<p>Thanks for the kind words Montegut. He’s a good kid so helping him is an easy thing to do.</p>
<p>sophocles, the BHM - ATL shuttle is run by The Airport Express. I’ve linked their website below. </p>
<p>[The</a> Airport Express | Safe, Reliable Shuttle Service](<a href=“http://www.theairportexpress.com/]The”>http://www.theairportexpress.com/)</p>
<p>^^^To Seatide, first off, you are my hero. I think that it is great that you are so adventurous and are taking advantage of the freedom of your youth. </p>
<p>As for the RA being last to leave, the Riverside director told us the same thing when I mentioned our RA asking the kids to check out even before the deadline. We were able to comply with his request, but it was also my understanding, that was part of the sacrifice you make for the RA status, you have to stay later than everyone else.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up on going back on Sunday. We’ll want to savor every minute we can on break with son, but will not enjoy the 12 hour drive in one day again.</p>
<p>Son’s community director at his dorm offered an extension of the 5pm move-out but only for the evening of Mar. 11, not overnight into Sat. morning. </p>
<p>Thanks for the link, NJ. I’ll keep that in my files; may come in handy sometime!</p>
<p>Son’s flying in tomorrow, amidst a forecast of 4-6 inches of snow. He’ll be in for a rude surprise after the balmy weather in T-town!</p>
<p>but will not enjoy the 12 hour drive in one day again</p>
<p>Is that round trip?</p>
<p>I believe so. New Orleans is a six-or-so hour drive from Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Montegut, you should look into AMTRAK for your sons return to campus. Prices are usually reasonable and it’s only a $5 - $10 cab ride from the station to campus. </p>
<p>I know the Crescent line runs from New Orleans through Tuscaloosa and it doesn’t take much longer by train than it does by car.</p>
<p>edit: I just looked at the site and it’s $57 for a ticket from New Orleans - Tuscaloosa. Trip is scheduled to take 5:45 which isn’t bad. If you have a Student Advantage card you save 15% off the rate as well.</p>
<p>ldinct: My advice regarding flights at Thanksgiving is not to do anything until your son checks the syllabus for his classes. Nothing like making plans for a flight only to learn that your son has an exam or project due, and he cannot make it to the airport in time.</p>
<p>*I just looked at the site and it’s $57 for a ticket from New Orleans - Tuscaloosa. Trip is scheduled to take 5:45 which isn’t bad. If you have a Student Advantage card you save 15% off the rate as well.
*</p>
<p>That’s much cheaper than gas and what a time saver!</p>
<p>I have taken the Amtrak Crescent from New York to Tuscaloosa, it is a very nice train just a very long ride.</p>
<p>NJBama - Your parents are obviously loving and did a great job raising you and your siblings that you all care for eachother. Thank you for the link to The Airport Express, coming from west coast sometimes a flight to Atlanta would be great but then no ATL -BHM connection, this may help. DS is leaving Dallas connection as I write, he too missed Friday class for the cheaper fare but made sure that would not pose a problem.</p>
<p>I am bumping this to ask how the current freshman and the seasoned students are doing this school year in terms of travel to UA. This is really my only concern for D choosing to attend UA. We are 12 hours by car, so she’d mainly be flying to and from UA. Does anyone have any travel tips for us? I get so far that we shouldn’t fly US Airways! Was your student able to make it home for fall break and Thanksgiving? Also, do you think that they’ll be able to make it home at Easter?</p>
<p>I’m concerned about this as well. We are in Michigan…15-16 hour drive. DS will have to fly several times a year. My only other thought is if there are kids in the midwest who are driving, Ds could ride with them to their house and we could pick him up from there (Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, etc.)</p>
<p>Please don’t let travel concerns stop your daughter from attending UA. We live in central OH which is 11 hours from campus. I now have two students at UA. My current Senior flew to BHM at the beginning of his Freshman year. I shipped many of his belongings ahead of time. Southwest does not charge bag fees. He had no problem taking a shuttled from the airport to campus on move in day. He flew home at Fall break. He and I drove his car back to UA and I took a one way flight back home the following day. The last three summers, my son stored his belongings in a storage unit.
Fast forward to this Fall…
My older son could not come home but my Freshman son found two other students to share the drive back to OH. He used the Facebook Roll Tide Ride Share page.
