airports close by

ChiSquare · 06-09-2008, 08:23 AM

We're thinking about visiting Amherst this summer. Other than Boston and New York, does anyone have suggestions for airports that would not be too far from Amherst? We live in Minnesota, so there are unlikely to be direct flights to smaller airports. But when I bring up a list of airports within 100 miles, I can't discern the reasonably sized from the tiny.

unregistered · 06-09-2008, 08:31 AM

Bradley Airport in Hartford is the closest major airport to Amherst. You can take a shuttle directly to/from, and in good traffic it should only take 40 minutes.

smile dog · 06-09-2008, 10:34 AM

Bradley is definitely the most convenient of the airports that are even sort of close to Amherst.

Also, if you can get down to Midway airport in Chicago, Southwest Airlines has a number of direct flights from there to Bradley. It's much easier (and cheaper) than flying in and out of O'Hare.

chaucers_pal · 06-09-2008, 11:15 AM

Yup, Bradley is a major airport, and the closest. Logan (Boston) is about 2 hours away, and Providence RI is also about 2 hours away. Manchester NH is also about 2 hourse away. I'm near Boston, and Manchester and Providence are often alternatives to Boston.

Depends on whether you'll be visiting other schools in the area. For example, if you like Amherst, you might like Brown (Providence), Trinity (Hartford), Wesleyan (CT), Williams (further west in MA), or any number of schools in the Boston area.

'rentof2 · 06-09-2008, 12:53 PM

We flew into Boston last fall when we visited because it was cheaper to fly into and we were visiting several schools. My son will use Bradley to travel to and from college starting this fall, but for purposes of touring a number of schools in the region last fall Boston made the most sense for us.

ChiSquare · 06-09-2008, 02:40 PM

Thanks everyone. Just booked a flight to/from Albany. We had been thinking of also visiting Hamilton, and this gives us a chance to do so! I'm really looking forward to seeing that part of the country.

kinetix · 07-07-2008, 11:19 PM

Bradley (Hartford) certainly is the most convenient. Wherever your child ends up going in that part of the world, keep in mind the need to make reservations well in advance. We live in South Florida and reservations for Thanksgiving and Christmas (leaving campus in December) can be tricky because of reduced flights, connections, the prospect of bad weather. and cost. Keep in mind that the exam schedule, and thus an anticipated departure date, cannot be anticipated with any reliability. During my child's two years, it has not been available until the semester was well underway. Amherst seems to function on its own clock in so many areas. There are times it seems as though they forget some students have great distances to travel and pre-planning is required. Not everyone can drive home in two to three hours. The problem may be exacerbated for those playing winter sports as I think the hockey players, for example, may have to be back before New Years.

Agent of Sense · 07-08-2008, 12:07 AM

Kinetix, how far in advanced do you book your flights for your child? Is it prudent to assume that a good day to book such flights is when the dorms close (winter recess)? What do you suggest for Thanksgiving flights? Also, did your child always return during all the breaks?

ejr1 · 07-08-2008, 07:00 AM

I just booked D's Thanksgiving flights. Booked Friday before, although Thursday would have been cheaper. D said I should have booked the prior Thursday because if you don't miss any classes, you can miss that just one before the holiday.

paying3tuitions · 07-08-2008, 11:30 AM

@Chisquare, if Bradley didn't work for you, then Albany was a very clever choice! I believe it's similar in driving time as Boston, Providence or Manchester.

@ejr1,

Quote:

D said I should have booked the prior Thursday because if you don't miss any classes, you can miss that just one before the holiday.

Without knowing the cost difference involved, I think you did right, because she could surely miss a class due to illness or time management between Sept-Nov. Then she'd be boxed in to fly on the prior Thursday and take a hit academically.

@Agent of Sense: My own experience with booking December freshman year flights is, if at all possible, wait until they get onto campus and are positive about their schedule, which isn't until the Add-Drop course period concludes. Then you know which is the actual last day of classes, and might know more about when final exams are for your own student's classes each term. In some cases, with this knowledge, you can fly them home a day or two sooner.

Without that knowledge, or in recognition of rising flight costs even as we type,
the safest thing is to choose the last day of all exams in the school. Add some hours to consider ground transportation to the airport, just in case they're unlucky enough to get an exam on the final afternoon of finals (as mine did). If the exam schedule wraps up sooner than the flight day, your student would sleep at the dorm and rest up before traveling home.

In freshman year, mine always wanted to depart for home 3 minutes after handing in their last exam. In time, they began to see value in sleeping off their exam-week sleep deprivation before trying to travel.

My D had many papers and exams in Humanities classes, while her boyfriend in Computer Science was often done before exams began because his was a project-based major. Often he was done a week sooner.

So if you can stand to stay flexible until late September before booking December, it has some advantages. I could be eating my words when I see flight prices two months from now, so the advice is given with caution.

EDIT: In general, I learned not to rush them home because if they have had to take extensions of a few days on a paper, they need some days even after their last scheduled exam of the week.

I never wanted them to rush on academics even though I wanted to see them so very much. The Mom hugs waited.

GA2012MOM · 07-09-2008, 09:29 AM

I know about the shuttle services to Bradley, but are there similar services to Albany and Boston, and any knowledge about the cost of those and the frequency?

paying3tuitions · 07-09-2008, 02:31 PM

^^What I do is google up each airport, click onto "ground transportation" and see what luck I have in terms of the cities I hope to reach. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised.

Ga2012Mom, if you care to do that, could you please report back here on connections from Albany airport to the Amherst/Northampton area, or from Boston's Logan Airport?

I do recall that once school's in session there's a shuttle for Five College Consortium students daily between UMassAmherst Student Union and Boston.It might even be free. Once in Boston, though, I don't know if stops at the airport, or just South Station. If it stops in South Station, there are many public quick hop bus shuttles between So. Satation and Logan Airport, as those two locations are just l0 minutes apart.

Laying on the info here: South Station is a big hub for intercity trains, Boston's own subways, and busses. It's tricky because you need to watch out whether Greyhound or Trailway stops at South Station or Back Bay. Be very careful. Boston has so much public transportation, you have to watch the station names and don't assume all the systems connect. If you love public transportation, however, Boston is richly endowed although confusing for so many good opportunities.

kinetix · 08-04-2008, 07:33 PM

@Paying3Tuitions

I am inclined to agree on the go slow approach to bringing them home. If you need to make a decision, err towards making the reservations for the day after the last day of exams. I do worry sometimes about weather and waiting too long, i.e., the days the dorms are set to close. My S had no sit down finals last spring but papers galore and a take home. He needed all of the days and not because he waited to get it done. Some topics or questions for take homes were not announced early so he used the time and he was glad he had the time.

@Agents of Sense

My S does not come home every break, e.g., fall mid-semester break and spring break. The travel time and cost do not justify bringing him home for the fall weekend. He has a car so he can get around town during that break. Also, for Interterm, he tends to stay home as he is not a fan of cold weather and we live in a warm climate. He also is an athlete so the warm weather allows him practice time. Similarly, he does not come home for spring break as he travels with his team. Thanksgiving flights are booked during the late summer typically.

collegiate08 · 08-04-2008, 07:57 PM

Can anyone share the specifics re: shuttle service for students to and from Bradley to Amherst? Thx.

smile dog · 08-05-2008, 06:38 PM

The one I've used the most (it's been in operation since I was a college student WA-AAAY back in the day) is Valley Transporter. Their website is valleytransporter.com. They run a regular schedule of shuttles to and from Amherst and Bradley. When you get off a flight at Bradley, there will be a desk down by the baggage claim and many, many other college students waiting around for the shuttle - you can't miss them!