<p>Delta flew a 737-800 and 757-200, specifically flights 8898 and 8899, into Tuscaloosa for the UA football charters. For the 2009 National Championship, UA chartered 2 Delta 757-200s out of Tuscaloosa for the football team and an Allegiant MD-80, a Sun Country 737-800, and an AirTran 737-800 out of Birmingham for the Million Dollar Band and other UA groups. The MDB likely chartered busses for this year’s game.</p>
<p>D1 and I are heading to Tuscaloosa next week to check out the school. FWIW, I wish there were a closer airport too.</p>
<p>Being an hour away from the airport (before/after likely connecting flights to NY) is a major factor in S’s decision whether to attend UA next year.</p>
<p>Frankly, it shouldn’t be a “major factor”. We’re talking about something that happens a few times a year. Many schools will be 30+ minutes away from an airport anyway (or worse since many schools are in high-traffic areas). The T-town to Bham trip is not heavy traffic. </p>
<p>Heck, my older son attends grad school in a major city which, of course, has a major airport and it still takes over 45 minutes to get there. </p>
<p>I guess if the decision is down to two schools that are both equally desirable it could be a factor, but when you consider “day to day” academic and college life doesn’t include airport travel, it shouldn’t be a big deal.</p>
<p>^^^I agree with m2ck. When I went to Cal, the Oakland Airport was 30 minutes away on a good day, way more on a bad one. SFO was typically 45-60 minutes away. It was never a big deal, just took a little planning. </p>
<p>I’ve now driven the route between BHM and Tuscaloosa several times and it’s typically been a traffic-friendly 50-60 minute trip. </p>
<p>FWIW.</p>
<p>Being close to a major airport was a big part of son’s decision TO attend Bama. With Auburn, it seemed it was problematic getting to a nearby airport. We are driving distance, but son likes to fly home, and we drive him back to campus so he has maximum time home. He’s taken the shuttle, but when he can, he gets a ride to the airport, often with a friend from Hoover or Huntsville who is heading home for the break as well, so it’s not out of their way. I tell him to pay them the same he would pay for the shuttle, as they’re doing him a favor working on his schedule, not the shuttle’s.</p>
<p>There were many colleges we wanted to visit where the closest airport was about two hours away. Son would have none of that, and they were quickly taken off the list, even though I really wanted him to look at them!</p>
<p>I fly to Houston very often to take care of my mom, and I’d say the drive from Hobby to my mom’s nursing home, which is IN HOUSTON, is about as far as the drive from BHM to Tuscaloosa. And the Alabama drive is much nicer and less stressful!</p>
<p>*I fly to Houston very often to take care of my mom, and I’d say the drive from Hobby to my mom’s nursing home, which is IN HOUSTON, is about as far as the drive from BHM to Tuscaloosa. And the Alabama drive is much nicer and less stressful! *</p>
<p>Exactly! An airport can be in the SAME city and still take awhile to get there. </p>
<p>There were many colleges we wanted to visit where the closest airport was about two hours away</p>
<p>Yes, when you’re talking that distance and time, it’s a bigger deal. I know that we excluded one school because the nearest airport was a quite a distance away…the school was in a rural area.</p>
<p>I had to laugh when someone from Boston commented that UAH was in a “rural area”…UAHuntsville is about 5 minutes from an international airport …you could practically walk…hardly a rural area. And, of couse, Huntsville is a good-sized city and metropolitan area.</p>
<p>The only real problem with having to go Birmingham Airport is the lack of a reliable, affordable and simple method of public transportation. When flying from Birmingham, trying to get between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham can sometimes cost as much as the plane ticket itself, whether in the form of taking a taxi or shuttle, trying to park a car at the airport overnight, or arranging a ride from a friend.</p>
<p>I think it would be a real smart investment to look into a express bus service between BHM and somewhere in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>^^^I agree. Maybe one of those smart business majors from Bama will start up a company!</p>
<p>I’m in agreement with feenotype and Montegut that the lack of affordable transportation between Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham Airport. While there are UA shuttles during break periods, they don’t work for many flights.</p>
<p>All things considered, Tuscaloosa is not that far from Birmingham. The drive from my home in a city slightly larger than Tuscaloosa to the airport in Seattle is anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours; it is often quicker to drive north and fly out of an airport near the Canadian border. That said, it is possible to spend less than $7 and ride city busses or pay $30 for a scheduled shuttle. </p>
<p>Part of the reason I chose UA is that it was close to an airport that was inexpensive to fly to and from. By comparison, the University of South Carolina is in Columbia, but to get inexpensive flights, one often has to drive the 90+ minutes to Charlotte.</p>
<p>I have to admit that I worry about this for D, especially since someone posted on here that the shuttle bus never showed up to pick up their student after winter break. What if you don’t know anyone on campus with a car? I wouldn’t want my daughter stuck in an airport trying to figure out how to get to campus. What are the options to get from the airport to campus and what is the cost of each?</p>
<p>When you reserve a shuttle space you are given a number to call. UA takes care of its kids. </p>
<p>The limo is pricey. I don’t remember exactly and I haven’t used it for more than a year but $140 (???) comes to mind. It is worth it if more than one student is sharing.