UA also arranges multiple Shuttles to and from BHM for the heavy travel days (Thanksgiving, End of Semester, Spring Break).
You may want to check with your local recruiter. He/She may provide you with the names and contact numbers of other students in your area. I know Central Ohio has at least 20 students at UA. With a little planning, getting to and from campus is not difficult.
<p>Kids take shuttles to the B’ham airport.</p>
<p>You must make a reservation.</p>
<p>Cost:
One-way - $40;
Round trip - $60 (when booked at time of original reservations)
Note: We accept Visa, Mastercard, checks, and money orders. We do not accept cash.</p>
<p>Luggage is limited to one carry-on bag and one medium suitcase</p>
<p>Shuttles depart campus from the Crimson Ride Hub at the intersection of Campus Drive and Hackberry Lane and pick up outside the baggage claim area at the Birmingham airport</p>
<p>Airport Shuttle Reservations are now being accepted through the Housing and Residential Communities Office in Mary Burke Hall. Reservations must be made in person by the student. Please call 205-348-6676 for more information </p>
<p>**Housing and Residential Communities
2011 - 2012 Birmingham Airport Shuttle Schedule **</p>
<p>This is for the CURRENT year…next year’s dates will be different!</p>
<p>Fall Break
Thursday, October 27th, departure times will be 8am, 1pm, 4pm
Friday, October 28th, departure time will be 8am</p>
<p>Pick Up
Sunday, October 30th, pick up times will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm</p>
<p>Thanksgiving Break
Tuesday, November 22nd, departure times will be 8am, 11am, 2pm
Wednesday, November 23rd, departure times will be 8am, 11am</p>
<p>Pick Up
Sunday, November 27th, pick up times will be 11:30am, 1pm, 4pm, 8pm</p>
<p>Winter Break
Thursday, December 15th, departure times will be 8am, 11am, 2pm
Friday, December 16th, departure times will be 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm
Saturday, December 17th, departure time will be 9am</p>
<p>Pick Up
Saturday, January 7th, pick up time will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm
Sunday, January 8th, pick up time will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm
Monday, January 9th, pick up time will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm
Tuesday, January 10th, pick up time will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm</p>
<p>Spring Break
Thursday, March 8th, departure times will be 2pm, 5pm
Friday, March 9th, departure times will be 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm</p>
<p>Pick Up
Sunday, March 18th, pick up times will be 1pm, 4pm, 8pm</p>
<p>If the above dates/times don’t work for you, you can arrange a shuttle for your child thru the company. some kids arrange to share one to save money. </p>
<p>Birmingham Airport Shuttle (suggested services)</p>
<p>Housing and Residential Communities (Breaks only): 205-348-6676
Crown Limo and Sedan Services: 205-758-3875
Prestige Limo Service: 205-333-9879
Taxi Service (may also provide airport transportation)</p>
<p>Sterling Limo Cab: 205-242-2689
Yellow Cab of Tuscaloosa: 205-331-5016
On Time Transportation: 205-219-9673 email: email: tonystransportation24hours AT yahoo DOT com
Alpha and Omega Taxi Service: 205-394-0374
Deluxe Taxi: 205-758-2831
Radio Cab: 205-758-2831
Limo Service (may also provide airport transportation)</p>
<p>Crown Limo and Sedan Services: 205-758-3875
Prestige Limo Service: 205-333-9879
Ambassador Limo: 205-556-5466
Bus Service</p>
<p>Greyhound Bus: 205-758-6651
Railway</p>
<p>Amtrak: 1-800-872-7245</p>
<p>*Was your student able to make it home for fall break and Thanksgiving? * </p>
<p>Unless you have a lot of money, it’s not necessary to fly kids home for Fall Break and T-giving. Many kids make plans with friends (have T-giving at a local home) or go somewhere with a pal for Fall Break…or just stay in dorm and catch up on sleep!</p>
<p>T-giving is a time when many kids want to be on campus - especially if the Iron Bowl is in T-town…which it will be next fall. Bama hosts a T-giving meal on campus with all the trimmings. It’s $5 a head and all money goes to charity.</p>
<p>We are 13 hours from T-Town, and that distance never deterred my son in selecting Alabama. The first year, he used the campus shuttle for most of his rides to and from the airport. Now, he usually gets a ride with a roommate or friend.</p>
<p>That said, as time as rolled on, his travels home have decreased for a variety of reasons. First, fall break was just two days and a weekend – he felt that it was too short to return, and too expensive. Second, he had tickets to the Alabama/Auburn game the past two years so he wanted to stay in or near T-Town so he could attend the game. Third, he had other commitments to honor academically or with his fraternity so coming home was not in his plans.</p>
<p>Getting to and from UA via BHM is no big deal and learning how to travel independently is a valuable educational experience. Someday I’ll tell y’all the full story about how my son tried to board a flight Dec 17 to meet us in Vancouver for a XMAS holiday, only to discover, much to his negligent chagrin, that his passport had expired six days earlier.</p>
<p>Over the next five days, including a frantic road trip to the passport office in Atlanta that just beat a critical deadline by less than 10 minutes, he obtained a Ph.D. in Travel Resiliency. Yet another priceless example of UA’s hidden curriculum. 
