A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,595
I would suspect that it'll probably be midsummer before the fall promotions roll out. I do all of my leisure travel in the spring and fall, except for one trip out to LA in midsummer for which I got a cheap WN nonstop. I have three or four trips tentatively planned for Sept-Dec, but I'm not seeing any good fares yet.
If you do not pursue any elite status, then WN is your best bet. (YX is a good bet too, but I don't know if they fly to MCO.) WN and YX don't have an extensive, entrenched concept of elite status that results in substandard airport treatment of non-elites. (They have an elite level in their FF programs, but they don't use it as a weapon to make your life miserable at the airport.)
If you do decide to pursue an elite status, use AA for your Texas and California trips, and you should be able to complete either the Gold or Platinum Challenge, depending on how many trips you have planned.