I thought it might be helpful for those of us with kids making the “Continental Commute” to start a discussion. My DS is attending Choate in the Fall. We have met a few families in the area whose children are also going to Choate, but I am thinking that there may be more out there going not only to Choate, but to other CT/MA schools such as Loomis, Taft, Salisbury, or even Andover or Deerfield (obviously this is not an exhaustive list!). Open to kids meeting F-T-F over the summer (ha ha, with side thought of parent support group!), commuting from JFK, Logan, or anything else that anyone else can think of that would be helpful in our situation. Thanks for responding!
Hi. We are also in Los Angeles and DS going to Groton. I am starting to stress about all the preparation needed and travel logistics (ours is 13 years old). Feel free to message me.
Just finished four years at Choate and four years of no non-stops flights on any airline between our (major) airport on the left side of the country and Bradley. It really wasn’t feasible to use the NY/Newark airports due to travel time/logistics/cost, but CK never once missed a connection or had trouble getting to or from Bradley. The school’s transportation system works well, but using the NY/Newark airports from Choate is terribly time consuming and expensive.
@CaliParent1: If your daughter can travel on Southwest, I’d recommend it as they don’t charge for the first two bags or impose an unaccompanied minor fee and, at 13, your daughter is not considered a minor on SW and can travel freely. Our son never had an issue with SW, but other airlines were not so easy.
I only stressed about that first trip home alone at Thanksgiving freshman year. Once I saw how well the school handled travel logistics, I realized I didn’t need to worry. My only advice is to make sure you check your student’s exam schedule and the school’s term release dates/times carefully before you book flights. Again, SW is great about flight changes so, if you do have to adjust, they make it easy.
Good luck to all of you who are just embarking on this journey. You’re in for a fantastic time. I’m terribly sad ours is over. :((
As always, @ChoatieMom, you are a great help. Good to hear about Bradley and the reliable school transportation. In thinking about him flying solo our of JFK for a direct flight vs. flying with stopover out of Bradley, we may just go with the (more expensive) Bradley alternative, too. Freaks me out thinking of him missing a connection, so good to hear that yours never did!
My DD will be doing the opposite - east coast to Cate. Our family are all enrolled in global entry & as a domestic benefit you are eligible for TSA precheck. Has definitely already meant a lot less time at airports for us travelling to revisits this spring & DD will appreciate it as well when traveling on her own. I second flying on SW - 2 checked bags each, especially for move-in, will mean we will have less to ship/and or purchase once we are in CA. Unfortunately, they don’t go into Santa Barbara, but Burbank airport worked out well when we did the revisit.
FYI, flying info relevant to traveling minors:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1259163-flying-as-unaccompanied-minor-p1.html
Our daughter is starting at Andover in the fall. Since we just finished with (too many!) activities surrounding eighth grade I’m only now turning my attention to the logistics of actually getting her to MA in September! Thanks for the tips re SW. We have a family plan w/ jetBlue but may have to investigate SW for the reasons stated. I’ll keep checking back here, hopefully you folks can save me from becoming too overwhelmed 
@newPAmom, Choate has a lot of transportation transfer, from Logan to Newark with car services screened by the school. I am sure Andover has the same.
@choatiemom, I am wondering if you know the costs of said airport transportation to and from Choate between Newark, LaGuardia, and Bradley… I am sure to your point earlier, costs between getting kids to Bradley from Choate vs. one of the major airports (we happen to have the best options in and out of Newark) are significant!
I don’t know what it costs to travel to the NY airports as we never used them based on logistics, not cost. School transport to Bradley was $65.
@choatiemom–Yipes, I just learned the answer to this question: $100-150 each way to either LaGuardia, Kennedy, or Newark!
Yeah, that’s about what I remember, too, but I couldn’t quote it. I often wondered, though, if the additional cost to one of the NY airports might have been made up in shortened travel time on a non-stop rather than the indirect out of Bradley, but then there was the increased travel time from the school to the NY airports to consider. It was a crappy choice to have to make. 
Ticket cost to NE can be triple when you need it - beginning and end of winter break and summer vacation.
Right?!? Honestly my “deal” for his holiday return was $660!
@choatiemom–yep, a meh-meh choice either way!
CT limo picks up at Wallingford Courtyard Marriott for Bradley Airport. One way is $45 per passenger. 1 800 472 5466.
If you add a taxi to the hotel, it will about what the school transport is: 65.
Thanks, @mexusa!
CA families-book your DC’s holiday travel asap—lowest tix prices for direct flights leaving 12/18 were running $800 and change.
(Yet) another (not so) hidden cost of BS!
We are doing this in the opposite direction (NY to LA & Cate) and have a year of travel under our belts. One thing that I did which may or may not be helpful, was to try out a few different options that first year. Different airlines, airports, times, transport between airport/school etc. It was trial and error to be sure, but my DD now knows exactly what works best for her. In June, I booked all of her flights for the coming year (yes, I’m a freak!) But I was able to get good prices on the flights that she wanted.