My son is attending UofR starting in the fall. Does anyone have any suggestions/experience with traveling from the Los Angeles area to Rochester? Have certain flights and/or airlines worked better? Thank you in advance!!
Can’t speak for sure for LAX, but for many other cities, Southwest turns out to be the least expensive. They also allow two free checked bags which sure helps.
To check out southwest flights you need to go to their site itself (southwest.com) as last I knew, they didn’t participate in any mega site like expedia.
Getting from the airport (ROC) to campus is super easy and costs $15 via taxi, often less if sharing a ride with friends. My son was able to go from his dorm room at 5am to being on a 6am flight once. I don’t really recommend cutting it that close - ever - but he did it.
Don’t live in LA, but in another western city. When D2 was a student at UR, she (and also me when I was flying out to visit) flew Southwest, Delta, or American between home and Rochester, NY. All flights from the West coast to Rochester will require a change of planes somewhere. Chicago (O’Hare or Midway), Denver, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Cleveland have all been intermediary cities for D2 at some point or another.
Based on D2’s experiences–some advice. For late fall and winter travel, do not book a flight that passes through Chicago–there’s too much risk of getting delayed or stranded there. (Not just true for D2, but also D1 spent way, way too much time in Chicago while trying to get to residency interviews one winter.) Minneapolis is another city to avoid during fall & winter. Denver can be hit or miss in winter as can SLC, but are better risks odd-wise than Chicago. I usually sent D2 thru Atlanta for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks & returns.
There is a good alternative to flying into Rochester itself that is often much less expensive. Buffalo is an easy 45-60 minute drive away on the NY State Thruway. This may be good option if you’ll be traveling with your child and will be renting a car anyway. Also there is Greyhound bus route between Buffalo and Rochester --D2 has also used this option: flew into Buffalo, took a cab to Greyhound station, rode the bus to Rochester and took the (free) UR shuttle to campus. (The reverse also works!) It was still cheaper than flying into Rochester directly.
Buffalo, probably because it’s a bigger airport than Rochester, seems less likely to have weather-related cancellation/delays than Rochester—they’re better at snow removal.
Basically, I put D2 on the least expensive flight I could find. Southwest does offer 2 free checked bags, but it’s no longer the least expensive option. (And hasn’t been for quite some time.)
I strongly recommend buying flight insurance on all late fall and winter flights into Rochester/Buffalo. Just in case. It costs a few extra dollars, but both D1 and D2 have gotten bumped/stranded/delayed while trying to get in/out of upstate NY in winter. Flight insurance will pay for buying a ticket on another airline and for expenses (like lodging) due to a weather delay. Both girls have needed to make travel insurance claims more than once when traveling in/out of Rochester.
I’d also suggest because Rochester is fairly small airport that you reserve flights as early as possible. The smaller planes flying in/out of Rochester fill up fast around major events–like Parent’s Weekends, graduation, Thanksgiving, semester breaks and school year starts-- and you may not be able to leave/arrive on the date you want.
Thank you!!! You gave me great info!!!
Try very hard not to take the later in the day flights. Getting stranded overnight in either of the Chicago airports is not ideal.
Have your student get a frequent flyer number for all the airlines they use. It could get them ahead in line for flights in case of delays/cancellations.
Thank you!
I’m from LA and now live in the East. Another option is to fly from LAX or Burbank or Long Beach to JFK on Jetblue then transfer to a flight to ROC or Buffalo if the times work out.
Just use Expedia to shop for fares, then always always book it directly from the airline itself. If you have flexibility on the travel date, one day’s different can make a big difference in cost. Typically, a R/T ticket will cost a lot less than two oneways.
Southwest does not participate in Expedia. You need to search SWA fares separately. Google “Southwest Airlines route map”. You’ll notice quite a cluster of airports serving the greater LA area. Look at SWA, but be aware that they are not always the cheapest.