flying to Key West from MIA
Oct 11th, 2003, 01:55 PM
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flying to Key West from MIA
We need information on flights to Key West. Several people have mentioned flying into Key West instead of driving down. We are only going to be in Florida 5 days altogether and I would prefer to fly since I dont thing we will need a car in KW. However
our agent has had difficulty finding a flight or finding space on a flight out of Miami or else it's very expensive if it's private. We are arriving evening Nov 6 and could leave for KW the next day. Any recommendations are appreciated.
Carol
our agent has had difficulty finding a flight or finding space on a flight out of Miami or else it's very expensive if it's private. We are arriving evening Nov 6 and could leave for KW the next day. Any recommendations are appreciated.
Carol
Oct 11th, 2003, 02:03 PM
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We've always flown American out of Miami to Key West...
It's usually not that expensive.
You definitely don't need a car in Key West, and we've done both the drive and flying, and unless you have a lot of time, I would fly in.
The only time you would have a hard time finding a flight is if you've waited this late to book for the Thanksgiving to New Year's period.
If so, good luck...
It's usually not that expensive.
You definitely don't need a car in Key West, and we've done both the drive and flying, and unless you have a lot of time, I would fly in.
The only time you would have a hard time finding a flight is if you've waited this late to book for the Thanksgiving to New Year's period.
If so, good luck...
Oct 11th, 2003, 02:06 PM
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Too much Chardonnay is my excuse. I just looked at your dates.
The problem is you are now less tha 30 days from departure - that raises costs to someplace like KW appreciably.
Plan on driving and continue to check last minute availablity with American.
It is still very much low season, and you can probably get a flight for less than $200 pp if you wait.
If your travel agent does not know this, you need a new one...
The problem is you are now less tha 30 days from departure - that raises costs to someplace like KW appreciably.
Plan on driving and continue to check last minute availablity with American.
It is still very much low season, and you can probably get a flight for less than $200 pp if you wait.
If your travel agent does not know this, you need a new one...
Oct 11th, 2003, 02:50 PM
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If you don't fly you can see all the sights and keys at a closer glance because seeing only Key West might leave you with a bad taste in your mouth about the Keys. The place has zero beach...it is not pretty like the rest of the keys and their beauty...i'd hate for you to miss this.
Oct 11th, 2003, 02:56 PM
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Is it necessary to fly into Miami then down to Key West? If not, you may be able to get a better deal flying down from Tampa or Orlando. There's also a direct flight from Atlanta to Key West.
We've found it's economically ridiculous to fly from Miami to Key West unless it's a continuation of an existing flight.
We've found it's economically ridiculous to fly from Miami to Key West unless it's a continuation of an existing flight.
Oct 11th, 2003, 03:56 PM
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We've paid as much as $300 something, res made well in advance, flying from TPA in January. They have you over a barrel: limited flights with a limited # or carriers, so you pay dearly for the convenience of flying. My DH used to pay $500 something if he had to go Savannah-Atlanta at the last minute, also a 4 hr drive. Same reason then...limited flights with a limited # of carriers. ValuJet came in and prices plummeted.
I plugged dates of 11-7 to 11-10 into Orbitz and came up with $224, from MIA, $50 more from TPA. As Key West fares go, that isn't at all bad and beats a 4 hr drive each way IMHO.
I was surprised at the size of our plane from Tampa. Beware, if you have a morning flight and you enjoy your coffee, it might be a very looong flight indeed: one seat each side of the plane and no bathroom, and that plane bounces. Makes me sweat just recalling it!
I plugged dates of 11-7 to 11-10 into Orbitz and came up with $224, from MIA, $50 more from TPA. As Key West fares go, that isn't at all bad and beats a 4 hr drive each way IMHO.
I was surprised at the size of our plane from Tampa. Beware, if you have a morning flight and you enjoy your coffee, it might be a very looong flight indeed: one seat each side of the plane and no bathroom, and that plane bounces. Makes me sweat just recalling it!
Oct 11th, 2003, 05:12 PM
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If you are already booked to fly to Miami, rent a car. The drive from Miami to Key West is part of the adventure! And at over $400 for airfare for 2, I can't imagine a car rental would be more. Indulge yourself with a convertible, pop a Jimmy Buffett CD in the player and enjoy a trip to paradise. You may like having the car in Key West - you could make a day trip to Looe Key for great snorkelling or up to Bahia Honda for some beach time.
