Megabus to Chicago

Has anyone taken megabus to Chicago and back? How was the trip? We are considering taking our family on the bus instead of driving. Thoughts?

Megabus to Chicago

nevermind....I just found out they stopped stopping here. How unfortunate.

Megabus to Chicago

Keep and eye out or install the ';Ding'; program for Southwest Airlines. They often have very cheap flights. You can hop on the orange Line at Midway and be into town in no time.

Chicago is too close to be flying an entire family unless there%26#39;s a specific reason you dont want to drive. I make it to downtown Chicago in 5 hours now that the speed limit was upped to 70mph in Indiana. The only construction is just north of Indy at the present time.

By the time you go through all the security, waiting, and flight delays, you%26#39;re not saving more than an hour or two of time. Not worth it IMHO even if you%26#39;re able to score cheap flights to Midway on Southwest.

FYI....I wouldn%26#39;t drive in Chicago if you paid me a thousand dollars. I won%26#39;t even take a taxi from the airport. I%26#39;ve never had a flight delay to Chicago on SWA and I fly there 4 times a year. I can leave here at 9 am and be there at 9 am. One hour. I usually take a carry on. I%26#39;ve had tickets as cheap as 120 just last year.

Yes but if it%26#39;s a family of 4, that $120 flight is now $480 plus the transportation to and from the airport. We always drive it and have never had a problem. Of course once we%26#39;re there we stay on the Mag Mile and leave our car in the garage and take the el, cabs or walk to the sites. But we usually just go for the weekend so we don%26#39;t mind the $30/day most hotels charge for parking. If you%26#39;re staying longer, the cost of parking might eat up the savings of driving vs flying.

I agree with Loui1. If you count the trip from door to door, you don%26#39;t really save much time flying.

Flying Southwest, you still have to leave your house at least one and a half befores departure. Spend half an hour in the air and then another forty five minutes to get from Midway to downtown. That%26#39;s almost three hours total travel time door-to-door and I was being generous with those estimates.

I%26#39;d rather drive it in four and a half hours and be able to take my fingernail clippers, a cork screw and more than three ounces of shampoo. Not to mention, room in the trunk to bring back shopping bags.

This board was created to help people tap the minds of savvy travelers.Those of us who travel a lot know that there are ways to do so which are less stressful and require lots less money than one would imagine.

I did not ask for an argument here, I wanted to offer another alternative. Seagrover....I live in St Matthews. It takes me 8 minutes to get to the airport. SWA lets you print your boarding pass 24 hours prior to your flight. If I have a 9 am flight, I can leave here at 8 and be in the special line (that%26#39;s right) for boarding. You are no longer required to get in long zone lines, but have a specific spot.

I have only driven to Chicago once in the past 5 years. The traffic near the city was at a standstill for nearly an hour. For that reason, I no longer take cabs from Midway. I%26#39;ve also been stuck in freeway traffic for extended times. I don%26#39;t know how frequently anyone on this board flies, but I fly to Chicago very often.I was there 4 times last year. The Midway option takes me 45 minutes tops for door to plane. I don%26#39;t have to deal with speeders, semis and traffic jams. I also have a SWA credit card and I get free tickets, plus we got a companion pass last year. I have used Priceline to get a room for less than $100. I would never pay parking fees or even consider using anything but Chicago%26#39;s excellent public transportation system.

Linda,

No one is arguing. Merely stating our various preferences and opinions. It%26#39;s like asking a room full of people what they like on their hamburgers. You%26#39;ll get a lot of different answers.

Oh darn! I hit submit too soon. I wanted to add....Onions, lettuce and mustard for me please.

But I%26#39;m a vegetarian!!! :-)