<p>When we went for accepted weekend we used O'hare which took forever to get to UChicago, but we had no choice at the time. This question is for current students- do you have shuttle options at winter break that makes one better than the other? If my daughter uses Midway Airport she will need to use Southwest Airline then in Denver switch to United to get home. So, do any current students/parents have any opinion on that, too?</p>
<p>On the move in day, we are flying to Midway, why?</p>
<ol>
<li>Based on the “Parents” package, blue direction sheet, Midway is the closest.</li>
<li>Southwest allow two FREE luggages per person, we can have 6 pieces of luggage amoung three of us. Had you take any other airlines with the cost of around $25/luggage, you can figure out why.</li>
</ol>
<p>Midway is a great airport – small relative to O’Hare, fast-moving security lines. Southwest is a great airline. You can get to and from campus easily on the 55 bus for $2. So overall that’s hard to beat.</p>
<p>Is it worth transferring in Denver? I don’t know about that. If you can get economical direct flights to O’Hare, that may be a better option overall than using the more convenient option in Chicago but having to deal with connections in Denver. It probably takes an extra 70-80 minutes to get to O’Hare on public transportation from the University of Chicago (and maybe an extra 30-40 minutes and lots of $ to do it in a cab), but switching planes and airlines in Denver has to take a lot longer than that.</p>
<p>Does UChicago at winter break have any special transportation to O’hare?</p>
<p>we and S use Midway/Southwest from NYC or CT. I especially like the fact that you can pull into a garage to return or pick up a rental and then just take an elevator to get to the gate for the flight. Sure beats the set up at laGuardia or Kennedy. One downside - motels/hotels near Midway are no the best and the area isn’t either.</p>
<p>sorry not answering your question rocky but as another parent of another an incoming freshman I wanted to chime in…</p>
<p>on the visits we have made to campus already, it was wicked easy to get from midway to campus on the 55 bus that I think even my D who is not very skilled in this department would be able to do it [hopefully] without problems on her own.</p>
<p>I have already made flight reservations for her for winter break on southwest, when she finds out finals schedules I could adjust if needed. Home on Sat Dec 11 and back on Sun Jan 2.</p>
<p>Last year (daughter’s first) she used Omega Shuttle to get to Midway - about $18 one way - reserve ahead of time. They picked up at several places on campus, including right in front of South Campus Res Hall. At Christmas she wasn’t too familiar with the bus system yet and had quite a bit of luggage, so the shuttle was an easy option, though clearly a bit pricier.</p>
<p>To return to campus, the shuttle isn’t as convenient. You have to reserve ahead of time and they only run about once an hour, so you could be waiting a while at the airport. Instead she just took a taxi (about $30), sometimes sharing the ride with other UofC students. She said next year she will probably take the bus if she doesn’t have a bunch of luggage.</p>
<p>Most houses have e-mail list hosts through which students can find another person going to the airport close to when they’re leaving for cab-sharing purposes; if you get enough people interested and reserve a van cab ahead of time, a ride to Midway can run you about $6/person. Also, for incoming students: never underestimate the power of wearing a UChicago sweatshirt to the airport… I’ve found many a student going back to campus to split a cab with this way.</p>
<p>S usually flies in and out of Midway (yeah Southwest!), often catches a cab with other students on the way back, which makes it cheap and convenient.</p>
<p>S caught a shuttle from campus to O’Hare at the end of the year. I think it was free.</p>
<p>Agree with others that there are often folks to ride share with at the end of the term.</p>
<p>I have taken the 55 from Midway to campus myself. Wouldn’t want to do it alone late at night, but that applies to a lot of public transit in any major city.</p>
<p>Student Government usually funds shuttles (school buses) that depart from in front of the Reg - to Midway AND O’Hare - for free. I think they usually run Thurs-Sat of finals week each quarter. They’re free. I’ve used them multiple times.</p>
<p>depending on what time you’re flying in, what day of the week you’re coming in, and where on campus you’re trying to get to, you may have other options.</p>
<p>*I lived in South Campus when I went to UC, so everything I’m saying now is with ease of access to/from 60th and 61st Streets in mind.
