With rising airport delays nationally, are there better travel options from Cola?
As one of the busiest travel seasons rapidly approaches amid a government shutdown, causing mounting flight delays and cancellations nationally, here’s a look at alternative travel options from Columbia.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that it plans to cut air travel by ten percent at 40 major airports across the country. While none of South Carolina’s international airports will be affected by the cut, including Columbia’s, lesser regional, airport delays and cancellations are still being seen across the state.
With Thanksgiving on the horizon and a throng of college students planning vacation getaways, one parent took to Facebook seeking information about other mediums of travel, such as by bus or train.
Bus travel from Columbia
There are two bus lines available in South Carolina, but only one departs from Columbia.
Greyhound bus lines provide travel from South Carolina to any state in the country, but don’t offer rides from Columbia, although it has a station on West Beltline Road.
To hitch a ride from the company, travelers must board in either Aiken, Anderson, Camden, Florence, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, North Charleston, Spartanburg or Winston-Salem.
Bus ticket prices are moderate but involve long travel times. For example, a trip from Aiken to Philadelphia, PA during the week of Thanksgiving would cost around $100, but will last 20 hours. A getaway from Florence to Newark, NJ, carries a $117 price tag and lasts for around 14 hours.
Southeastern Stages, another bus line out of South Carolina, only services Georgia and North Carolina from the Palmetto State. The line does, however, depart from Columbia, although availability is extremely low.
Travel via train from Columbia
Travel by train from Columbia is available from Amtrak, which has a station on Pulaski Street.
Much like the bus lines, tickets are fairly modest but include extended travel times.
For example, a ticket for the coach class from Columbia to Orlando, FL would cost $73 during Thanksgiving week and would depart after midnight and take nearly 10 hours. A hike from Columbia to New York, NY, during the same time period, would cost $200 in coach and lasts 17 hours, with a departure at 4 a.m.
Airport delays, cancellations in South Carolina
Following the FAA’s announcement that cuts are expected at more than three dozen airports across the country, Columbia’s Metropolitan Airport has, so far, averted impacts.
As of Saturday afternoon, the airport, which saw a record number of passengers in 2024 at 1.3 million, only saw one flight cancelled from Washington, D.C. and a delay from a plane due in from Philadelphia, P.A..
Meanwhile, at larger international airports around the state, such as Charleston International Airport, 19 flights were delayed and six were cancelled Saturday.
Also on Saturday, eight flights were delayed and two were cancelled at the Myrtle Beach International Airport, while four flights were delayed and two cancelled at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.
Airports affected by the FAA’s cut-backs
ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport BOS – Boston Logan International Airport BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport DAL – Dallas Love Field DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DEN – Denver International Airport DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport HNL – Honolulu International Airport HOU – William P. Hobby Airport IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport IND – Indianapolis International Airport JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport LAX – Los Angeles International Airport LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport MCO – Orlando International Airport MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport MEM – Memphis International Airport MIA – Miami International Airport MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport OAK – Oakland International Airport ONT – Ontario International Airport ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport PDX – Portland International Airport PHL – Philadelphia International Airport PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport SAN – San Diego International Airport SDF – Louisville International Airport SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport SFO – San Francisco International Airport SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport TEB – Teterboro Airport TPA – Tampa International Airport
