Sunday Savings Series: Orlando Sanford International Airport

Last week I told you about my first flight on Allegiant Air. This week, I thought I would say a bit about the airport that Allegiant flies in and out of. If you are flying Allegiant, you will be dealing with Orlando Sanford International Airport, not the Orlando International Airport (OIA). To keep things less confusing, I’m just going to refer to it as Sanford or the Sanford Airport, even though that is not the airport’s official name.

As I mentioned last week, Disney’s Magical Express does not service Sanford. I did a little bit of research, though, about the option for Universal Orlando Resort. They have a shuttle that you can book that’s called Attraction Express. The service is run by ESCOT, and it runs only to and from Universal. The cost starts at $10 each way, per person. You need to reserve a seat, you can’t just show up. If you’re interested, you can reserve your seats here.

The best part about the Sanford Airport is the size. It is so much smaller than OIA! My daughter and I were through TSA in just a couple of minutes. At OIA, I’ve waited in that line for up to an hour. The TSA agents were all friendly, and they were thorough. It was easy and hassle free.

With Sanford being so much smaller, you do not need to board a tram to get to your gate. All that you need to do is to follow the signs. You don’t have to look for Allegiant, because almost all flights are Allegiant. TUI also flies in and out of Sanford, from what I understand they are based in Germany. Don’t let that fool you, though, Sanford is definitely Allegiant’s airport.

You won’t find a large Walt Disney World store at Sanford like the one located at OIA. That said, you can still pick up plenty of last minute Disney related souvenirs. There are plush Mickeys, T-shirts, and the like. There are other area-related souvenirs as well, plus snacks, headphones, and neck pillows. It’s all the standard airport stuff.

If you need to grab a bite to eat, there are several options. You will find coffee, burgers, donuts, and Cinnabon (all the good stuff). There is also an area known as the Royal Palm Lounge. It’s for Priority Pass and Dragon Pass members. I’m not either one, so I did not check it out.

There is a lot of construction taking place at the Sanford Airport. I have heard that they are adding more baggage carousels, a new ticket counter, and a few other things. The renovations are supposed to be finished sometime in 2020.

If you’re dropping off or picking up at Sanford, it’s really simple. Although there are officially two terminals, the airport is small and it is easy to pull up to the loading and unloading areas. You don’t have to worry about Terminal A or Terminal B. There is a cell phone lot where you can see the planes take off and land. Cell phone service actually works well in the cell lot, unlike in the cell lot at another airport in this area. If you have someone who is picking you up, make sure that he or she knows which airport you will be at. Sanford and OIA are not all that close to each other.

That’s a quick rundown of the Orlando Sanford International Airport. If you have flown in or out of OIA, you will be surprised by how much simpler things are. It might not have the “Disney” feel, but with fewer travelers and low fares from Allegiant, it is nice to have Sanford as an option.