per person round-trip.

Here is the nitty-gritty on Frontier:

The great: Flights are CHEAP. Frontier is constantly adding cities and routes, with many flights being non-stop. PLUS, they fly directly into MCO ( Orlando’s main airport) making it super easy to get transportation to Disney.  They also have routes to Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Miami. 

The not so great: There are no fancy upgrades on the planes. Don’t expect in-flight movies, free wi-fi…and snacks cost extra. Baggage can be pricey, as well.

Strollers and car seats generally can still fly free.

Plus, depending on the route, they may not fly on the exact days you want. It is worth a shot, though.

The bottom line: If you are not traveling for more than 3-4 hours by plane and can consolidate your luggage, it is definitely a great way to go and save money.

Here is my low-down on these budget airlines.

If you are flying for just a couple of hours and are able to fly with minimal ‘extras,’ flying any one of these carriers is the way to go.

Sure, Southwest, American, Delta, JetBlue, etc. all can have great deals at times. But, I have found that these three budget airlines consistently come under the other major airline prices and may be your best best for finding a cheap airline ticket to Orlando.

Let’s be real…if you are only needing a 3-hour flight, bring your own mini-bag of pretzels, some coloring books for the kids and grab a coke in the airport before getting on the budget airplane. Disney is waiting!

You can purchase Spirit and Frontier flights directly from their websites, but I personally like to use programs like Priceline, Travelocity or CheapOAir, because they can give you a quick side-by-side price comparison, you can set price alerts and they are just an overall better use of your time.

The only exception is Allegiant, whom I have yet to find on standard fare finders.

There are a couple of tools I really like that help you hack your fare or find which days cheapest flights are available. 

Google Flights is a great place to start.

Google Flights is not tied to a particular airline or travel agency, so it gives you a great, overall picture of available flights and travel dates in a quick and easy search.

Not to mention, there are dozens of other handy tools and features that Google Flights has incorporated into its features to help you easily plan your vacation. I have an entire post on how to best use Google Flights that would be helpful for you to check out.

Priceline will automatically fare hack airline tickets to help you find the best price.

Fare hacking is when you use some unorthodox methods to get the cheapest flight.

For example, sometimes combining two one-way tickets is cheaper than a round-trip ticket, or flying different carriers depending on your travel dates. If it is cheaper to fly two different carriers to and from your destination, Priceline will automatically calculate that for you and you can book the multiple carriers at once.

Alternatively, if you find a decent price on Priceline for Spirit or Frontier, you can check the Allegiant site to see if there is a decent fare on your return route and combine two one-way tickets that way. ( This also works if you find a cheap flight on Allegiant heading to your destination, but want to return on a date that they may not fly). 

SkyScanner

SkyScanner is a great site to get the 5,000-foot overview of the best dates to fly.

You can see calendar grids with average prices to help you time your trip accordingly. I also love how you can search “everywhere” and see deals all over the world if you have travel A-D-D and just want to see ” where you could possibly go.”

If you are relatively flexible in your travel dates, it’s a great site to check out.

CheapFlights

CheapFlights is very similar to SkyScanner in that you can easily scan for deals, even if you don’t know exactly when you want to fly. Simply type in your departing airport and your arrival airport to determine the best flight deals that are currently available.

They also have handy links to help you find the best deals to popular travel locations from anywhere.

Then, there’s the new kid on the block for cheap flights… Kiwi. 

But, I won’t spoil the surprise. To read all about Kiwi, check out my full post on how we used the site to find our cheap flights to Italy

I feel for families that have to break the bank just for plane fare. And there is no doubt about it, that if you have a large family it could be more economical to drive. But, with these budget airlines and tools, I guarantee you will be better equipped to making a more informed decision regarding your method of travel.

If you have a tip for how to find cheap flights to Orlando or elsewhere,I would love to hear about it in the comments! Happy and safe travels!

If you liked this post, you may also like:

36 Family Friendly Things To Do In Orlando

10 Quick Tips For Your First Trip To Walt Disney World

How To Find Cheap Airfare With Kiwi

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