Southwest Splendors flight questions

[kristilew]

For anyone who's done Southwest Splendors and flown home to the East Coast:

We're trying to figure out our flights and it's driving us crazy! ABD says don't go to the GJT airport before 11 am. We can only find one flight that leaves after 11, and it's cutting it close (noon). Did anyone stay an extra day at the last resort? Or for those of you who drove to Denver, was it worth it? Did you fly home on the same day or spend a night in Denver? Are there other cities we should consider flying out of? Conversely, did anyone tell ABD they HAD to leave early? I'm assuming we'd just miss the farewell video, but will someone give us a ride?

TIA - any ideas will help!

 

[jenbadeaux]

Noon is perfect. They say not to leave before 11am because they are getting you to the airport for 10am. And the airport is more of a bus stop. The person checking you in is the person at security is the person taking your boarding pass--you get the idea. Ideally, your flight would be AT 11. There is nowhere to eat in GJT. You can get chips at the bookstore. That is it. No kidding. Our flight out was at 12:30. We were envious of those departing at 11.
2 families on our flight left at 6am and had to get shuttle service for around $150. Can't remember if it was $300 and they split for $150 each, or if it was $150 total. Sorry.

 

[sayhello]

I echo what jenbadeaux said. Noon is MORE than fine! My flight out was at 1pm, and it seemed FOREVER! But don't expect anything more than you'd find at a bus stop at GJT. Maybe less! VERY small, very service-less place. You could run from one end of it to another in about 2 minutes!

If you stay an extra day at the resort, you'd have to make your own arrangements to get to the airport. Driving to Denver is doable, but it's a long drive.

Oh, and the only other option to fly out of besides GJT or Denver is really Salt Lake City, which is 4 hours away from Moab, and you'd need to get yourself there.

I say go for the noon flight. You should be FINE.

Sayhello

 

[tammydel]

We rented a car, drove to Glenwood Springs, Colorado about 90 minutes away. We stayed there for the night, there is a hot springs pool and an "adventure park" where we did a good cave tour. Then we drove to Denver the next day and stayed a few days in Denver. We flew nonstop from Denver to JFK.

A few others also rented cars and drove to Denver. The plus of course is then you should be able to get a non-stop flight home. It would be rough to do it the same day you get the car in Grand Junction. I would plan on 1 night stay over in or near Denver.

Tammy

 

[cindy18]

Echoing and consolidating the others:

1. Noon is totally fine. You will have time to spared and will probably be bored.

2. Drive to Denver is lovely and doesn't feel as long as it is. Stopping in Vail is excellent. Denver is comfortable and certainly worth a one-night stay. Denver Airport is easy.

3. Only other city worth driving to is Salt Lake. We chose Denver because it was about an hour closer and there were more flight options home. And it gave us a chance to see something of Colorado.

 

[kristilew]

Thanks, Y'all! This really helps me to get a better perspective.

So it sounds like ABD does one big shuttle trip to the airport, arriving there around 10 am, which is plenty of time for securitiy, etc. Is that right?

 

[sayhello]

Thanks, Y'all! This really helps me to get a better perspective.

So it sounds like ABD does one big shuttle trip to the airport, arriving there around 10 am, which is plenty of time for securitiy, etc. Is that right?

That would be correct! It's about an hour and a half drive to the airport, so they only do one, on the tour bus.

In fact, getting there any earlier for security reasons does you absolutely no good, as, when we got there, they had the security station closed until after 11am, as they had no flights leaving... We all had to sit around in the non-"coffee shop" and wait until they came back & opened it up.

This is a REALLY SMALL airport!

You're going to LOVE this trip!

Sayhello

 

[wii fit mama]

We live near Philadelphia and are thinking of using Southwest to fly non stop to Phoenix and fly non stop back from Denver. That will mean that we need to get a hopper from grand junction to denver and the flights are a little pricey but my husband refuses to drive to Denver. Has anyone ever done this?

