Tag Archives: airport shuttle

DAB to MCO: My experience taking the SGA Shuttle

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If you’ve been an avid reader of the My Life @ Riddle blog (yay, thank you!), you may recall a blog from over the summer where I discussed ways for students to get from the ERAU campus in Daytona Beach to Orlando International Airport (MCO), the closest major airport. There are many ways to get to the airport from campus, but one of the most popular that I mentioned is the SGA sponsored shuttle bus to the airport, a service that I have used every break since my freshman year! With the beginning of the spring semester, tickets have gone on sale for the Spring Break shuttles to MCO, so I figured I would detail my experience on this process for you all!

Purchasing the Tickets: Tickets usually go on sale at the beginning of the fall semester for Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break, and the beginning of the spring semester for Spring Break. It’s usually about $15 in each direction (which is way cheaper than an Uber), and there are always many times throughout the day available to choose from. The window to purchase tickets usually closes a few weeks before the respective break.

Boarding the Bus: The bus at ERAU parks at the Student Union pick up circle. You should plan to get there about a half hour before the bus departs in order to have ample time to check in, place your bag under the bus, and find a seat. Once you’re on the bus, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the hour and a half ride to MCO. For the pickup location at the airport, be sure to check the confirmation email on your tickets for the specific pickup location.

Some Helpful Tips: This is a super easy way to get to the airport, but here are some helpful tips. My biggest advice is to not book your flight too close to the shuttle departure time at MCO. There have been a couple times where my flight has landed but been delayed getting to the gate by a half hour, and I have been forced to run through the airport to make the shuttle in time. Always try to leave a least an hour and a half between your scheduled landing time and the shuttle departure time. Also note that if you are at not at the shuttle, they will leave without you. So make sure you make it to the shuttle early in both directions. Finally, note that there are not shuttles for fall break, so if you have a scheduled flight during that time you must find alternative transportation options to the airport.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I recommend this shuttle for all students. It is a super easy way to get to MCO for a very cheap price compared to the alternative options. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments, and if you’ve tried the SGA MCO Shuttles.

DAB to MCO: How to get to the airport for breaks

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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!