Oct 11th, 2003, 08:30 PM
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After reading this today I went to the AA website and plugged in November dates. The cheapest I found round trip for three days (Nov. 7 to 10) was $540.00 per person. At the same time for the same dates, I found you could fly Miami to New York round trip for $165.00. Is there any earthly way to explain this???
Oct 12th, 2003, 06:21 AM
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Patrick, I played around with this a little just now, and Orbitz shows AA flying to KW for $244 for those dates. Delta's least expensive flight is $633 (1 stop) or another for $738 with 2 stops! On the return, you fly Key West to Orlando, Orlando to Atlanta, then Atlanta back to Miami, changing planes at each stop.
For those same dates on Delta, you can get a non-stop round trip MIA<->Paris for $445.
Orbitz shows the least expensive Key West flight being on Florida Coastal @$182. FLL to KW, with a stop in Marathon on a Cessna prop...
Need I say, it was also Delta that charged the exorbitant Savannah<->Atlanta fare before ValuJet came to town.
For those same dates on Delta, you can get a non-stop round trip MIA<->Paris for $445.
Orbitz shows the least expensive Key West flight being on Florida Coastal @$182. FLL to KW, with a stop in Marathon on a Cessna prop...
Need I say, it was also Delta that charged the exorbitant Savannah<->Atlanta fare before ValuJet came to town.
Oct 12th, 2003, 11:40 AM
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We're flying into Miami on November 6, and then driving to Key West that afternoon. No real hurry to get there, so it should be a pleasant drive. The couple going with us haven't been to the Keys before. But, I don't like worrying about the return drive and the chance of missing our flight from Miami because of traffic and such. So, we are flying out of Key West. I checked on Travelocity and the one way fares aren't too bad, something like $125.00, plus taxes. I didn't check availability. We were able to get a one day car rental for a full sized sedan for the great price of $29.00 (plus all the other fees). So, we'll get rid of the car once we get to Key West.
Oct 12th, 2003, 08:48 PM
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I took the Greyhound bus from Ft Lauderdale to Key West earlier this year and hated it so much that I chose to pay extra to fly back to FLL. I looked on the travel websites and the prices were more expensive than they were for me to buy the ticket the same day on Continental. I saved the processing fee, too! You should call the airlines directly to find out if they are giving a better deal. I was surprised the cost was so much less.
Also, you could take a shuttle up to FLL and then fly to EYW from there, the flights are more abundant and probably cheaper.
Also, you could take a shuttle up to FLL and then fly to EYW from there, the flights are more abundant and probably cheaper.
Oct 12th, 2003, 09:09 PM
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I just checked on Expedia and here is what I found out:
MIA to EYW (11/7-11/10 or 11/11):
$251 on US Airways & Continental and there are only two choices of morning flights for this price.
FLL to EYW (same dates as above):
$209 on Continental with three choices of morning flights.
For the $42 difference in flights, I'd recommend flying out of FLL. Another option is to rent a car and drive to KW, turn in the car if you don't want to keep it (you really don't need it.) Then fly back to MIA (call Continental and ask them for a one-way price.) I think I paid $118 to return one-way to FLL, if that gives you an idea of the cost.
The drive to Key West is nice and you get a good feel for the Keys, but you might prefer to fly back and not have to worry about missing your flight. If there is an accident, you'll be delayed quite a bit because it is mostly a 2-lane road and only one way in and out. Don't forget, you'll be coming back around a holiday and that increases the traffic in the Keys. I'm sure KeysMom can attest to the traffic in the Keys around ANY holiday.
MIA to EYW (11/7-11/10 or 11/11):
$251 on US Airways & Continental and there are only two choices of morning flights for this price.
FLL to EYW (same dates as above):
$209 on Continental with three choices of morning flights.
For the $42 difference in flights, I'd recommend flying out of FLL. Another option is to rent a car and drive to KW, turn in the car if you don't want to keep it (you really don't need it.) Then fly back to MIA (call Continental and ask them for a one-way price.) I think I paid $118 to return one-way to FLL, if that gives you an idea of the cost.
The drive to Key West is nice and you get a good feel for the Keys, but you might prefer to fly back and not have to worry about missing your flight. If there is an accident, you'll be delayed quite a bit because it is mostly a 2-lane road and only one way in and out. Don't forget, you'll be coming back around a holiday and that increases the traffic in the Keys. I'm sure KeysMom can attest to the traffic in the Keys around ANY holiday.
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