Have you taken a city bus or light rail to the airport?
#1
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Have you taken a city bus or light rail to the airport?
Have you take a city bus or light rail or commuter rail to the airport. How you get there? Is that easy way or hard ways?
I used take a city bus to PHX Skytrain 44th St station. I rode on route 44. From Desert Ridge Marketplace. All the way down to PHX Skytrain 44th St station.
I used take a city bus to PHX Skytrain 44th St station. I rode on route 44. From Desert Ridge Marketplace. All the way down to PHX Skytrain 44th St station.
#2
Join Date: May 2018
Location: SJC
Posts: 64
Yes! Many times. This is my preferred way to get to an airport. No worries about finding a parking spot. No worries about the expense. No worries about vehicle security. Also, a chance to sit back and mentally review my travel preparations.
All such trips begin for me by walking from my home to the nearest transit bus stop. Then a local transit bus, to an express transit bus, to light rail, to an airport shuttle. The only downside is that this doesn't work for a 6AM departure or 11PM arrival.
How you get there? Is that easy way or hard ways?
#3
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There are many bus routes to airports that I've taken. What is unusual is if the bus service is infrequent or not intended for the airport. Examples include:
MSY New Orleans. They must not want you to take the bus. It doesn't go to the French Quarter but quite a ways walk from it. It also mainly goes to the airport in the early morning and late afternoon.
MLN Melilla, Spanish controlled city in North Africa. There may be a bus but I took a bus to at least 1 mile away then walked.
JFK New York. There's Air Train service to the subway system. However, if you take the much less trafficked bus, it's cheaper.
SDF Louisville. There's infrequent bus service.
MSY New Orleans. They must not want you to take the bus. It doesn't go to the French Quarter but quite a ways walk from it. It also mainly goes to the airport in the early morning and late afternoon.
MLN Melilla, Spanish controlled city in North Africa. There may be a bus but I took a bus to at least 1 mile away then walked.
JFK New York. There's Air Train service to the subway system. However, if you take the much less trafficked bus, it's cheaper.
SDF Louisville. There's infrequent bus service.
#4
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It's still slow, about twice the time as a cab would be, but for $2, the value can't be beat.
https://jptransit.org/route/e1-veterans/
#5
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Many times, to/from many different airports, including:
LGA
JFK
EWR
ALB
ITH
ROC
BUF
ORD
SAN
LAX
LAS
DCA
LHR
PRG
MAD
When departing once from YQB, the scheduled local bus between downtown and the airport did not operate in the early afternoon. So I took a different bus out to a KFC (known as "PFK" in Québec) near the airport, had lunch there, and then took a different bus for the short (4-mile) ride to the airport. (Sadly, all of Québec City's PFKs have since closed.)
Some cities, of course, also have special express-bus service to their airports. And some other cities have long-distance bus services that go to airport terminals in larger cities that are one-three hours away. From Downtown Ithaca, for example, OurBus provides a one-seat ride to SYR, ROC, and BUF airports.
LGA
JFK
EWR
ALB
ITH
ROC
BUF
ORD
SAN
LAX
LAS
DCA
LHR
PRG
MAD
When departing once from YQB, the scheduled local bus between downtown and the airport did not operate in the early afternoon. So I took a different bus out to a KFC (known as "PFK" in Québec) near the airport, had lunch there, and then took a different bus for the short (4-mile) ride to the airport. (Sadly, all of Québec City's PFKs have since closed.)
Some cities, of course, also have special express-bus service to their airports. And some other cities have long-distance bus services that go to airport terminals in larger cities that are one-three hours away. From Downtown Ithaca, for example, OurBus provides a one-seat ride to SYR, ROC, and BUF airports.
Last edited by guv1976; Sep 3, 2022 at 9:44 pm
#6
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I always check and like guv1976 have used bus/train from many, many airports--far more often than by car.
Ironically I do often travel by car to my home airports (DCA, IAD) but I typically assess the time of day and especially for IAD bus or metro is often practical and only a little slower. My specific location suffers a bit from the "last mile" problem that service within a mile of my house is often not all that frequent. Conversely, my location is fortunate to have reliable taxi service and IAD parking is quite well-organized.
At BOS, JFK, and LGA, bus/train can be faster than driving/taxi depending on traffic. (Years ago I remember a friend headed off on a long trip with tons of luggage recruited 2 of us to accompany him on the train instead of chancing traffic.)
European airports almost always have a well-organized bus or train system (MAD, SVQ, LIS, OPO, BIO, FRA, DUS, ZRH, BSL, LHR, MXP, ...) and it is almost always possible to look up the information in advance so that you know what bus/train line/number you're looking for.
Ironically I do often travel by car to my home airports (DCA, IAD) but I typically assess the time of day and especially for IAD bus or metro is often practical and only a little slower. My specific location suffers a bit from the "last mile" problem that service within a mile of my house is often not all that frequent. Conversely, my location is fortunate to have reliable taxi service and IAD parking is quite well-organized.
