<p>Hello all,
We were hoping to take the trip down to Tuscaloosa sometime in the next month or two and I was wondering what airline people would recommend.
Thanks a bunch!</p>
<p>Southwest; they fly into Birmingham and they usually have the most reasonable fares. </p>
<p>Depending on where you’re flying from, I know some people will fly into Atlanta and then drive (about 3 hours) but the B’Ham airport is less than an hour away from Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Ditto! We flew in for Bid Day in August using Southwest. (We usually just drive but since we had just been there 6 days before to move our D in for recruitment, we decided to save the 12 1/2 hour drive and fly) My flight from Kansas City was not non stop, I changed planes in Nashville but my daughter’s from DC was. We rented a car which was easy and it was a straight shot for the airport to Tuscaloosa. I would suggest to all parents who have incoming freshmen to get a list of dates you will be needing hotel reservations for and book them as soon as you can. It’s just crazy how fast things fill up and I found that there are track meets, baseball tournaments and other activities that require large blocks of rooms from spring through summer. I would also suggest you establish a relationship with a hotel. We have stayed at the same one each time since we first went to look at Alabama in Fall of '09. When I called for our rooms for my daughters sorority parents weekend (which happens to coincide with A Day) they gladly discounted my room $50 a night! Room rates go up for all football weekends as well as big dates like Move-in day, Bid Day, Parents Weekend ect.</p>
<p>What? Less than an hour away? I could swear it took me about 90 minutes each time I drove it! Is my memory faulty??</p>
<p>I like American, btw, if you have to go thru DFW.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was because you weren’t familiar with the area at the time and needed to take more time, but BHM Airport is definitely only an hour away from Tuscaloosa. It would take even less time if we didn’t have to go through the middle of the Birmingham metro.</p>
<p>According to my GPS last weekend, 51 minutes from BHM airport to Tuscaloosa. A very nice drive, too. Fly Southwest, join the Rewards program. Hertz doing a good promotion with flight credits when renting a car as well. Security is painless at BHM airport. And once you’re in your gate, plenty of places to get food and drink while waiting for your flight.</p>
<p>Where are you coming from? My D and H visited Bama a couple weeks ago and they flew United from Chicago to Birmingham. The drive from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa took less than an hour. I had looked into Southwest, but their ticket prices were no less than United’s, and Midway, where Southwest flies out of, is over twice as far from us as O’Hare, where United is, so United was an easy choice. D said the plane was really small, and they had to walk out and climb stairs to the plane at O’Hare (normal gate entry/exit at Birmingham, though).</p>
<p>We’re from Rhode Island, but we will probably fly out of Logan in Boston.</p>
<p>I’d suggest whichever airline(s) fit your schedule best. Apart from Southwest, American to DFW, and some Delta flights, flights to Birmingham will be on smaller regional jets. I usually fly Delta because they recognize my elite status (upgrades and free checked bags) and a wide variety of departure times and connection opportunities.</p>
<p>I would check fares from all nearby airports (PVD, BOS and MHT) to see which flights are best for you.</p>
<p>where are PVD BOS and MHT</p>
<p>^ Providence RI, Boston (Logan), Manchester NH</p>
<p>^I’ll often use airport codes when referring to cities. When referring to airlines, I’ll often use their IATA codes, so UA is United Airlines and SW does not refer to Southwest Airlines and JB is not JetBlue, but rather Air Namibia and Helijet, respectively. Southwest’s 2-letter code is WN and JetBlue’s is B6.</p>
<p>Coming from the Boston area, the OP will have to make a connection or possibly have a direct flight (a flight that makes stops along the way), since no nonstop flights are available to Birmingham. Besides Atlanta (ATL), Huntsville (HSV), or Columbus, MS (GTR), one could fly into New Orleans (MSY) and either drive 3.5-5.5 hours or take the train to Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Use whatever airline is fastest/cheapest to B’ham from your home airport.</p>
<p>B’ham is an hour away from T-town…I just experienced that when taking SIL and nephew back and forth for their recent Bama visit. Rarely is there any traffic, so it’s an easy drive.</p>
<p>Does the University have a shuttle between the Birmingham airport and the school? Is it difficult to get flights/rides to the airport on dates of mass exodus, like before breaks?</p>
<p>in the case of breaks UA has a paid shuttle service ($60 RT) - run by housing (I think). They were very VERY cooperative during this last big storm when the kids were returning.</p>
<p>^Wow. That is very good to know. Very reasonable price, too!</p>
<p>When traveling West on Interstate 20/59, take exit #79 (Route 7/Route 11) You will turn or merge right at the bottom of the exit ramp. Continue on Rt 7/Rt 11 which becomes Alabama Rt 215. This is also University Blvd. Continue on University Blvd until you reach campus. </p>
<p>This is a easy in and out of campus. You will avoid major traffic on McFarland Blvd.</p>
<p>That’s certainly the most direct way, but I don’t think it’s the shortest. You have many traffic lights and you do have to go through older neighborhoods. I agree McFarland Blvd (exit 73) is too clogged with traffic and isn’t very scenic either. For the fastest way into campus, I would recommend using Interstate 359 (Exit 71B). 359 feeds directly onto Lurleen Wallace Blvd in downtown. Then you can take a right turn at University Blvd., which is the seventh and last traffic light before you cross the bridge to Northport, and head straight for campus. This will let you see downtown Tuscaloosa, the Strip and Bryant-Denny Stadium before you hit the heard of campus.</p>
<p>Taking exit 79 is not as quick as taking McFarland (exit 73) assuming that there’s no traffic. When there is traffic, exit 79 is quicker and is the route that UA’s housing shuttles take. I would not suggest that way when you’re visiting campus for for the first time, especially in the dark.</p>
<p>It’s generally easy to get flights to/from BHM during breaks. I’m having some difficultly finding inexpensive flights home for Spring Break, but that’s not usually the case.</p>