Faced with higher fuel costs, airlines are slashing flights this fall. But some airports are facing worse cuts than others. Among the hardest-hit will be Orlando, the theme park capital of the world.
Flights to Orlando International Airport will drop from an average of 426 flights a day to 98 destinations in October 2007 to and average of 363 flights a day to 88 destinations.
Granted, fall is a relatively quiet time in Orlando. It’s one of the slowest times of the year at the theme parks, like Walt Disney World.
But Thanksgiving week and the week before Christmas through New Year’s Day are two of the park’s busiest times. Which means a whole lot of tourists will be trying to get on a lot fewer flights.
Orlando is hardly alone. Other airports are seeing cuts this fall, too. But the Magic City may be the hardest-hit destination.
Airlines have no plans to increase capacity for the holidays. That’s particularly true because the increased demand will be largely lower-yield leisure travel, compared to business travelers who are more likely to pay higher last-minute fares.
So this will probably mean an especially rough year to find cheap seats to visit friends and family. And if a visit to the Magic Kingdom is in your holiday plans this year, make your plans now.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
