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Old 07-19-2010, 02:32 AM
 
118 posts, read 1,043,364 times
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I've been thinking about moving to Holland, but there seems to be one major drawback: No major airports nearby.

Sure, I could fly out of Grand Rapids, but I'm not very keen on the smaller planes that seem to fly out of that airport.

Do you have any tips for avoiding the smaller (or older) aircraft when flying out of Grand Rapids? (Do you know of any routes that avoid these?)

Also, have any of you ever driven or taken the train to the Chicago or Detroit airport to fly? (If you went by train, what was your experience like?)
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Old 07-19-2010, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
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No real need for tips for avoiding smaller aircraft since the aircraft type should be shown when you search the flight on the airline's web site.
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Old 07-19-2010, 08:58 AM
 
118 posts, read 1,043,364 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse View Post
No real need for tips for avoiding smaller aircraft since the aircraft type should be shown when you search the flight on the airline's web site.
I am well aware of this, but it does not solve the problem. Most of the flights out of GRR are on smaller aircraft -- regardless of whether or not I've read about them online.

My question is: Is it possible to get on big planes out of Grand Rapids and, if not, what's the best way to travel to the Detroit or Chicago airports? (Car, train, bus??)
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:11 AM
 
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What do you consider smaller planes? Several routes out of GRR use mid-sized aircraft. For example, United flies the bigger Boeing 737s to Denver, Alligent flies a larger (don't know the aircraft type) plane to Las Vegas, and Air Trans flies Boeing 717s to Baltimore and Tampa. I know Delta flies some larger Boeings or Air Buses as does Continental.

Basically, most types of planes other than the types used to fly international and long-range routes come to Grand Rapids. It just depends on where you are going. Keep in mind that GRR is a regional airport with most routes designed to connect to hub airports; airlines won't put a 767 to go from GRR to Chicago, for instance.

I have driven to Detroit, Lansing and Flint for flights but it wasn't due to aircraft type, strictly because of price.
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:22 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
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And there are times when a smaller plane can actually have advantages. There were a number of years in the late 90s/early 00s, when due to union contract rules with the main carrier, the number of passengers NWA's commuter airlines could carry on a given plane were strictly limited. So for some of the bigger regional jets, they had to pull a couple rows of seats out, and the result was an extra glorious 2-3 inches of leg room compared to what you'd get if you were flying on a 737 and such.

Sigh. As someone of above average height and femur length, I seriously miss that particular contract rule, and the merger with Delta, which is utter sardine service.
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Old 07-19-2010, 11:03 AM
 
Location: Grand Rapids Metro
8,882 posts, read 19,764,020 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phriend View Post
I've been thinking about moving to Holland, but there seems to be one major drawback: No major airports nearby.

Sure, I could fly out of Grand Rapids, but I'm not very keen on the smaller planes that seem to fly out of that airport.

Do you have any tips for avoiding the smaller (or older) aircraft when flying out of Grand Rapids? (Do you know of any routes that avoid these?)

Also, have any of you ever driven or taken the train to the Chicago or Detroit airport to fly? (If you went by train, what was your experience like?)
I have a feeling you're a bit claustrophobic. I am a little too, and hate small planes. However, most of the times I've flown out of GRR it seemed like the planes were mid-sized.

I'd never in a million years take the train (Amtrak) to Chicago to fly out of Chicago. It'd take you most of a day to do it, and would cost quite a bit ($hundreds).

I've driven to Chicago to fly to Europe and D.C.; about 3.5 hours drive time door-to-door to O'Hare. I've also driven to Detroit to fly South, because traditionally DTW was cheaper (not necessarily the case now with Allegiant, AirTran at Grand Rapids).
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Old 07-19-2010, 11:51 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magellan View Post
I'd never in a million years take the train (Amtrak) to Chicago to fly out of Chicago. It'd take you most of a day to do it, and would cost quite a bit ($hundreds).
Wrongo, bongo. The Amtrak website says it would cost $54, round trip:
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8210/amtrak.jpg

(Although that train only gets you close to the airport. You'd need to hop on the subway to finish the job).

Seems like it would be cheaper than parking your car at the airport, actually.
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Old 07-19-2010, 12:04 PM
 
Location: Hernando, FL
749 posts, read 2,426,675 times
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What's wrong with smaller aircraft? I've used Allegiant from GR to St. Petersburg, FL many times and it's a 1/4 of the cost if I'd flown out of Detroit plus I'd have to get a ride or pay more to bus or train it to Detroit.
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Old 07-19-2010, 12:50 PM
 
1,210 posts, read 3,048,200 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phriend View Post
Wrongo, bongo. The Amtrak website says it would cost $54, round trip:
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8210/amtrak.jpg

(Although that train only gets you close to the airport. You'd need to hop on the subway to finish the job).

Seems like it would be cheaper than parking your car at the airport, actually.
I'm surprised to see the Amtrak price that low. I've taken it a few times and it's usually around $100 for a round trip.

Every time I have flown out of GR it was a small plane and it went to either Chicago or Detroit before switching to a larger plane.

Driving 3.5 hours to O'hare is a bit crazy. I do know some people would drive to Detroit for a cheaper flight.

My advice, suck it up and deal with a small plane. Chances are you'll only be in the air for about 45 minutes on the way to Chicago anyway. And that little plane is safer than the car you drive, just fyi.
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Old 07-19-2010, 01:17 PM
 
Location: Wyoming, MI
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I've driven from Holland to Midway and O'Hare. Many times the flights out of Chicago will be cheaper than flying out of GR. From a cost standpoint, the extra parking costs can be balanced out by the lower cost per ticket. The drive itself isn't too bad, except the part around Gary, IN (I-80/I-94) if there's construction and/or during rush hour. I would definitely time the flight/drive to avoid peak traffic times.

Have not tried Amtrak, but it sees like the routes are not very frequent and I would wonder about on-time performance. There is the South Shore Line that goes from Michigan City to Chicago. I believe that one runs more frequently, although it has more stops as well. One of my coworkers uses that train regularly and seems to be happy with it, and the fares are less. Still the same problem of having to get to/from the airport from the train station.
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