We never heard how the student who’s shuttle was late worked things out, or I don’t remember reading about it. I doubt they are still at the airport, though :)</p>
<p>Also, she will make friends and find reference phone numbers quickly. I have the name and number of a pastor’s wife: we met on a plane as I flew home and their family was headed on vacation…nothing more in common than my son goes to college in their state and we’re all friendly people.</p>
<p>Your daughter will be safe. My son slept in the Birmingham airport last year waiting for a 3am connection on a trip to China. And I suspect it wasn’t that the shuttle never showed this Monday. Storms in the midwest messed up a lot of schedules and the shuttle my son rode back to campus on Monday was running about an hour late. Worked well for him since his plane was 2 1/2 hours late.</p>
<p>I know concerns for girls tend to be a different level than concerns for young men. And I am a worrier, too, so I do understand. But this isn’t a big problem.</p>
<p>So many kids and people use these services that it isn’t as if she will be in a foreign, hostile country. She will be surrounded by folks from Alabama who support the school and its students and will be helpful. (I’m from the west coast and generally speaking, its everyone for himself out here! So Alabama has a place in my heart and so do its people.)</p>
<p>Presumably, your daughter knows basic safety practices for any public place. But the Birmingham airport isn’t a scary place.</p>
<p>As M2CK notes, transportation from BMH to Tuscaloosa should not be a major factor in someone’s decision about attending UA.</p>
<p>Deep breath!</p>
<p>It’s just that S’s other choices are Georgia Tech (direct flight and short train ride from ATL), and several schools within driving distance of home. The thought of 30+ min drive to NY airport, followed by two flights with connection, then another hour ride to campus (at considerable cost), is daunting.</p>
<p>Cost is a consideration so you do want to get tickets as early as possible.</p>
<p>I guess I look at it all as learning and as experience.</p>
<p>We had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with Sea-tide and he not only has great attitude but has made his travel a bit of a game. I bow to his expertise in this area and have seen that my son embraces lay-overs, seat bumps (with appropriate compensation) and frequent flyer miles that the young should enjoy. I think Sea-tide approaches his trips this way.</p>
<p>They have a lifetime to get jaded to these inconveniences. At their age: these are adventures and opportunities!</p>
<p>I have to admit that I worry about this for D, especially since someone posted on here that the shuttle bus never showed up to pick up their student after winter break.</p>
<p>I wish that parent would post and let us know what happened.</p>
<p>Since no one has reported such a thing before, I’m wondering if there was some confusion because originally there wasn’t scheduled shuttles for that Saturday…they were added later because of the change in move-in dates. </p>
<p>Or maybe the shuttle was there, but the student wasn’t in the right place? </p>
<p>* The thought of 30+ min drive to NY airport, followed by two flights with connection, then another hour ride to campus (at considerable cost), is daunting. *</p>
<p>Considerable cost? Well, there is a cost, but it sounds like the Bama scholarships are so substantial that going elsewhere will cost a lot more than Bama’s costs and shuttle costs. With the Presidential and engineering scholarship, basic costs will be less than $10k per year. How much will the other schools cost?</p>
<p>I really don’t think it’s a big deal for these kids. Many of them do “study abroads” where travel is an all-day event.</p>
<p>I can sympathize with the poster’s concern about cost and time and flight connections. My son had his heart set on a particular school in the Midwest, so much so that he didn’t even want to apply anywhere else. We live in the Deep South, in a city with an airport, so you would think travel wouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>Well, when we visited the college during the summer, we experienced the problems. We missed our connection in Charlotte and had to spend the night in a hotel, at our expense, with no luggage, and couldn’t get on a flight until the next afternoon! We missed an important athletic event while we twiddled our thumbs in the hotel waiting for our flight.</p>
<p>It made son, and us, certainly rethink attending this school. Add to that, they didn’t give him nearly the scholarship that Bama did, so he knew he would only be able to come home for Christmas and move out. I don’t know what we would have done if he had gone to that school and they kicked him out of the dorms at Spring Break, like Bama does. </p>
<p>So, I certainly have a lot of sympathy for those that, despite the generous scholarships, traveling would be problematic. It’s not just about money. It’s about time, and the comforting feeling to know that you can go home easily if you need to, or want to.</p>
<p>Mom2K, as you said the scholarship certainly makes up for any travel expenses.
