Hey ya'll,

I just have a few questions about the airport; I've never been to Fest, or Gainesville for that matter, so any help will be appreciated! I have to catch a flight back to Chicago late sunday/early monday and abandon my road warriors to take a test I can't miss (lame). How close is the airport to downtown/the hub of activity? Are there any buses going there or would it be better to take a cab? How big is this airport and should I worry about crowds at all? I'm used to insanely busy airports and showing up hours early; I'd prefer to not do that unless it's necessary.

Also, I feel like I already know the answer to this question but I'll throw it out there anyway: Are there usually after parties/shows sunday night? I just need some place to be for a few hours between when my friends leave and I need to go to the airport.

Thanks! Here's some puppies for your troubles:

It's probably the smallest, quietest airport I've ever been to in my life! If you happen to be staying at the Holiday Inn then there's a free shuttle bus otherwise I think a cab is somewhere between 15 and 25 bucks as far as I can remember.

There is also a new city bus route that goes from the downtown/campus area to the airport. I think bus fare is $1.50

That's brilliant news! Do you happen to know the bus number or is it the only one that runs from the airport?

I found it! It's bus number 25 but it seems there's a 4 hour gap in the middle of the day when it doesn't run and it's right when I land!

It's good to know I have several transportation options. Now all I gotta do is find something to do up until I head to the airport, which shouldn't be a problem at all. If all else fails, I go there early and nap.

Thanks everybody!

There will definitely be stuff to do Sunday night after the clubs close, and if you are friendly and talk to a ton of people all weekend, someone will probably give you a ride to the airport. Just don't let the parties make you miss your plane, and if you get offered a ride, make sure they won't flake out.

The only smaller one I've ever been to is Skopje Airport in Macedonia. Two gates!

Actually when we flew to Samui in the early 90's the airport was just a wooden hut! I didn't really count that as a fair comparison though as most things in Thailand revolve around wooden huts anyway!

The Gainesville Airport is like a bus station, except that a bus station of its size would certainly be busier and more hectic. There are only a handful of flights a day, all small planes, and a lot of times, they aren't even close to full.

The last time I flew into Gainesville, I was planning to take the new bus, but ended up running into somebody I knew who was dropping somebody off to catch the plane that I had just gotten off of.

The two times before that, I just walked.

Flying in during Fest, I'm sure your chances of finding people to share a taxi will be very high. For that matter, you could probably even save some more money by just putting it out there on the board and working something out.

One thing to watch out for going back is that, because each airline has like 1.5 employees working at any one time, they do close the check-in counter after a certain point, so even though it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, it is a good idea to make sure you're there an hour before your flight leaves.

Carcassonne in france was one gate about ten years ago - you picked up your bags off the tarmac and once you were off the runway you were done - no security or passport check or anything, the actual building was about fifteen meters wide and two meters deep! beaut of a city too now that i think of it.

I am going to be landing on Thursday the 28th in GNV at like 2 if anyone is going to be around then. I'll be leaving Nov 1st at like 5 (flight is @ 6:15) if anyone is interested then either.

Looking forward to landing in GNV instead of TPA this year...i hate TPA, too confusing for an outsider like me. Surprisingly, the cost was almost the same between the two this year.

I land at GNV at 2:11pm on the 28th, are you connecting in Charlotte first too? Fest Party Flight?!

I'm flying in the same time probably the same flight (from Charlotte) and I'll be looking for people to split a taxi with.....

I'm flying in from Atlanta with a arrival time of 1:54. I'm down to split.