Cheap Flights to Orlando Compare & Book Affordable Airfare

To find flight tickets to Orlando that won't break the bank, travelers should target January and early September. Prices fall after the holidays (late December) through January because many vacationers head home, while September falls between the summer rush and the fall break scramble for tickets when airline carriers discount extensively to fill otherwise empty seats. 

Travelers may not want to book flights to Orlando when crowds flock to its theme parks-Spring Break (mid-March through mid-April), Thanksgiving week, and mid-December to early January, along with events like the Disney Marathon Weekend in January and Universal's Halloween Horror Nights (mid-October). Travelers departing from major travel markets, such as those flying from JFK, LGA, or BOS in New York and ORD in Chicago, will see the greatest mark-ups during those times.

With more than 50 million travelers annually traveling to hundreds of domestic and international destinations, Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the busiest airport in the nation. Below is a rundown of the major carriers servicing the airport and what they offer.

Southwest Airlines:

• Two free checked bags on all fares, no change or cancellation fee.
• The top option for budget fliers, especially from locations across the South, Midwest, and Texas. Frequent sales (often referred to as flash sales) can make these one of the most inexpensive flights to Orlando available.

Spirit Airlines:

• Extremely low base fares with extra fees for all bags, seating, and carry-on.
• Your best bet for a short trip with very minimal luggage, and a good bet flying from cities near Orlando. Before booking, always check the fee schedule, because the advertised fare is seldom the final fare.

Delta Air Lines:

• Carry on and personal item all fares (Main Cabin); personal item only (Basic Economy)
• A robust network from the Northeast of the country, with many international connecting flights via its ATL hub. SkyMiles members, as well as those who spring for the fare class "Comfort+", are common.

American Airlines:

• Carry on and personal item (Main Cabin); personal item only (Basic Economy)
• The largest domestic carrier out East and on the West Coast. Offers the best connections to MCO from New York (JFK), Miami (MIA), Los Angeles (LAX), and Dallas (DFW).

United Airlines:

• Carry on and personal item all fares (Economy); personal item only (Basic Economy)
• Offers good connectivity for international travel, as well as through Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Houston (IAH).

Orlando is the "dream place" to visit, however a flight at economy-basis or with ultra low cost carrier will make it a billing-nightmare if you are not careful, Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant charge for carry on, seat and printing the boarding pass, adding $80-150 round-trip per person; so the "cheap" of what appears to be a cheap flight to Orlando disappears.

Before clicking on buy, it should be advisable to:

• Check if your booking include overhead carry-on bag or just a bag that fits under the seat
• Gate bag charges, a bag that doesn't fit in the carry-on compartment or just a bag that was supposed to be put in the under-seat compartment but at the end could not and has to be checked in, will cost the most.
• Terms and conditions on cancelling/changing the flight: most are non-refundable on basic Economy.
• Check if they include a pre-check on seat selection, trip insurance, or boarding first.

Note: Before choosing your flight, you can always compare your booking on CompareMost, on multiple flight operators, at different times, and you can really get great deals.