Rent a Bus to Eppley Airfield Group: The Complete Transportation Guide

If you are moving 15, 30, or 56 people through Eppley Airfield (OMA), the single question that keeps an organizer up at night is simple: where exactly will the bus be waiting, and which terminal does my group even exit from? Right now in 2026, OMA is in the middle of a $950 million terminal modernization that split the airport into two separate buildings, moved all pickup and drop-off to the South Garage, and added new zones that most online guides haven't caught up with yet.

This guide answers it plainly, using OMA's own published information, and walks you through everything else a group trip needs: which terminal serves which airline, how the South Garage zones work, what the drive looks like to hotels and major venues across the metro, and how a charter bus or minibus from our fleet makes the whole coordination problem disappear. At Party Bus in Omaha, Eppley is our home airport. We handle these pickups regularly, so the advice below is what we tell our own clients before they book.

What and Where Is OMA?

Eppley Airfield sits along the Missouri River on the northeast edge of Omaha, about six miles from downtown — a short run compared to airports in larger cities, which is one of the genuine advantages of flying into OMA. Seven airlines currently operate here, providing approximately 70 daily departures to 35 nonstop destinations. Southwest, American, and Delta together carry the majority of the traffic, and the airport set a new annual passenger record in 2024 with 5,277,326 travelers — a 5% jump over 2023.

The momentum is why the $950 million Build OMA modernization exists.

OMA serves the broader metro area that stretches across both Nebraska and Iowa, including Bellevue, Papillion, Gretna, La Vista, and Council Bluffs just across the river. For out-of-town groups flying in for the College World Series, a Creighton game at CHI Health Center, a corporate conference at the Convention Center, or a wedding weekend in the Old Market, Eppley is the gateway. The drive to nearly any downtown or midtown venue takes under 20 minutes on a normal traffic day — which is exactly why a charter bus or minibus from our network makes the airport-to-hotel leg fast and easy for your whole group at once.

The Terminal Split: What You Must Know Before You Book

Here is the detail that catches groups off guard in 2026, and it is the one that has the most potential to scatter your party across two different buildings. Since February 17, 2025, Eppley Airfield has operated as two physically separate terminals. The central portion of the building closed for construction, and airlines split into a North Terminal and a South Terminal.

Travelers needing to move between them must exit the building and use Terminal Drive crosswalks — there is no interior connection.

The current split by airline:

• North Terminal: Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
• South Terminal: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines

If your group is arriving on two different flights — say, some people on Southwest and others on American — they will exit into different buildings. That is a coordination problem worth solving before departure day, not at the curb. The unified Central Pavilion with a centralized TSA checkpoint and connected concourse is expected to open in 2027.

Until then, confirm every traveler's terminal assignment with their airline before anyone boards a plane.

Where Your Bus Picks Up and Drops Off at OMA

Here is the part most rental pages leave vague, so let's go straight to the source. Due to the ongoing Build OMA Terminal Drive & Canopy Project, the airport has moved all pickup and drop-off from the terminal front to Level 1 of the South Garage. That is where your group will meet the bus.

The South Garage Level 1 is divided into labeled zones for different vehicle types:

• Sections A1–A4: Arrivals passenger pickup
• Sections B1–B4 and C1–C4: Departures drop-off
• Section D3: Ride-app pickup (Uber and Lyft)
• Commercial vehicle lane: Designated for shuttles, taxis, and buses

Vehicles entering Level 1 of the South Garage are not charged parking rates — the zone is free for the duration of loading and unloading. Federal security rules prohibit parked or unattended vehicles in the lanes, so timing matters: your group needs to be outside and ready before the bus pulls in. The walk from either terminal to the South Garage takes two to four minutes depending on your concourse, per the airport's own navigation guide.

For departures, the flow reverses: your bus drops the group curbside in the B or C sections, everyone pulls bags out of the undercarriage storage, and the bus pulls clear. One stop, no parking shuffle, no scrambling for a garage ticket.