 

[jenbadeaux]

Hi wiifitmama!
We flew GJT to Denver...Denver to Houston...Houston to Alexandria, where we live. Flight from GJT to Denver is very quick... maybe 50 minutes. Many of our group did this. Our layover in Denver was 3 hours, but it is a big airport and we were starving for lunch. As I mentioned before, there is nothing to eat at GJT. So by the time we did a sit down lunch and looked around in the shops and visited with the other families it was time to board. And if you are worried about the size of the aircraft, it really is not that small. Very comfortable--I often find the smaller planes actually have more leg room than the larger ones!

 

[kristilew]

Yay - all booked! When I searched flights, I was shocked to find my first choice out of our home airport already sold out, and one of the flights from GJT already sold out. For next June!

I guess most of the ABDers have already booked on the little planes from GJT. And we are flying out to PHX on the first Saturday after school gets out. So understandable, I suppose. Still, I thought I was an advance-planner!

But it all worked out, and I think we'll manage without too much hassle. Thanks again for the input.

 

[glassslipper2004]

Kristilew - Wow, we are going next August and I figured I would wait months to make our flight reservations... did you do them yourself, or ask Disney to do it, or use some kind of other service?

 

[sayhello]

Yay - all booked! When I searched flights, I was shocked to find my first choice out of our home airport already sold out, and one of the flights from GJT already sold out. For next June!

I guess most of the ABDers have already booked on the little planes from GJT. And we are flying out to PHX on the first Saturday after school gets out. So understandable, I suppose. Still, I thought I was an advance-planner!

But it all worked out, and I think we'll manage without too much hassle. Thanks again for the input.

Glad you got it all worked out! With the airline industry the way it is, I just am not surprised by anything I hear or see with airfares! And I've given up trying to predict what will happen with airfares any more.

Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

glassslipper - I originally tried to get ABD to book it, as they then cover it if anything happens, but they couldn't find any of the flights I found, and they were very expensive (complete opposite of our Peru booking experience with them, btw.)

So I searched on Kayak and Travelocity, but both of those are the ones who had flights that worked that were then sold out when I selected them, so I ended up booking directly through Delta online. This was also the best price I found for the way we wanted to do the trip.

You probably are ok waiting awhile. We live in a small city - I imagine our airport is similar to GJT - so we have a much smaller flight choice.

You may want to look at it just to get a baseline, and keep an eye on the flights home. Apparently, GJT just doesn't have many flights out, and the planes are small. I imagine a full ABD could lead to a run on seats.

We are probably paying more than we would if we booked within the magic 6-12 week window, but I need to check things off my list or I will drive us all crazy, so it's worth the extra $ to those who have to live with me between now and June!

 

[jenbadeaux]

Glass slipper,
I used ABD to book the flights for Southwest Splendors and just called Wednesday to book the flights for Quest for the West for next July(2009). I first found the flights I wanted and just called and let them know. They then booked for me. For flights that are so specific in times allowed in and out coupled with a small airport at GJT, I would book as soon as possible. When you book flights this far in advance, times often change. One family on Southwest Splendors had their flights changed from noon to 6am out of GJT. Since ABD had done the booking for them, they arranged for a car to pick them up at 4am from the hotel and take them to the airport at no cost. Also, if you have trip insurance with ABD and you need to cancel your trip they will refund your airfare, even though you have a nonrefundable fare. Now if you can't get the same rate that you can find elsewhere, then understandably you may want to book yourself. But it really will save you headaches down the road if you book through ABD.

 

[kristilew]

Glass slipper,
I used ABD to book the flights for Southwest Splendors and just called Wednesday to book the flights for Quest for the West for next July(2009). I first found the flights I wanted and just called and let them know. They then booked for me.

This is what we did for Sacred Valleys last year. However, when I tried to do it for Southwest Splendors, the ABD system could not access the flights I wanted and they said they could not book through any other means than their own system.

I don't know why it was so much easier last year. I could have just had a less-than-knowledgeable agent this time.