- The 170 runs west across campus on 60th (just south of the Midway - dorm-wise, you’re liking this if you’re trying to get to BJ or South Campus) over to Midway, but it only runs weekdays.
- The 171 and 172 both connect with the 55 (on… 55th Street. Shocker there.) Both stop at… six? in the evening.
- Spiffy little thing to note, though - if you have Saferide’s (our campus night transport service) number, you can actually call them and arrange pickups and drop-offs within their service area even if you’re not a student. If I remember correctly, they start service at 5 on Fridays and weekends, and at 6 on other weekdays. I’m afraid I haven’t the slightest clue anymore as to what schedule they run on during holidays.
- Also, there’s a regular campus bus service thing that runs in the evening that has routes hitting 55th Street as well.</p>
<p>170 doesn’t go to Midway Airport…It only goes to Cottage Grove which is like 4? blocks from the heart of campus.</p>
<p>Saferide starts at like 4:30 on weekdays I believe. The other UChicago Buses start at 6.</p>
<p>The 59 is also a nice option and will pick you up just south of South Campus on 61st street and typically quicker ;)</p>
<p>^Thanks for noticing that 170 bus thing. I didn’t notice that the first time I read this. I’ve known other people who were confused about this too, so clarification wouldn’t hurt. The #170 bus, free with a UCID, runs a loop from 57th/Stony to 60th/Cottage Grove via 59th Street. It drives around the Midway Plaisance. This has nothing to do with Midway Airport.</p>
<p>Other than the airport shuttles during finals week, the university doesn’t have any shuttles to or from the airports.</p>
<p>The #59 is a godsend. Going west, pick it up at 61st and Ingleside, just a block west of Ellis. Eastbound, it stops at Ellis across the street from the back of South Campus. It also makes a detour up to the Garfield Red Line stop. Even though it takes a bit longer than the #55, it saves the 3/4-mile walk from 61st to 55th. I’ve found it to be faster overall, and it’s less crowded than the #55. I use the #59 to go downtown all the time.</p>
<p>Other tangent: The university shuttles are NICE. They’re much faster than the university-sponsored CTA routes, and they’re more conveniently routed too. It’s worth waiting to leave campus until after 6 pm just to use these shuttles.</p>
<p>i stand completely and utterly corrected. i never took the 170, so i made the mistake (like a ton of other people, apparently XD ) of assuming the “midway” of uchicago/midway meant midway and not THE midway.</p>
<p>the 59 i just forgot about altogether. =) if i was trying to get to/back from the airport, i was either leaving/arriving too late in the day, or getting in on a sunday. i was fine with the green line, so i’d usually hoof it to 63rd & cottage grove if i was going into town.</p>
<p>We’ve used both Midway and Ohare. As others have mentioned, it all depends on time and cost. </p>
<p>Whatever you do, do NOT assume Southwest is always the lowest cost. I can guarantee you that sometimes it is more. Sometimes much more. If price matters, you should comparison shop. </p>
<p>A few other things to consider:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Ohare has many more flights in and out. This means more choices when things get bad, but more delays when things get bad. One Thanksgiving, D’s flight out of Ohare was 7 hours late leaving Ohare. That meant a 3:30 AM pickup at Logan. Whether it would have been that delayed out of Midway, or just cancelled, I don’t know. </p></li>
<li><p>Because of traffic, one really should allow two extra hours when departing from Ohare, or plan on some tough public transit connections. Not the worst problems in the world, but something to think about.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>S took a cab to Midway at 5 this morning for around $30. The round trip airfare was very favorable and it’s a much shorter trip to Midway than to O’Hare so he could sleep a little longer (we worry about this, he probably doesn’t care). The shuttle, if there had been one at this time, runs around $18.</p>
<p>The 55 bus, which goes right to Midway, costs $2 (or thereabouts). It takes about 40 minutes from campus.</p>
<p>CTA fare is 2.25. You use a fare card which you purchase in a train station, from a machine, in increments of twenty-five cents. The machine eats paper money and coins. You can’t get them on the buses. You will learn all this stuff during O-week.</p>
<p>To get to O’Hare: You take a shuttle, bus, cab or your dorm friend’s parent’s car to the blue line downtown. The blue line is going to let you off by the elevator down to the people moving sidewalk at O’Hare.</p>