Precious Pet

OUT OF THE BUBBLE

Exploring Beyond Sanford From SFB

BY LEON KONIECZNY

Those of us who live, work, play, eat, and shop in Sanford are doubly blessed because Allegiant Airlines has a major hub and presence locally at Orlando Sanford International Airport, which is located just minutes from downtown via car, a friend, or Uber.

A low-cost, regional carrier, Allegiant Airlines’ hub at Orlando Sanford International Airport serves over eighty cities nationwide with direct flights on a regular basis (one to three or more times per week). Of course, many of the folks coming to Sanford on Allegiant are coming here for Sanford’s close proximity to theme parks, beaches, and warm weather. Oftentimes they take some time to stop by and explore our charming city, and we love having them visit. But us Sanfordites benefit greatly from Allegiant’s routes because it gives us an opportunity to visit over 80 unique locations, all of which are flying out just a few miles from home in Sanford — no need to travel to Orlando and mess with that traffic and long lines.

We have taken Allegiant a number of times and a recent trip we took is a good example. We took Allegiant on a one-week vacation, driving a wide span of upstate New York. From Sanford, we conveniently flew directly into Elmira/Corning, a small airport — so small that you get off on the tarmac (though a jetway is being built). While waiting for our luggage, we were able to quickly pick up our rental car — there’s really no wait for anything at most of the smaller, regional airports served by Allegiant.

Our trip started in Elmira/Corning and took us all around upstate New York. We drove through the Adirondack Mountains while enjoying the vibrant colors of fall. We visited Lake Placid and the site of the 1932 and 1990 Olympics. Then we drove on to the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River and took a wonderful boat tour. We visited the Finger Lakes area, which is known for its wineries, and we visited the “Grand Canyon of the East” in Letchworth State Park — what a view! And finally, we made our way back to our starting point and visited the Corning Glass Museum in Corning. Uber convenient, for sure. direct flight later, we were back in Sanford and back at home after just a short Uber ride from the airport. No messing with Orlando traffic and crowds. Talk about convenient. What a vacation.

But that’s only one excursion we’ve taken — we’ve done others as well, all equally enjoyable. Allegiant has many choices, and we’ve gone to a number of places on Allegiant from Sanford — and plan on many more. From Sanford, you can west go to El Paso, TX, northwest to Bismarck, ND, or northeast to Bangor, ME. Heck, you can even fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico. And so many other regional destinations in the more-orless eastern half of the USA. Over 80 places to choose from.

Sanford is lucky to have Allegiant. We are fortunate to have so many travel destinations so close to our doorstep, convenient via Allegiant at Orlando Sanford International Airport. n

Leon and Tom, prepare to take flight at the Orlando Sanford International Airport