<p>Does anyone know if there is a bus or any other transportation from Columbia to Charlotte? The prices are much better from Chicago to Chatlotte than to Columbia. It would be a nice option to have.
Thanks!!</p>
<p>Most of the students do fly into Charlotte. My d has a car which she leaves at the airport. She always takes at least three other students to the airport with her. This seems to be the norm.</p>
<p>Last year S and almost everyone he knew who used planes flew into Columbia not Charlotte.Its only about 10 minutes to campus and it seemed like there was always someone to pick him up or drop him off.It would have been hard to coordinate schedules with someone driving to Charlotte,taking other flights, and then coordinating flight times back.Maybe where Birdie's D is flying to,theres more students going together.
This year he will have a car and will have the option to drive to Charlotte to fly home (to NY) for Thanksgiving but will drive home for Winter Break.
Im not sure if there's bus transport to Charlotte from Columbia.If there is, you would then need to find a way to the campus from the bus.They dont run shuttles to the airports like other colleges do.</p>
<p>Birdie
I dont understand..you say your D drives to Charlotte and flies from there yet in another thread you say you live two hours away and moved in and out by car..I'm confused......</p>
<p>Cathymee</p>
<p>We have a second home on Lake Norman in Charlotte. Our primary residence is located in Pennsylvania. Therefore, we drive to the lake and fly to Pennsylvania depending on the specific situation. </p>
<p>My d never had a problem cordinating times to fly out and arrive....there might have been waiting involved at the airport, but the difference in cost was worth the wait and she was always happy to wait for others to arrive.</p>
<p>There appears to be a great networking for rides to the airport when it comes to flying home over Thanksgiving etc. Usually after connecting the first time for a ride they will then continue to travel together. </p>
<p>It is a very easy drive to Columbia from airport and the difference in price is normally quite a large chunk of change.</p>
<p>Birdie - Do you fly in/out of Phila? I haven't really noticed any cheaper fares for Charlotte vs Columbia when I have looked . Is there a particular airline that you have found with good fares? I have usually just booked to Columbia because it was only about $20 more.</p>
<p>Yes, there are both busses and trains between Charlotte and Columbia.<br>
I checked on the internet and there is a Greyhound bus from Charlotte to Columbia. (On move-in day, they leave Charlotte at 8:45, 3:40 and 11 PM. It appears there is one stop in Rock Hill, which is outside of Charlotte. ) Trip duration is 1 hr 45 minutes, and they offer a student discount card.
There is also an Amtrak train between Charlotte and Columbia. Schedules that day showed at 2 AM (No thanks!), something like 9 AM and 9 PM (don't remember exactly.) Trip was about 1 hr, 48 min and fare was $80. They also offer a student discount of 15%. I have never taken the bus or train in those cities, and have no clue as to where the stations are located. They may be nowhere near campus and/or the airport. I am not a regular bus or train traveler, so please check the sites out for yourself. I could have easily misunderstood something about the schedule or price.
I found the bus on Greyhound.com and the train was on Amtrak.com</p>
<p>PA. Mom....We fly out of the Greater Pittsburgh Airport. We normally fly USAir. USAir connects in Charlotte to Columbia. There is very little time to change planes, thus missed planes and which has happened more than once. For us it is cheaper to fly into Charlotte then drive to Columbia. </p>
<p>My d friends leave their cars at our home in Charlotte, then I drive them to the airport. (thus saving the cost of parking their car). I am always willing to help a college student save a buck......plus I feed them before they leave.
Nothing like a home cooked meal.</p>
<p>My d makes many runs to the Columbia Airport to pick up and deliver. Whatever works best for the kids.</p>
<p>its nice that you have a convenient place for the kids to leave cars at Charlotte...now it all makes sense!
S would have to pay for the parking at the Charlotte airport in addition to the flight cost. He wants to do it once to fly Jet Blue...hes jealous of everyone who has been able to fly them LOL.
He's also taken some Columbia flights that change in DC.I recollect some Philly flights to Columbia on US Airways that might not need a stop.
Greenville-
when you mentioned Amtrak I remembered when we went to S's McNair weekend we met a kid from Pa who doesnt fly and takes Amtrak back and forth to USC. He said you can walk to the station though its a bit far and a little sketchy.Seems like the cost of the train to Charlotte negates the extra air ticket costs,plus the logistics of coordinating bus/train/air schedules and locations.</p>
<p>I have tried searching for flights various times using Charlotte and just haven't found it helpful. I think that maybe I am lucky and the flights from Philadelphia to Columbia are cheaper than other places so there isn't the same savings that others may find. The funny thing is I thought our flights were expensive ! Just goes to show..
The planes that leave from here to Columbia are really small though - you practically hit your head trying to get in your seat ( and I'm 5'2" LOL ).
