Hi all, we are trying to determine the most cost effective and least painful way for our daughter to fly to Ithaca from Northern California if she decides to attend IC. Any experienced parents out there with any tips? Have any of your kids taken the bus from La Guardia or Newark? What about Syracuse as an option to fly into? Let me know.
It’s kind of a funny question because flying into Ithaca is not that easy. The airport is pretty small and only a few airlines fly there, but you can do it. Some people fly into Syracuse, Binghamton each an hour drive away or Elmira which is 45minutes. Some people fly into NYC and take a bus up which is about a 4 hour ride.
Thanks @MTmama17! I will have to research the neighboring airports.
I used to fly out of Syracuse when I had to, or took the bus to NYC. Unfortunately, Ithaca is not the easiest to get to if you aren’t within a drive.
When my daughter was accepted, we visited and fly to Syracuse from SoCal then rented a car. When she was attending, mostly Syracuse. She took the Cornell Bus to/from Syracuse during break.
My daughter’s best friend/roommate was from Seattle, and she used to fly out of Syracuse. My nephews from SFO used to fly into NYC and take a bus from NYC to Ithaca. You can also fly into Ithaca from NYC, but you would need to plan ahead to book one of those flights and they get cancelled sometimes.
I was wondering the same. Does anyone have advice on flying from Socal to Ithaca? I see that american airlines fly to Ithaca airport. Would this be the quickest way?
^ Quickest. Yes. Quickest to be cancelled too. Specially during winter.
I didn’t even know there was an airport in Ithaca. Seems to me it would make sense to fly to Syracuse and then get a bus. The college must have some kind of shuttle.
Yep, there is a small airport in Ithaca. https://flyithaca.com
Very limited flights, very susceptible to cancellation.
Ithaca is a small airport with limited flights, but let me put in a plug for flying there via Detroit. Detroit is a major Delta hub with connections to major cities all over the US, and it’s a great airport with fewer delays than the big east coast hubs. There are about 3 flights a day between Ithaca and Detroit. Fares might be a tad higher, but not if you plan ahead.
OP asked: " What is the best way to fly to Ithaca? "
Answer: In an airplane.
Lol @Publisher
One of my daughter’s friend when she was attending Cornell is filthy rich. Her Dad had a private plane and flew to/from Ithaca.