sh76us

I owe my 5 year old daughter an "airplane trip" (don't ask) in June - just for a couple of days (Sun-Mon or maybe Sun-Tues).

If possible, I'd like to book a trip on UA from the NYC area (don't mind LGA, EWR or HPN; not in love with JFK):

1) That will help me in my quest for gold this year (i.e., will give me at least a decent number of PQMs); not, for example, to Boston or Portland, Maine.

2) That's to a relatively mild weathered place for June (not really interested in going to PHX or Florida in June... will not be so pleasant)

3) That's relatively cheap

4) That has at least something little-kid friendly

I know I'm being really picky here, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for me. I prefer UA, but will fly AC or US too, as long as I get my MP credit.

I was thinking of SAN, but the fares seem pretty high and it's a little far for a 5 yo.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Bulldog83

If you're more flexible with dates, UA's online specials could be a good option - you'd have to either fly late PM Friday/ Saturday to Monday/Tuesday though.

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps...s/default.aspx

Also, from EWR a lot of the fares tend to be shorter hops on ERJ145s - the best deal (miles wise) I'm seeing this weekend is to MKE (1450 miles round trip.) Availabilty in June might also be worse (with the start of peak travel season.)

PV_Premier

SMF and SJC have been reliably cheap (<$300) on UA for the past 10-12 months. Plenty of fun stuff to do within an easy drive of both airports. If you don't want to go as far check on MSP, there's a lot to do there and the city is very easy to get around and the wx should be good in June.

nookanaya

There have been some $250-330 fares between PHL and PDX recently. If you can find one in June still you could take her on a bonus train trip.

WineCountryUA

The first obvious thought -- Mickey's house - MCO?

June's not too bad in Orlando.

LaserSailor

Put status aside and fly Cape Air out of HPN to MV.

It's a Cessna 505....she will remember it forever.

RazorSoup

Come on down to WAS. Lots of flights/options. The museums are free. Our kids (5-8 yrs) love them.

songzm

If you don't mind fly from BOS, you can fly BOS-SAN RT at $300 per person. I just grabbed one at $320 RT in the beginning of May.

Sulley

Chicago!

kit125

+1

Or how about CLE? Cedar Point is about an hour's drive from the airport, for the amusement park / roller coaster fan. If you want to stay closer to CLE, our zoo is fantastic, we've got great museums (including our children's museum and science center--very interactive). There are boat cruises on the lake (Goodtime II/III). Wildwater Kingdom (water park) is about 30 mins east of downtown. Our parks system is great, including the Nature Center, which has free activities for kids. Your fares will be cheap (especially if you can snag UA weekend fares -- CLE-LGA/EWR is routinely a route for ~$160 r/t) and lodging can be pretty cheap too. We also have several of the indoor/outdoor waterpark resorts (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari) -- that's lodging AND entertainment! And if you take in a Tribe game, the family section in the stadium is a big hit with kids that do and don't like baseball. And you can visit either side of town and catch one of our farm teams (hold the jokes, baseball fans) which generally have cheap tickets and include activities for kids.

I know CLE gets a bum wrap, but there's a reason many of us still call it home.

Wilco_FT

Unless your daughter has flown a bunch before, I would recommend separating your quest for gold. I doubt a transcontinental flight holds very much attraction for her. The takeoff, landing and a brief flight where a drink and pretzels are served is probably more fun. That and I course time with daddy somewhere.

Enjoy the trip, dad!

Phil Level

We take a family trip each year LAX-JFK to visit grandparents in NYC. If you fly on a Saturday, the UG to C is easy... and our kids LOVE it when they roll the ice cream sundae cart down the aisle.

And then there's disney world, which will score you a lot of gold daddy points/stars.

IAATM

Fly to Wisconsin Dells and let her enjoy the waterparks.

mechteach

^

Our kids love visiting Chicago (including when they were each 5) - the Navy Pier with the Children's Museum, the Field Museum, the big bean, the different boat rides/cruises, going up the John Hancock Center, the zoo, the food. It really has it all. ORD even has, IMHO, one of the best airport playgrounds in the US.

Passmethesickbag

SEA is usually very pleasant in summer. Lots of outdoorsy stuff, and things to do on and off the seafront. The space needle and the surrounding area (the Chihuly garden should appeal to both daughter and dad). The underground tour is fascinating, but she may be a tad young for that. However, it's nearly as far as San Diego (although it might be cheaper) - but as a 5-year-old and a short daddy you shouldn't be too uncomfortable even if you don't get upgraded .