At BOS, JFK, and LGA, bus/train can be faster than driving/taxi depending on traffic. (Years ago I remember a friend headed off on a long trip with tons of luggage recruited 2 of us to accompany him on the train instead of chancing traffic.)
European airports almost always have a well-organized bus or train system (MAD, SVQ, LIS, OPO, BIO, FRA, DUS, ZRH, BSL, LHR, MXP, ...) and it is almost always possible to look up the information in advance so that you know what bus/train line/number you're looking for.
#7
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Done it a bunch of times, and at many airports it's preferable, at least from some start/end points.
PDX
BOS
ATL
TXL
IAD
LAX if you count Flyaway, which is operated by LAWA
EWR
LGA
SFO
OAK
YUL
LUX
probably a few others.
I've walked to a few:
SEA from an off-airport hotel
GOH
RKV
PDX
BOS
ATL
TXL
IAD
LAX if you count Flyaway, which is operated by LAWA
EWR
LGA
SFO
OAK
YUL
LUX
probably a few others.
I've walked to a few:
SEA from an off-airport hotel
GOH
RKV
Last edited by chrisl137; Sep 11, 2022 at 2:56 pm Reason: add LUX
#8
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Taken public transport system vehicles to get to and or from lots of major metropolitan area airports in the US, Canada and in Europe. Also some airports in Asia and in Oceania.
Sometimes it’s easier, cheaper, more interesting and/or faster to go the public transport way; and at other times it’s more convenient to take a car/taxi instead whether or not it costs more in time and/or money.
Sometimes it’s easier, cheaper, more interesting and/or faster to go the public transport way; and at other times it’s more convenient to take a car/taxi instead whether or not it costs more in time and/or money.
#9
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,735
For the last 14 years I've lived an 8 minute walk from a regional rail station that goes directly to PHL. Ticket price is less than half the cost of 1 day's parking charge anywhere near the airport. I can't imagine driving to the airport these days, between hideous traffic delays and the cost of parking.
#10
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Also, I knows Chicago Transit very well. Over a decade ago, I flew to ORD to see my brother and my niece. I took on Blue Line from O'Hare to Clark/Lake station. I know how to get there. I rode on rail for 40 minutes to downtown Chicago. It's very easy. My brother wait for me at the station. When I get off the rail. It's perfect! I don't need help from other people. When I went on the website before I fly out from PHX. I print it out a map.
#11
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Have you take a city bus or light rail or commuter rail to the airport. How you get there? Is that easy way or hard ways?
I used take a city bus to PHX Skytrain 44th St station. I rode on route 44. From Desert Ridge Marketplace. All the way down to PHX Skytrain 44th St station.
I used take a city bus to PHX Skytrain 44th St station. I rode on route 44. From Desert Ridge Marketplace. All the way down to PHX Skytrain 44th St station.
#12
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What a shame that PHX passed up single ride service to the airport terminals. When T4 was constructed in the 1980s a rail terminal was carved out of the basement level which was intended for pass thru light rail service between downtown and Tempe. Due to federal funding restrictions an intra-airport Skytrain got far greater funding than running Metro Light Rail directly thru the airport terminals like MSP or PHL enjoy. So PHX is saddled with the very inconvenient two train service with a ridiculously lengthy connection at 44th St that not many want to use.
#14
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Off the top of my head I know I've taken public transit to/from the following airports:
US Domestic:
-ATL (MARTA) (Both to downtown and also because there were times rather than paying to park at the airport, my father would park in a parking lot just inside Ft McPherson and then catch MARTA to/from the airport)
-JFK (Subway/AirTrain)
-LGA (Bus to NYC Subway and Regional Trains)
-DCA (Metro)
-ORD (CTA)
-BOS (MBTA)
International:
-LHR (London Underground)
-LCY (Docklands Light Railway)
-VIE (U-Bahn)
-TXL (Bus)
-CDG (Paris Metro)
-BNE (Train)
-OOL (Bus)
-SYD (Metro)
-AMS (Train)
-FCO (Train)
US Domestic:
-ATL (MARTA) (Both to downtown and also because there were times rather than paying to park at the airport, my father would park in a parking lot just inside Ft McPherson and then catch MARTA to/from the airport)
-JFK (Subway/AirTrain)
-LGA (Bus to NYC Subway and Regional Trains)
-DCA (Metro)
-ORD (CTA)
-BOS (MBTA)
International:
-LHR (London Underground)
-LCY (Docklands Light Railway)
-VIE (U-Bahn)
-TXL (Bus)
-CDG (Paris Metro)
-BNE (Train)
-OOL (Bus)
-SYD (Metro)
-AMS (Train)
-FCO (Train)