</p>
<p>PS his phone has now been programmed with an alarmed passport renewal reminder on Sept 1, 2021.</p>
<p>We are 18ish hours from T-Town, Upstate NY. I will echo the thought of other parents not to let the distance deter your student from going to UA, we have found it manageable. </p>
<p>Our D has used Southwest with good results. Fortunately we have relatives 20 min. from BWI in Baltimore so she makes that her connector in the event there is an overnight delay this has only happened once so far when returning from her recruiting visit last year; a delay out of BHM resulted in missing the last flight out of BWI. </p>
<p>She chose not to come home for Thanksgiving because it would be only two weeks later that she would be home for Christmas break. I think there are many OOS kids who stay on campus at T-giving or go to friends more local because the T-giving break is so short. As we had been told, southern hospitality is prevalent and she was invited to a teammates home in GA for T-giving where she had a wonderful time and felt very welcomed; not to mention she told us the turkey was the best she ever had :). Although we missed her, we face timed on Tgiving Day and could tell she was happy and enjoying her time in GA where she had never been before so we were grateful for the new experience she was having and family that welcomed her as one of their own. She does have a vehicle on campus so she was able to drive to GA w/the teammate. But had she not the teammates Dad would of come to get them. My husband and he spoke prior to their departure to assure our D would be comfortable with the roads etc., so again that southern hospitality and concern for our D like their own was so reassuring. She will remain on campus for Spring break due to athletic commitments therefore for us it is turning out to be only the one flight a year for Christmas.</p>
<p>Because her departure and return dates for Christmas did not coincide with the norm the school shuttle availability, one of her roommates/teammates with a vehicle and another took her to the airport at 4am on her departure date. Our experience has been that the kids really are there for one another and will help out with rides. We were very impressed they would get up so early to help her out and that the second went along to make sure the driver wasnt alone on her way back. Upon return she met up w/2 other teammates and used the below car service which she gave very good reviews:<br>
Flat Rate Taxi Call or Text: (205) 585-0132
Out Of Town Rates - Flat Rate Taxi</p>
<p>So rest assured that things will all work out .I think the kids at this age are more tolerant of travel delays, switching planes etc. and more at ease in finding rides and arranging things with friends vs. their ole parents they just take it all in stride and as malania noted it is all an additional learning and growing experience for them.</p>
<p>* that his passport had expired six days earlier.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Note to those whose passports were gotten prior to age 16. I believe that those only last for 5 years. So, if your child got his/hers around at age 13, it’s expiring soon.</p>
<p>Note to self…my DL expires in a few days…and I’m flying to Calif next week. :/</p>
<p>A little advice for OOS air travel to BHM…Often your student may want to delay their return to campus until the very last minute of vacation, try to encourage them to get up early and get the earliest flights out of town and back into BHM possible…I think it really helps to avoid delays to get on those early flights…they can always catch up on their sleep on the way there or once back on campus…Our D did this for her departure and return for Christmas break and it all went smoothly as did that of the two girls she met up with in BHM to ride share back to T-town vs. the experience of many other teammates who waited to fly out later on their last day and ended up with several travels delays. We told her…Flying is like going to the Dr’s…It is worth getting up and getting the first appointment so you get in/out before the Dr. gets behind!</p>