I would rather spend the money to make sure my D gets back to campus safely- but that is because I realize how fortunate we are to have her tuition paid for. What other companies could she use to travel to campus if the college shuttle doesn’t work out? And if possible, what are the costs, contact info, etc.</p>
<p>My S has used Birmingham Door to Door for every trip so far. Very reliable, it’s about $80 one way, I think $120RT.</p>
<p>I am going to throw in my two cents here and I really hope I don’t offend y’all. Three of our four have attended/attend college far enough away that they had to rely on air travel to get to and from school (D#2 was a 3 hr drive). The two older ones had major airports in the vicinity while baby D has to rely on B’ham. To prepare them for this we did a couple of things. First we had them fly solo as soon as they turned 16. We were lucky in that our oldest D went to Columbia NYC and so her siblings would fly to La Guardia and then had to take the bus up to Morningside Heights. Big sis did it 1 time each with them and then they were on their own. We had some panic and tears a couple of times but they all mastered the process…great learning experience. Since they also at times did not fly non stop, they each also got to experience the flight delay/canceled flight scenario. With cell phones ect DH was able to help them and talk them through the process…again great prep for the future.<br>
The message I want to convey is that the whole travel thing is a part of the “growing up” process. As parents we worry and want everything to go smooth for our dear children but that isn’t life. PRACTICE with your child!!! PRACTICE college scenarios…help them problem solve. We all have incredibly bright and gifted children and you would be surprised how resilient they are and how well they will handle different challenging situations. It’s hard…trust me…we teethed on the first one (it gets easier).
So don’t let the potential travel impact your decision. Just do your homework (with your child fulling participating at your side). Have a plan (we use a moleskin book to write numbers and info for all situations). Make sure your child knows what the plan is and is comfortable with it.
Two spring breaks ago we spent a week in London with all of our kids…rented a flat in Covent Garden. At that time Bama D was a senior. They all had keys and the ability to come and go as they pleased, We did activities as a family but we encouraged them to strike out on their own or with a sibling. It was a fabulous week and all agreed that it was a huge success. DH and I went onto Barcelona for a week and the kids flew home, all on separate airplanes. Bama D got stuck in Charlotte NC…and eventually her flight was canceled. She had a credit card…and was able to rebook her plane to KC, figured out how to deal with a 7 hour delay, and although it wasn’t ideal she survived (thanks to her handy dandy book). This helped prepare for the delays heading back to school last Christmas break when the kids took a sibling trip to Disney World and there were weather issues.
Just prepare…practice and plan…trust me don’t let the airport situation be a deciding factor…(oh this mantra applies to all “potential” college situations…it’s been a terrific mantra for us!!!)</p>
<p>My S has used Executive Shuttle (eshuttle.net) twice, very nice and flexible on the phone, I believe a shared ride was around $45-55? They are online and you can call and ask them if they have anyone else scheduled to go to UA at a similar time and will put you together to save $.
They were very VERY helpful in getting DS and others back to campus after the freak winter storm last Jan. Just very nice people.
Also this board is full of parents of students who need to get to/from the airport and many a ride has been arranged (along with shared storage spaces for summer as well!)</p>