The Cell Phone Lot Option for Staging

OMA maintains two cell phone waiting lots — one north and one south of the terminal — specifically for vehicles waiting on arriving passengers. While your group retrieves bags from baggage claim, the bus can wait in one of these lots and pull to the South Garage commercial lane only when the group is assembled and ready at the curb. That timing is what keeps the bus from blocking the lane while your group is still inside.

When you book with us, we sort out that sequence in advance so there is no guessing about when to call the bus in.

Confirm the Details When You Book — Here's Why

The Build OMA project is actively evolving. The airport has been updating its maps, navigation guides, and traffic patterns as construction phases complete — the pickup zone map was revised as recently as August 2025, and the Winter 2026 update shows the glass facade at Door 3 going in and the new escalators just installed. Any guide quoting a fixed drop zone without a caveat about the construction phase may already be out of date for your travel date.

When you reserve with us, we confirm your group's exact pickup zone and approach for your date, because we keep up with the Build OMA updates so you do not have to. We always recommend reviewing the official OMA passenger pickup page and the Build OMA construction updates before you fly.

Which Vehicle Fits Your Group?

The right vehicle is the one that seats everyone and fits the luggage, with room to spare. Here is how our fleet breaks down for airport runs at OMA.

For airport runs where everyone has checked luggage, a full-size charter bus with deep undercarriage bays is the workhorse. A 56-passenger coach with large underfloor bays handles the kind of luggage load that would overwhelm a party bus or a Sprinter. For smaller groups, a 15- to 35-passenger minibus gives you the same single-pickup convenience at a right-sized cost — and you never pay for seats your group doesn't fill.

ADA-accessible vehicles are available in our network. Just mention your group's needs when you request a quote so we can match the right vehicle to the trip. Call 402-973-1398 to discuss your headcount and date.

Bus vs. Rideshare vs. Rental Cars for a Group

OMA offers a range of ground transportation options — taxis, rideshare at Section D3, rental car counters in the North Garage Customer Service Building, and the ParkOMA shuttle for people in remote parking. They each have a place. Here is the honest comparison for a group.

The math is simple: once your party outgrows two or three cars, the hassle of separate vehicles — different arrival times, scattered luggage, multiple fares, three people in rental cars who don't know the route to the Old Market — outweighs the convenience of booking individually. A single bus turns a logistics problem into a non-event. Call 402-973-1398 for an all-inclusive quote in under 30 seconds.

Routes and Drive Times From OMA

One of the genuine advantages of Eppley Airfield is how quickly it puts your group into the city. OMA sits only about six miles northeast of downtown via Abbott Drive to I-480 or US-75 — a run that takes 10 to 15 minutes in normal traffic. That is shorter than the drive out of most major-market airports, which means airport-to-hotel or airport-to-venue transfers are genuinely efficient.

A few route notes that matter for group logistics:

• College World Series groups heading to Charles Schwab Field (1200 Mike Fahey St, Omaha, NE 68102) face a serious parking situation in late June — downtown lots fill fast and the CHI Health Center campus has only about 4,000 stalls for a packed event. A bus transfer from OMA directly to the stadium's designated bus and commercial drop-off on 10th Street near Mike Fahey skips that scramble entirely.
• Lincoln runs are the longest common transfer from OMA. At nearly an hour on I-80, the comfort of a full-size charter bus with reclining seats and climate control earns its keep — especially for larger groups headed to University of Nebraska events or corporate campuses along the Cornhusker corridor.
• Bellevue and Offutt groups — military personnel, contractors, or guests of service members — travel US-75 south from the airport, a straightforward 30-minute run that a single bus handles without anyone navigating an unfamiliar highway in a rental car.

