Let me set the scene: as the air starts to get just a tad cooler and the end of the fall semester is just a couple of weeks away, we stumble upon Thanksgiving break, where many students travel home to spend the holiday with their families. I am from New Jersey, and for both years I have been at Embry-Riddle, I have flown home to see my family for Thanksgiving. However, the vast majority of flights from my area fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO), which is a little over an hour southwest of campus. This begs the question of how to get there on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, something I found myself asking as I went to book my flight home my first year.

While there are many options, such as Uber, driving and parking at the airport, or Groome Transportation, these can oftentimes get pricey for many students. However, there is one more option, which is the SGA Airport Rides. This service provides charter bus rides for students from the Student Union to Orlando International Airport, connecting them to their holiday travel plans for a relatively inexpensive price.

This service, which is run by the Student Government Association, usually provides rides for students for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks. Buses leave Daytona for two days at the beginning of each break and then return for two days at the end of the break. There are also usually buses throughout the day, meaning you can take advantage of this service if you have an early morning or a late-night flight. Times and information on this service are released a couple of months before the breaks begin, giving students plenty of time to plan their flights around a bus to get them to the airport.

I have utilized this service many times throughout my time as a student at Embry-Riddle, and it is one that I wish I knew about sooner going into my first year for my first Thanksgiving break (I was one of the people stuck paying over $100 for an Uber to the airport because I booked a flight before tickets for the shuttle came out). However, ever since that first break, this service has been a lifesaver for myself and many of my friends and classmates who ride these buses to the airport. You never know who you’ll run into! I encourage all incoming first year and current students to take a look at this service when information is release about it in the fall to learn more! Let me know down below if you have utilized this service from the SGA, or if you are planning to in the future!