<p>I am from California, SF bay area. What is the best way to get to Cornell? Which airport and shuttle to use. This is especially important for the future return trips to California when I'll have no access to a car for traveling to the airport.<br>
For instance, I heard the shuttle to Syracuse airport from Cornell is $60. That's a little steep. Round trip would be $120 alone before I get into the air. Is there any shuttle to Binghamton or Elmira for cheaper cost?
How safe is the planes leaving from Ithaca airport? Does it get snowed in much in the winter? How safe and reliable is it in the winter months?</p>
<p>I'd say that the best and most reliable way(simultaneously) to get from CA to Ithaca is by foot. That way you do not have to worry about a plane delay or, God forbid, plane crash or car crash. If you walk, taking frequent breaks at hotels on the way, the only danger you will encounter is what you bring on yourself. </p>
<p>P.S. I'm just being humorous. I have no idea what advice to give you, so ignore my post if it annoys you.</p>
<p>1) Fly into Syracuse and take the shuttle.</p>
<p>2) Fly into Ithaca and take a taxi.</p>
<h1>1 is usually cheaper even when you factor in the shuttle cost.</h1>
<p>since you're prly a freshman you wont have much flight options...so i'd go with syracuse if you're a freshman...but now that you're asking...ithaca airport only has 2 airlines one of which is us airways...</p>
<p>what i discovered was that if you book ahead there are cheap ways to get from out of state to ithaca...for example, </p>
<p>i'm arriving august 20th from houston, i leave houston at 5pm and make a connecting flight to ithaca from philly...and get to ithaca at midnight...</p>
<p>i did a search from san fran to ithaca and got cheap results but most were sold out for august...</p>
<p>but go to US airways or the other ithaca airline and book directly from the airline website...</p>
<p>Thanks, guys.
What is your experience with the planes to Ithaca. I heard they are propeller-powered planes. How safe are they? Especially in the winter with the snow and wind? How reliable is it to take off and land at the Ithaca airport? Does it get snowed in much and flights canceled in th winter months? When do we start getting snow in Ithaca?</p>
<p>i was also very worried flying back during winter from ithaca...yes you can get delayed and there may be turbulence, but as far as i know there have not been any major problems with cornell kids...</p>
<p>the propeller planes are scary at first...but these planes are usually just 1hr trips..it takes 1 hr to fly from philly to ithaca...</p>
<p>when i flew to syracuse i had to fly from houston to cleveland or houston to detroit and then to syracuse...</p>
<p>try US Airways (they are probably the cheapest major airline)</p>
<p>Last time I flew in one of those planes to Ithaca, they made some people get off. Apparently, the extra few bags of luggage made the tail so heavy that it couldn't get off the stand.</p>
<p>LOL hope that doesnt happen to me...prly not since i'm flying in at midnite</p>
<p>LOL. You guys are scaring me.
In all seriousness. How is the safety record of these planes. Also does it bounce a lot in the air. I do sometimes get motion sickness. That's why I don't sail.</p>
<p>flying to cornell was like the first time i had flown since i was a kid...i was shocked they still used propeller planes, but no worries, it is safe...</p>
<p>as for motion sickness well every flight is unique, but i havent had any problems...</p>
<p>The prop plans are fine. I get motion sickness too, and I have not had a problem. However, I would choose Syracuse. It's a big international airport, and can handle weather problems and delays more efficiently. It's much more reliable.</p>
<p>Yep. And after they found enough volunteers to leave the plane, they shifted the rest of us toward the front so as to balance out the heavy tail. It took an hour and a half of sitting there for them to work out the weight issues.</p>
<p>Graduation weekend this year there was also an issue with too much weight on the plane from Detroit to Ithaca due to poor weather and needing extra fuel - four people had to get off but then we took off very close to on time - and the flight was fine and smooth - if you are going to travel from CA to Ithaca for the next four years you will get used to planes flying to rain and snow</p>
<p>Thanks, guys. It seems that Syracuse is the choice for reliability. Cost-wise, Ithaca is good.
It sounds like Ithaca can be a good option when there is no snow.
When does Ithaca start snowing? Can my parents use Ithaca in October 26-29 for the Cornell parent weekend?</p>
<p>Syracuse airport also uses the small jets which may or may not have propellers as well!!! Unless you get a direct flight from California to Syracuse, most connecting flights to Syracuse also use the small planes! Snow can delay the big planes as well! </p>
<p>Ithaca is a cheap alternative if you plan ahead and book early! Or you leave at odd hours! like at 5am...</p>
<p>Your parents will do fine if they plan ahead...</p>
<p>A local limo driver told me that because of the lake, Ithaca Tomkins Airport has a problem with fog quite often. He recommends Syracuse. But... when everything goes smoothly, it is incredibly easy. The airport is so small and personal and it's minutes from Cornell.</p>
<p>limo - that's the best way to get to Cornell!</p>
<p>Some airlines do use the old school prop planes for smaller flights, i was in one for a trip from Pittsburgh to Syracuse. This was also during some iffy weather, but it was still fine with no big bounces or anything - but they're quite a bit louder. </p>
<p>Jet blue does fly to syracuse, you may get some really cheap flights that way. </p>
<p>My "home home" is about 15 minutes away from the Syracuse airport, as an fyi.</p>
<p>Probably not the best option but possibly the cheapest: fly into some NYC airport and take the bus ($35) to Ithaca. Only problem is getting around NYC with a ton of luggage (yet a lot of internationals from asia seem to manage...).</p>
<p>how could the bus from nyc be cheaper than from syracuse? that's crazy!</p>
<p>i cant say the $35 ticket seems logical</p>