Fewer Flights to Orlando

Posted on July 15th, 2008 by karyn kudrna

The overall US economy and the gas crisis in particular may have an effect on Orlando’s tourist trade this year. Many of the city’s major attractions are expecting declines this fall as airlines begin to cut or curtail flights in order to save on soaring fuel costs. Some estimates have the airline seat cuts going to as many as 5700 seats per day on flights to Orlando.

This reduction in flights to Orlando has not gone unnoticed by the Walt Disney executives. According to them, some 35 percent of visitors to Walt Disney World travel to Orlando on domestic flights. This was reported by Pali Capital Research Managing Director Richard Greenfield.

By October of this current year, the four airlines that account for about 33 percent of the total passenger traffic to Orlando (Delta, American, Continental and Northwest) will have cut 18 percent of their seats to Central Florida. This is compared to airline seats that were available in October of 2007.

In addition, Delta is terminating nonstop routes from midsize cities, such as Nashville and New Orleans, to Orlando.

All told, data collected by the Official Airline Guide estimates that by October airlines will provide 50,244 seats per day to Orlando International Airport, a 10.2 percent decline from the 55,950 available in October 2007. That is the 10th largest decline in the country.

This trend will also have an effect on other types of businesses as well. Motels, hotels and restaurants may see a drop in business. It is also expected that the Orange County tourist development tax collections, which are used to fund things such as the new basketball arena and to pay off debt on the county convention center expansion, will drop as well.

It is also expected that rising gasoline prices will have a negative effect on the amount of people visiting Orlando this summer. For example, visitors who drive to Disney from out-of-state locations account for about 30 percent of Disney’s attendance.

So, what does this mean for those who wish to visit Orlando this year? First, make sure you book your flights early and that you make your reservations well in advance. Keeping abreast of the possible changes that may affect your travel is also a good idea.

On the up side of all of this is the fact that if tourism does decline significantly there will be fewer people in lines, fewer crowds to deal with, and possible big savings as vendors begin to offer discounts and incentives.

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