Southwest, AirTran add Orlando flights from Buffalo

Southwest, AirTran add Orlando flights
Nov 28, 2006

Business First of Buffalo - Chances to visit the "mouse and the shark" in Orlando will get a little bit easier in 2007.

Southwest Airlines of Dallas will add its third daily direct flight between Buffalo Niagara International Airport and Orlando, effective March 11. AirTran Airways, based in Atlanta, will also launch one daily direct flight between the two cities beginning in January. The announcements were made Monday during the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's monthly board of commissioners meeting.

Southwest's Buffalo-to-Orlando direct flights have been operating at near 100 percent capacity since they were introduced several years ago. Southwest (NYSE: LUV - News), which began service to Buffalo in the fall of 2000, is the busiest air carrier at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, carrying nearly 25 percent of the airport's passenger traffic.

The new flights will give air travelers four daily flights between the Buffalo and Orlando, one of the most popular destinations with the presence of theme parks run by Universal and Walt Disney Co.

"These flights show just far we've come," said Lawrence Meckler, NFTA executive director.

Five years ago, the airport was handling about 2.9 million passengers annually and this year it is on track to handle more 5 million travelers.

 

Hmmm... on MORE option for the GTA folks

 

We just booked our flights with Southwest last week. We leave Buffalo airport on April 28 to Orlando, AND the tickets only cost #199/person!! And Toronto wonders why more and more Canadians are flying from Buffalo!!

 

That's awsome news we don't fly out of Buffalo because there are usually only connector flights when we want to go and my wife is not a good flyer so once she is off a plane it's hard to get her back on, but with more direct flights from Buffalo it's definately a great option.

 

I was surprised because I didn't expect to get direct flights, but we did and it was no problem at all. We don't fly out until 4:30pm but that is OK because now we don't have to do the overnight at the hotel nearby.