DH and I are doing the SW Splendor Adventure 10/10/09 thru 10/17/09. I am booking our flights to Phoenix. I know we are supposed to arrive before noon. I have free tickets on SW, so I would like to use them, but their earliest flight lands at 11:50 am. Will we be cutting it too close if we chose this flight? Should I book a flight to arrive the night before?
Where are you flying from? Is it a direct flight? How long is it until the next flight out if you miss yours for unforseen reasons?
Personally, I would never cut it that close. I have no idea what they would do if you were seriously late, as the group leaves for Sedona all together. I don't know if they'd have to hold up the whole group, or if you'd have to get your own transport or what. Do they say what time you're actually supposed to be meeting up? Sometimes they say be there by noon for a 2pm meetup...
For myself, I would never arrive the day of the tour. So much goes wrong with airlines these days. I have missed connections, had flights delayed, etc. I had enough trouble getting back to the airport from Scottsdale, I can't imagine how stressed I'd've been flying in that day.
I think you should consider flying in the day before. I would SO agree with using Southwest if you can (best airline out there). And you'd have a chance to relax & acclimate. Just my opinion.
All that said, if you're determined to fly the day of the tour, I'd call
ABD and see what they say. As I said, they tend to build a pretty good cushion into their "arrive before/leave after" timeframes.
Sayhello