Flying from Pittsburgh

[cndmama05]

We are planning to fly out of Pittsburgh to florida. In your experience was it a bad drive from the gta to Pittsburgh in January? We looked at flying out of buffalo but it was about 150 cheaper per person ( we have 5 people) out of Pittsburgh. Not sure if it is worth the extra drive with potentially bad winter conditions. Also i hate flying so the fact that it is a bit of a shorter flight calms my nerves a little bit.

 

[Matm]

We flew out of Pitt last summer instead of Buff. Saved a ton of money and the drive is super easy. Drove from Niagara and it was literally I190east to the I79south and your there. Took us 3 hours 45min. Stayed at the airport sheridan the night before and after and it was perfect. Took the shuttle to the airport and back which was very prompt! Overall saved approx 250 american even with the hotel stay. Would highly recommend. Also knocked off 50 minutes of airtime.

 

[spewey]

Flying out of Pittsburgh next week to Orlando for the first time!

Long story, but we were hoping to go down to Universal with another family, and by the time they knew they could get the time off, all the flights out of Pearson were $800+. So onto Google Flights I went - checked the usual options like Buffalo and Detroit - nothing great. So I thought - if we were willing to drive 4 hours to Detroit, how 'bout 5 to Cleveland or Pittsburgh?

And lo and behold ... I actually found a $100 (CAN) ROUND TRIP non-stop! But the times were poor, and it was on Spirit, which charges for everything ... so we went for a $225 (US) flight on Southwest. Heck, the free baggage alone paid for a night at an airport hotel - parking and shuttle included. The other family will be saving over $2000 on the trip.

Of course, the OP's question is about the drive in January. I've done that stretch of I-90 along Lake Erie at that time of year several times, and with the constant threat of lake-effect snow in that area it is a bit of a crap shoot. The good news is if things are dicey you can avoid 90 and head south from Buffalo, away from the lake, and then west over to Pittsburgh. Not the shortest route, but a good back-up just in case.

 

[cndmama05]

Flying out of Pittsburgh next week to Orlando for the first time!

Long story, but we were hoping to go down to Universal with another family, and by the time they knew they could get the time off, all the flights out of Pearson were $800+. So onto Google Flights I went - checked the usual options like Buffalo and Detroit - nothing great. So I thought - if we were willing to drive 4 hours to Detroit, how 'bout 5 to Cleveland or Pittsburgh?

And lo and behold ... I actually found a $100 (CAN) ROUND TRIP non-stop! But the times were poor, and it was on Spirit, which charges for everything ... so we went for a $225 (US) flight on Southwest. Heck, the free baggage alone paid for a night at an airport hotel - parking and shuttle included. The other family will be saving over $2000 on the trip.

Of course, the OP's question is about the drive in January. I've done that stretch of I-90 along Lake Erie at that time of year several times, and with the constant threat of lake-effect snow in that area it is a bit of a crap shoot. The good news is if things are dicey you can avoid 90 and head south from Buffalo, away from the lake, and then west over to Pittsburgh. Not the shortest route, but a good back-up just in case.

Good to know about the alternate route just in case.

I had it all prices out with Frontier but just to be sure, I started looking at southwest today and now i am totally confused and I haven't booked anything yet. I would prefer southwest. Would a round trip of under 300 be considered a good deal from either buffalo or pit to tpa?

 

[patch7777]

We flew Frontier today out of Cleveland to Orlando. Had the "stretch" seats and would have no problem using them again. It was all good. I'm not sure if you know this but they will be starting to fly out of Buffalo this December. Could save you a long, winters drive!

 

[spewey]

That is good news about Frontier out of Buffalo. The more options the better!

As for the question of whether under $300 is a good price - I would say so, especially if that is in Canadian. I guess it's all relative to what you can find at YYZ, and whether what you save makes the drive worthwhile.

I should add that for my family, we look for any excuse to avoid Pearson ...

 

[cndmama05]

That is good news about Frontier out of Buffalo. The more options the better!

As for the question of whether under $300 is a good price - I would say so, especially if that is in Canadian. I guess it's all relative to what you can find at YYZ, and whether what you save makes the drive worthwhile.

I should add that for my family, we look for any excuse to avoid Pearson ...

Its around 290 USD but it is right after the new year so I guess I should expect the prices to be still high. That is with SWA. I priced out Frontier and it would be around 220 but I am very hesitant about that airline.

 

[spewey]

I've never flown Frontier, but have seen some positive things about them on this board.

Keep in mind, however, that depending on how many bags you bring, that $290 on SWA might very well end up being cheaper than the $220 on Frontier. If memory serves, they charge $30 (each way) for every checked bag, and even more ($35-) for each carry-on. SWA allows two free checked bags, plus a carry-on.

Meaning - one checked and one carry-on turns that $220 into $350 before you know it ...

 

[FigmentSpark]

Don't forget to price from Hamilton, if you're in the GTA area. It's an option people forget about.

 

[hockeygirl14]

I love flying out of Pittsburgh! Easy drive - I've never had too much trouble in the winter. I think Buffalo gets the worst of the snow.