This holiday season, students can go back home without having to ask their friend or roommate for a ride to the airport.
The Student Government Association has launched Knight Flight, a free shuttle service that will take students from UCF’s main campus to Orlando International Airport (MCO). The shuttles will run during the week of Thanksgiving and before the winter break.
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“SGA is trying to accommodate for students who are not from around here since there are not as many services provided for those people specifically,” said Christopher Hixon, SGA public relations coordinator.
The legislation for Knight Flight was proposed in 2011-2012 term by the Student Body Council.
“There was definitely a need from out-of-state students,” said Hixon. “It was an issue where they had to pay for a taxi to go home on top of students having to pay for their flights.”
And the cost for the shuttles themselves are not cheap. The funding to run Knight Flight is $5,000. Hixon said the service is being provided online now for students to take advantage of the program.
Students like Kristin Kramer, a junior majoring in environmental studies, are given the option to avoid paying a cab fare. Kramer and her roommates are out-of-state students living off campus. She believes the service is beneficial to people living on campus but it still challenging sometimes finding someone to take her and her roommates to the airport.
“The price to park at the airport is sometimes pretty expensive depending on how long you’re going to be parked there,” Kramer said. “So I think it’s great that UCF provides this service to students.”
Recently, SGA has made gains in proposing and passing legislation on transportation. UCF now offers shuttles to campus on Saturdays and grocery shuttles from campus to the Publix in the University Palms Shopping Center on Tuesdays.
Compared to those shuttle services provided by SGA, Facilities & Transportation Specialist Christopher Clemente said students will need their knights email to sign up for Knight Flight.
“We only want students using this service,” Clemente said.
Shuttles will drive to MCO from Nov. 25 to Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving break. For the winter break, shuttles will run from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10, bringing students back to the main campus Jan. 8 to Jan. 9, 2015. The shuttles will be at the LYNX terminals between Garage H and I. Pick-up locations at MCO will be at Terminal A-29 and Terminal B-38 for when students are returning back to UCF.
Students can register here but seating is limited. Shuttles seat up to 45 students.
