Feedback on Allegiant Air?

Allegiant would be incredibly cheap for our upcoming trip but I have read some horrible reviews. Has anyone had a good experience? Any terrible experiences?

It has been about two years since I’ve flown with Allegiant, so my experience may be outdated. I don’t have any terrible things to say, but there’s not really anything great, either.

Are you planning on using Magical Express? I don’t think Allegiant is on the list of partners for Magical Express so that’s something to consider if you use that service.

I am not a huge fan of Allegiant if the only reason you’re using them is price. I typically fly Southwest because I find if I’m going to take any luggage at all, it actually ends up cheaper with Southwest. Again, I haven’t used them in a couple of years but when I did they charged for every carry on bag and every checked bag. If it’s a weekend trip, I could get by with one carry on, but now that I have kids, I have to check a bag or two. My husband always has to check a bag. So when you add all the baggage fees, Southwest just ends up cheaper.

Good luck. Again, there’s nothing overtly bad about Allegiant in my experience, it’s just not that much cheaper for me.

Didn’t even think about DME! I’m comparing with Southwest. It is about half the price is we fly out Thurs-Sun but not much cheaper Mon-Wed. If DME is out though, it will probably be a no-go for us.

I think you can use DME regardless of who you fly with, it’s only having your luggage re routed to your hotel that is certain airlines

Ok - that’s a good point. For some reason I thought the “Approved Airline” List meant those were the only airlines that you could use.
Second question then - does Allegiant fly into MCO? Because ME is only offered at MCO and not ORL.

Allegiant DOES NOT fly in to MCO. They fly into Samford so you could not use Magical Express. You’d have to rent a car or Uber/taxi from the airport.

We are also planning on using Allegiant for our trip in May. They are the only direct flight to Orlando out of our small-town airport. Even with the rental car considered and all the extra fees that Allegiant charges, it’s still nearly a grand cheaper to use Allegiant. Our total travel time will also be less than the other airlines even with the drive time considering all other flights will have layovers.
In order to have a decent experience with Allegiant, you need to be sure you understand all of the fees and account for that when doing your cost benefit analysis. You will pay a fee for each seat assignment, a fee for any checked bag, a higher fee for a carry-on (you do get a free personal item…think backpack, purse or laptop bag). If you booked your trip after March 23 (I think), you will need to account for resort parking fees for your car as well although having your own vehicle there can be handy and save time compared to resort transportation.
Basically, it’s an individual decision that needs to be made based on your individual Pro’s/Con’s list. If you understand everything beforehand, your will be satisfied with the flight. It’s when people are surprised that the experience is ruined.
If I landed in Orlando Samford thinking it was the same as landing in the big Orlando airport, I’d probably not handle that well. Best of luck!

My SIL flies to visit us on Allegiant frequently from Orlando as it is cheap and she is flexible. In our experience, Allegiant does not partner with another airline so if flights are cancelled/delayed/etc. they will get you out on the next available flight of theirs. Flying from our small airport, Allegiant only flies like 4 days/week so that could be an issue. She has had a flight cancelled on Thursday late afternoon and was re-scheduled to Saturday as they don’t fly to our airport on Fridays. This is ok for her as she has a flexible schedule (retired) so it’s worth the money. We also have a friend who was stuck in Orlando with her two kids bc Allegiant cancelled the flight due to weather and could not get her home that day or the next. She ended up taking an Allegiant flight to another airport the next day and renting a car to drive 4 hours back home. They would have gotten her home eventually but not that day. Something to consider if you are flying out of a limited flight airport.

My biggest burn with Allegiant is they state they fly into Orlando when actually they fly into Sanford. Sanford is about 40 miles from Orlando and you will have to rent a car or Shuttle to WDW. No DME or luggage pick-up. Not even close to worth it for us.

We fly Allegiant every year. Even with the fees to pick your seat and paying for your checked/carry on bag, they still come in less expensive than other airlines…and not to mention NONSTOP!!! We always book our rental car through Alamo. They usually let you pick which car you want in your category…Never had any issues with either! Last year 4 of us flew to Sanford for $550. Have a great trip!