Help!!! Southwest is no longer flying to New Jersey! I want to go out of Cape Libert

[jp2746]

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

After talking our extended family into going on the Oasis of the Seas (we just got off Allure and I don't think we can ever go back to small ships!!).  It was all set with dates and prices that fit into our budget. 

 

We usually use Southwest points to fly so that it cuts out that cost.  However, I just read that Southwest will not be flying into New Jersey this summer.  

 

Is there ANY idea of a way to get from La Guardia or ISP without spending a fortune?  We have our heart set on this cruise, but with airfare, it is out.  We could fly into another city and rent a car, but then we have to figure out how to get back to the airport after the cruise.  Why Southwest? Why did you do this to me??

[Clarea]

Rather than trying to go to LGA or ISP, I'd use a different airline to go to EWR.

[dswallow]

Figure it'd cost you $120-$130 to get an Uber from LGA to either the port or EWR area. You can also rent a car for the one-way trip and it'd probably be lower in price.

 

But at least for the near future, LGA is a complete mess; there's construction everywhere and they've just rearranged exits on the highways nearby a bit to accommodate it, so expect a painful drive or ride and allow for plenty of time.

 

Or find a flight into EWR. Or consider Trenton, Atlantic City or Allentown (PA) airports all of which may have some discount airline options (and a short one-two hour drive).

[njmelis24]

It’s a bit further than ISP or LGA but PHL is an option. Once you get out of the city it’s pretty much a straight shot up 95/turnpike. It’s about an hour and 45 min without traffic; definitely don’t land in PHL st rush hour or you could easily put another 30 on that.

[marci22]

I thought about Philadelphia but it's a long drive. I'd rather pay extra into EWR. 

 

Why not get a big ship out of Florida? The Oasis cruises out of NJ tend to be pricier vs FL and if you're adding $$ airfare it's even worse.

[jp2746]

The Allure is going to Europe this summer and the Symphony and Harmony are both sooooo expensive in the summer.  Oasis was in our price range until you added airfare.  There are 8 of us, so that gets really pricey. 

 

I will check into car rental to another airport.

 

Thanks! 

[MJSailors]

   To the OP- a few thoughts- 

Have you called Southwest confirm that they will no longer be flying into Newark?

You might get info that will solve the problem.

Also, consider flying  Jet Blue into Newark.

Also, have you contacted RCCL about the flights they have available to passengers ?

I am not certain what they call their  program, but all major cruise lines offer flight bookings to their passengers in conjunction with a cruise booking.

      I do agree with the poster about avoiding LGA. Conditions there may improve by next Summer ,but I wouldn't chance it.  A report the other day on the local news was describing the major traffic jams at the airport where people were getting out of cabs and hired cars to walk their way to the terminal. This was on the side of the highway !

      Now that we live on Eastern Long Island, Islip airport is our home airport. Hiring a car to drive from there to the NJ pier would be a big ticket item. MyDH and I have driven to the port and it was a good two hour drive. 

Youcould possibly rent a car at Islip and turn it in at Newark ,then get a car or Uber to get you to the port. That seems like a lot of effort to me- YMMV.

       Hoping you call Southwest and they give you good news!

[vacation1996]

Where are you flying from ????

[fla33023]

1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

   To the OP- a few thoughts- 

Have you called Southwest confirm that they will no longer be flying into Newark?

You might get info that will solve the problem.

https://www.nj.com/news/2019/07/southwest-airlines-to-cease-flights-from-newark-airport.html

[jp2746]

We are flying from San Diego.

[jp2746]

I checked into renting a car from ISP or LGA and dropping it off in New Jersey.  Since I don't know the area, it is always stressful.  

 

Another option would be to stay at a hotel near LGA that has an airport shuttle.  We could stay there for a couple of nights and then rent a car to take to New Jersey.  We could stay there the night before departure so that it was an easy drive the next morning.  

 

But... returning would be a pain.  We could stay one more night and leave on a Monday so that we are not stressed for time, but all of this adds up.  Maybe we should just go out of Florida. We really want to go on the Oasis. It has some fun stuff being added for next summer.  

 

[vacation1996]

Southwest is still flying from San Diego to Newark  til November 2nd not sure when your cruise is .

[mhb1757]

I feel your pain. I had booked air to Scandinavia out of EWR for a Baltic cruise figuring we would fly Southwest to EWR on points, but then SW pulled the rug out from under us.  There is a shuttle service from LGA to EWR that is $30/pp each way. But for 8 of you there are probably better ways to get there. 

I think we have decided to bite the bullet and pay to fly United into LGA although I totally hate UA, but they have the only nonstops from our home airport into EWR. 

[MJSailors]

     Sorry to hear that Southwest is pulling out of Newark airport.

If I were the OP ,flying in from SanDiego, I would consider another airline that does service Newark.

The ticket cost might be more than Southwest, but considering the costs of renting a car or hiring a car/driver and extra nights in a hotel, flying another airline might be cost effective.

    The OP mentioned staying at a hotel near LGA for a couple of nights.

LGA is located in the borough of Queens , about a 30-40 minute drive into New York City.  There is not much to do for a traveler staying nearLGA without needing an Uber,cab or public transportation to reach a desired location. I am thinking of sightseeing in NYC.

 Also, traffic and roads can be difficult to deal with for a visitor not familiar with the area.

       IMHO, the OP has two choices here- fly another airline to Newark or fly to Florida and take a cruise from there. I am certain RCCL has ships that are comparable to OTS that embark from a Florida port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fbgd]

I know people love Southwest (I'm not one) but to can your whole family trip because you can't fly Southwest seems a touch extreme...

 

Ubers to a Southwest serviced airport are going to be a rounding error on the cost of your trip.

[FlyerTalker]

And remember that those Southwest "points" don't really make the flights "free".

