Savannah - Fly into???

Old May 28th, 2014, 06:41 AM
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Savannah - Fly into???

We are wanting to spend a few days in Savannah in mid November. Our choices of arrival airports [via Southwest] are: CHS, ATL and JAX. I know that Charleston is the closest, then Jacksonville and Atlanta the furthest.

Way fewer points to fly into ATL with many more flights to pick from tempt us. More points, late arrival/early departure times detract CHS and JAX.

Looking for input on the drive time for each of these. I have looked up online and know the times and mileage; so really what I am looking for is it worth an extra hour drive each way to use ATL?

Arrival would be evening on a Sunday and departure would be mid to late afternoon on a Thursday.

Thanks~
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Old May 28th, 2014, 06:59 AM
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It's been 2-3 years, but the drive from Atlanta to Savannah isn't bad. If you'll have to drive a ways from anywhere, I'd say you might as well pick the most convenient airport and go with ATL.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 07:44 AM
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I am a fan of smaller airports and will pay more for the convenience of them. I'd go with Charleston.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 07:45 AM
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The CHS flight gets in after 11 pm. Another minus.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 08:06 AM
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It says it is 3.5 hours (250 miles!!) from Atlanta--surprised me a bit.
You could check Myrtle Beach. It would be about 4 hours to drive.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 10:37 AM
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129 miles from Jax to Savannah; 244 miles from Atl; 108 miles from Charleston

The speed limit on 95 between Jax and Savannah varies from 65 to 70 MPH; three lanes all the way; I know what I'd do.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 10:52 AM
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The flights and points for JAX are pretty poor too. Late arrival, longer layovers/flight time and lots more points.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:03 AM
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At this point, I'm not sure what the question is, but JAX to Savna is a pretty easy drive.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:04 AM
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We have driven from Atlanta to Savannah, it is very tedious.

Can't you connect into Hilton Head, which isn't far from Savannah.

If the flights are that bad, what about spending time in Charleston. We usually visit SC/GA in late Oct/Nov, Charelston is now far more vibrant than Savannah.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:04 AM
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I don't know what time the ATL flights arrive, but I'd much rather arrive there early afternoon and make the drive in time for dinner than fly into CHS or JAX at 10 or 11 and not arrive in Savannah till after midnight. ATL is south of the city, so you're minimizing traffic somewhat, and the rest is all interstate. Plus it gives you the option to explore Atlanta a little on your way to/from if you wanted to.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:06 AM
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Seem to remember the drive from HH being about 45 minutes if the traffic isn't bad.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:07 AM
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I think they have been to Charleston--it's my first choice also.
Driving across Georgia is boooringgg!! And the Atlanta airport is on the far side of Atlanta on top of it all.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:15 AM
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sigh. Yes, we have been to Charleston.

Trying to work this out best for points; arrival times. Trying to weigh this against drive and distance. That's why I am asking.

The 3 cities I listed are the closest ones that Southwest flies into - and we will only fly on Southwest.

Interstate driving can't be much worse than here in NM.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:15 AM
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Debit, check the cost of rental cars too, sometimes that is the killer for costs.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:18 AM
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Good idea,emalloy. That is so true!
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:20 AM
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The drive from ATL isn't exciting, but I didn't find it awful. It's just interstate, mostly flat as far as I remember.

Are any of the options direct flights, or do they all involve the same number of connections? That would be a big concern for me. Good point about rental cars.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:23 AM
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We drove down from Atlanta. We stopped at a BarBQue place enroute(don't remember name) that was terrific, suggested by a friend in Atlanta.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:25 AM
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All flights for us have one stop. The connection times vary, but the shortest total times are to ATL.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 11:30 AM
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I've driven all these routes and Charleston to Savannah was the most frustrating due to some local roads and some significant construction that may or may not be continuing.

If rental car prices are similar, I'd choose Atlanta due to the better times and points. Sure it's a longer drive, but most of it's high speed and you won't see any of Atlanta's famous traffic on a Sunday night. And ATL is not on the other side of Atlanta, it's on the Savannah side.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 12:31 PM
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The drive from Atlanta is not hard. Boring, maybe, but it's an easy drive. The interstates are in great condition. As Brian said, the airport is on the south side and near I75. Take I 75 to Macon and then I 16 to Savannah and in less than 4 hours you'll be there. The historic district is just off 16. If you leave the airport on a weekday from 4 to 6 you'll hit traffic on 75 going south. If you leave Savannah on a Sunday afternoon, you'll probably hit traffic on the way back. One option is to detour on the way back and see the pretty antebellum town of Madison GA. It will add about an hour to the drive but that's an hour you'd sit in traffic. Other than those two times, you'll have no traffic problems. Keep your speed under +9 of the speed limit and "move over" if you see blue lights (police, emergency vehicles, first responders, etc) on the shoulder of the road. The minimum fine under the Move Under law is $500. Other than that, it's easy peasy. Not many options for stopping along the way - Macon and Dublin are it on the I16 part of the drive for gas/food.
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