Fortunately my d usually drives - the expensive part is when my H and I fly down ( and have dragged D2 down as well). Then we are paying for 3 flights and every little bit would help!</p>
<p>Last year I checked with the folks at the USC Info Center about this issue because the fares to DFW as well as the number of flights available were much better from Charlotte. While there is bus and train service to Charlotte there was nothing at the time to the airport meaning you had to go into the Charlotte bus/train stations then take a cab to the airport. This was certainly not the most convenient way to to do things. Someone could probably make a lot of money with bus charters to and from the Charlotte airport at Thanksgiving and Spring Break for sure since the travel days are more compressed than at semesters end when people are leaving over a longer period of time due to final exam schedules.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the advice. We are driving down from Chicago to move D in, but I was wondering about getting to Chatlotte for when she needs to get home. We were originally sending her down with her car, but have decided that it might be better if she didn't have it for freshman year.</p>
<p>Kmkord..... we felt the same as you presently do about the car, but we changed our minds by November and sent her car down. It really does make life easier. My d had several doctors appointments and she was thankful to have a car and not have to worry about obtaining a ride. She barely used the car but I felt we made the right decision for her. </p>
<p>There appears to be a great networking for rides to the airport when it comes to flying home over Thanksgiving etc. Usually after connecting the first time for a ride they will then continue to travel together.</p>
<p>I will pm you my d's cell phone number and your d can call my d if she needs a ride to Charlotte. Your d will probably know someone by Thanksgiving to hitch a ride to Charlotte, but if she doesn't have her call my d.</p>
<p>We have changed our minds and decided to just have D bring her car down. I like the idea of knowing she has the car of there is any sort of emergency. To those of you who's students have cars, is there any pressure to lend the car to friends? We have a strict rule about that at home, but D was afraid people would try to borrow her car at school.</p>
<p>S didnt have a car last year but managed to get rides whenever he needed.He says kids dont pressure to borrow..but sometimes he was offered if he needed in an emergency (like getting to the Verizon store) and once he was a designated driver after a football game (ahem....)
This year he'll have his own car b/c of off campus major related needs.
kmkod..if D will have a car don't forget a parking permit and a plan like AAA is a good idea.</p>
<p>Thanks Cathymee. I'll remind her about the parking permit. We have roadside assistance through our insurance. I'll double check that it will work down in SC. Her car is also under warranty, so the dealer should be able to help with any unexpected problems. I think I'll have her get some new tires as well before she leaves. I can't believe we're down to less than a month. She left this morning for a last bonding trip with Dad. They went white water rafting. Her and I are taking a trip in 2 weeks to see some Josh Groban shows, so we'll also get some bonding time. I'm just relieved that my youngest is just starting Kindergarten next month. I'm not ready to be done with the day to day Mom thing just yet.</p>
<p>oh my goodness...starting college and starting kindergarten!!!!! I wouldn't have the energy for that LOL.</p>
<p>You can apply for the parking permit right online through VIP. You can go into a lottery for a garage spot if you are willing to pay for it (abt 300 a semester)
S was guaranteed a garage b/c of his McNair and didnt have to go nto the lottery, though he still has to pay for it.We decided to spring for the cost as its the same price a plane ticket would have been and he won't be flying except for Thanksgiving. The area of campus hes living in (Horseshoe) doesnt have as many surface lots as the other dorm areas have.The surface lot permit is much much cheaper.</p>
<p>Yes, I have one starting Kindergarten and another starting 2nd grade. Keeps us young though!!</p>
<p>D is in South Tower. Do you think we should get the garage parking? D keeps kicking herself about now applying for USC by the deadline. So many things would have been much easier, and certainly less expensive. They told us she would have gotten one of the big scholarships had she applied on time. She also missed out on applying for the honors college, which is something that was really important to her. She is taking one honors class though, and hopes to get into the honors college for the second semester or next year. Then she would at least be able to get the lower tuition rate.</p>
<p>kmkord,
Like Cathymee, we paid for a garage spot, because of what the parking services director told us. She said that a surface permit does not guarantee a spot. In other words, a student may bring a car and not be able to find a spot for it. She also said that sometimes surface lots are used for other events (football games, maybe?). I got the impression that students may have to move their cars on game days. I don't know where they would park them then. I thought I read something about buying a $100 decal that allows you to keep your car in a surface lot on game days, but I'm not sure about that. I understand that if you have a garage spot, you are guaranteed a parking place in that garage. I think there's only one garage with any spaces left now, last time I checked on the parking website. You have to contact the parking services office if you want a garage spot - those are not available through VIP.</p>
<p>Just checked the parking website.There are apparently 2 garages with openings. One has 400 spaces, and the other has 200 spaces.</p>