 

All airline/hotel/credit card points are merely an alternative currency.  You can consider that instead of those WN points, you could have been receiving a cash-back rebate that you could then spend on any airline.  Instead, you were earning a different currency and your opportunity cost was considerable.

 

IMO, anyone who thinks the flights are "free" or without cost should stop and take a good hard look at the economics of "points" and the alternatives.

[Tapi]

I’ve never understood some people’s obsession with Southwest. 

[Budget Queen]

13 hours ago, marci22 said:

I thought about Philadelphia but it's a long drive. I'd rather pay extra into EWR. 

 

Why not get a big ship out of Florida? The Oasis cruises out of NJ tend to be pricier vs FL and if you're adding $$ airfare it's even worse.

  

An option sailing out of Manhattan, I've flown into Phl.    Simple to just take Septa,  then just get off at  the Filbert St Station-   hopped on Greyhound to Port Authority-  $10   May be an option for bus on the Jersey side?  

[waterbug123]

14 hours ago, jp2746 said:

  There are 8 of us, so that gets really pricey. 

 

I will check into car rental to another airport.

 

 

12 hours ago, jp2746 said:

I checked into renting a car from ISP or LGA and dropping it off in New Jersey.  Since I don't know the area, it is always stressful.  

 

Another option would be to stay at a hotel near LGA that has an airport shuttle.  We could stay there for a couple of nights and then rent a car to take to New Jersey.  We could stay there the night before departure so that it was an easy drive the next morning.  

 

But... returning would be a pain. 

 

 

First off, don't stay for a few days near LGA; if you're in the NYC area for a few days you will want to stay in Manhattan for ease of sightseeing. 

Beyond that, as a party of 8 you can forget about Uber unless you want to be in separate cars.  There is no regular passenger vehicle that seats 8 plus the driver, never mind room for luggage.  Same with a rental car unless you rent a full size van (not a mini van) but again- unfamiliarity with airports, construction around LGA...  no way would I want to the stress of doing that.   My suggestion is to use a car service like Dial 7 or Carmel Limo.  You can arrange in advance and I believe they have large vans to accommodate a large party.   It will likely be less expensive than taking multiple ubers.  This would be a good option for getting from port back to airport (LGA) after the cruise, so that you can still use your Southwest points to fly.  If you're coming in a few days early, just grab a couple of cabs from LGA to a hotel in the city, then arrange a car service again to get you all from hotel to port for embarkation.

[Zach1213]

9 hours ago, fbgd said:

I know people love Southwest (I'm not one) but to can your whole family trip because you can't fly Southwest seems a touch extreme...

 

Ubers to a Southwest serviced airport are going to be a rounding error on the cost of your trip.

 

This is exactly how I would view it. When I put together my vacation budget, "ground transportation" on both ends is a specific line item. I usually go over my estimate by about 25%, as I do with most items (so that, in the end, the trip comes out cheaper than I expected and everyone's happy). The "ground transport" line item for NYC, even could between Newark and Bayonne, would be at least $30 or so...so while adding $90 or so is not cheap, it's also a drop in the bucket for the entire trip, whether the airfare is free or not.

[sumiandkage]

3 hours ago, Tapi said:

I’ve never understood some people’s obsession with Southwest. 

 

Same here. They're a perfectly adequate airline that is a good travel option in some cases and a poor one in others. 

 

As someone who lives in an expensive local airfare area, I'm also not a far of FF programs that don't let me play arbitrage games on redemptions. As much as people complain about the Sky Peso, I can pretty reliably hit 2 cents a mile or better on Delta award tickets. 

Edited August 12, 2019 by sumiandkage

[jp2746]

Thanks for all the replies.  We are still trying to decide what to do.  I have to do a cost comparison for flying into Florida and going on Harmony or Symphony verses flying into another airport like ISP or Philadelphia and renting a car.  Time isn't an issue and we have rented a 12 passenger van in the past which worked out well.  With 8, transportation is always a huge issue.  We always take two cabs or two Uber cars.

 

The reason we stick to Southwest is because we have a companion pass for my son.  So, with eight of us, one is free.  We also have a lot of Southwest points and they would cover the entire airline trip for eight.  If you figure we pay $300 a person from San Diego (which is not going to happen in the summer too often), that adds $2400 to our budget.  Then we still have to consider transportation to the port and hotel.  So, there are a lot of factors involved.  I know a lot of people hate Southwest and there a some things that bother me about it, but we use the credit card for everyday purchases and haven't "paid" for airfare in a few years.  I do like Delta too, but we don't have enough miles to put a dent into this trip.  But, I was able to book Chicago to San Diego for 10K miles on Delta for my FIL.  That was a great deal!  In comparison, with my son as a free companion, we are flying to Houston this week from San Diego for 5K points total for both of us on Southwest.  I can't beat that!  

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by jp2746

[megr1125]

Philly is really an easy drive and/or amtrak ride away from the EWR area.

WN is pulling out of EWR for business reasons, they don't really have a lot of ops there.  Plus, I've flown them from EWR and it sucks in more ways than one.  Don't get me started on EWR, ugh. I'm an hour from there, an hour from PHL and 2.5 or so from BWI. I'd rather fly from BWI even though it's twice as far away, but I digress.

 

You can drop a rental at EWR and Uber to the pier, then repeat.  Or just book another airline and save your Southwest points for other trips.

 

[Zach1213]

I do agree with other posters saying PHL could be a very good option, and then either train up to Newark or rent a one-way car. Depending on the time of day, it may be just as easy as trying to get from LGA to Newark/Bayonne.

[slidergirl]

Harmony goes out of Port Canaveral, right?  OK, you fly into Orlando.  BUT, you have to get your herd to Port Canaveral,  you have to find transportation for that close-to-an-hour drive.