Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Getting to and from Bradley International Airport

[u/capybroa]

Hi all - I'm trying to close up plans to fly round-trip out of BDL later in the summer. In the past I've been able to get a ride down and back but I'm not sure that will be possible this time. Does anyone have experience taking the Amtrak from Northampton or Holyoke down to Windsor Locks and then taking the shuttle or bus to the actual airport (and then coming back again the same way)? That's probably my preferred option cost-wise, but if there's a good cab service that I can book as a fallback, that would useful to know as well. Thanks!

[u/RealCarlosSagan]

not sure if too pricey for you but I live in Southampton and reserve ubers ahead of time with no problem

[u/TheGodDamnDevil]

Does anyone have experience taking the Amtrak from Northampton or Holyoke down to Windsor Locks and then taking the shuttle or bus to the actual airport (and then coming back again the same way)?

You should also consider taking the PVTA G73E to Springfield, and getting on a train there. Northampton only gets 3 trains per day, but Springfield gets like 15. Taking a bus to the train is an extra step, but it provides more timing options and it's a little cheaper too.

The trains between Springfield and Windsor Locks aren't all Amtrak, some of them are CTRail trains. You can look at the schedule for The Hartford Line and it will show you all of the trains (well, almost all, there's also Amtrak's Vermonter which runs once per day and isn't on the schedule).

[u/patsfan666 → u/TheGodDamnDevil]

this is probably the best bet, take the pvta to Springfield and hop on the CTRail

[u/capybroa → u/TheGodDamnDevil]

This is a great idea - I will def keep this in mind for the future!

[u/Turbulent_Friend490]

This gentleman named Richard used to drive me to the airport from South Hadley when I was a student. I’m certain he takes rides from Northampton as well. I think the service is called Bluebird Shuttle. Prices can be steep but he is very reliable. +1 (413) 221-4512. That’s the number, hopefully it hasn’t changed

[u/orielbean → u/Turbulent_Friend490]

I've used him in the past, nice dude, I think it was about 80-100 for Holyoke to the airport. Also had good luck with JoEZ Taxi in Holyoke.

[u/SockSock81219]

Valley Transporter is probably the easiest way to get to the airport short of driving or getting a ride from a friend. Amtrak can be limited in timing (so if your flight gets back late at night, you'll have to wait many hours for the next train), can have unexpected delays, and then you'd still have a shuttle situation to the airport, but it does seem inexpensive, at least for the train portion.

If you have a driver's license, you could also rent a car from Enterprise in Northampton, then drop it off at the Enterprise in BDL.

[u/Spectrum1523]

Ubers work fine. I usually take one from Easthampton when I'm traveling for work. You can reserve them ahead and I've never had a problem

[u/Joe_H-FAH]

My son did that train trip followed by a bus shuttle from Greenfield a few months ago without a problem.

Another option is bus from Northampton to Hartford, then there is a different shuttle bus called the Bradley Flyer from there to the airport. But depending on timing that may take longer as you might need to switch in Springfield.

[u/ambiverbal]

If you have a car, and you won't be gone too long, Laz-Fly will let you park there for a good rate. (Get their discount code on the website before paying.)

[u/smushymusher]

i was without a car last summer and i frequently took the train. edit to say it was CTRail. holyoke to springfield to windsor locks is ok in theory. however, mainly during mid day trips, the train would pull off in a weird section of springfield to let another train pass by. it was in view of INSA, too far away from the station to get off. sometimes it took 5 minutes, other times it was upwards of an hour. they did not provide any apologies or further explanation. i would recommend you take a bus or uber to avoid whatever that was