Trip Types We Move Through OMA

Different groups, same goal: everyone arrives together, relaxed, and on schedule. A few of the transfers we handle most often:

• College World Series groups. The single busiest annual window for OMA airport transfers is late June, when fans, families, and team travel parties descend on Omaha for the NCAA tournament at Charles Schwab Field. Downtown hotel blocks fill, parking evaporates, and the Ballpark Bus runs on a fixed schedule. A private bus from OMA to the hotel to the stadium — and back again post-game — keeps the whole crew together without any of the parking scramble.
• Corporate and convention groups. Executives and attendees connecting between OMA and hotels near the CHI Health Center or downtown conference venues ride together on a schedule that respects their time. WiFi and power outlets on a full-size charter bus mean the commute from the airport is productive, not wasted.
• Wedding parties. Out-of-town guests flying in on different airlines exit from two different terminals right now. One bus sweeps both the North and South terminals in a coordinated sequence and delivers everyone to the venue or hotel together — no one showing up 45 minutes late because their rideshare surged.
• Military and Offutt-bound groups. Service members and their families arriving at OMA for assignments, graduations, or ceremonies at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue need a reliable single-vehicle transfer south on US-75. A minibus or charter bus handles the luggage load, the group stays together, and the route is direct.
• Sporting event groups. Beyond the College World Series, Creighton Bluejays games at CHI Health Center, Omaha Storm Chasers games at Werner Park in Papillion, and UNO hockey at Baxter Arena all draw out-of-town groups who fly into OMA and need an efficient transfer to the venue. One bus, one pickup, no caravan.
• Reunion and family groups. Large families flying in from multiple directions for reunions, milestone celebrations, or graduation weekends scatter across both terminals. A coordinated bus sweep picks everyone up and delivers the whole group to a single destination — no one left standing at the curb waiting on a rideshare that doesn't fit nine people and a pile of luggage.

What It Costs and How Pricing Works

Group bus pricing at OMA is not a single sticker number, and any honest operator will tell you that. Your quote depends on a handful of clear factors:

• Vehicle size — a 56-passenger charter bus and a 14-passenger Sprinter limo are different rates.
• Total hours — how long the vehicle is dedicated to your group, including any wait time for staggered flights.
• Distance and destination — a 10-minute run to the Old Market costs less than an hour-long transfer to Lincoln.
• Date and event — College World Series week, Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting weekend (late April–early May), and graduation weekends across Creighton, UNO, and UNL spike demand and tighten vehicle availability fast.

Here is a value point worth knowing. Once your party passes a handful of people, the math on a private bus typically beats coordinating separate rideshares or rental cars. Multiple rideshares to the same hotel from OMA means multiple fares, multiple arrival times, and multiple chances for someone to get dropped at the wrong entrance.

One bus gives you a single, predictable quote and keeps everyone in one place — usually both simpler and better value once the group hits double digits.

Call 402-973-1398 with your group size, date, and destination for an all-inclusive price quote in under 30 seconds — you will know the exact number before you ever commit.

Peak Periods: When to Book Early at OMA

Omaha has a handful of annual events where demand for group transportation spikes hard enough that waiting until the week before means paying a premium or getting shut out entirely.

College World Series (mid-to-late June). This is the single busiest period of the year for Omaha group transportation. The 2026 Men's College World Series runs June 12 through approximately June 22 at Charles Schwab Field.

Every hotel block in downtown fills, parking at the stadium and the adjacent CHI Health Center campus becomes extremely limited, and the demand for airport-to-downtown shuttle buses and game-day transfers skyrockets. Groups flying in for the CWS should book their OMA airport bus well before the bracket is announced. By the time you know which teams made it, the right-size vehicles for CWS week are already committed.

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting (late April–early May). Tens of thousands of shareholders fly into OMA from around the world for what locals call the "Woodstock of Capitalism." The CHI Health Center hosts the main meeting and a surrounding weekend of events that draws hotel bookings and ground transportation reservations months in advance.

Groups attending together — corporate shareholder parties, investment clubs, family groups — find that airport bus availability tightens quickly once the meeting date is confirmed.

Graduation weekends (mid-May). Creighton University, University of Nebraska Omaha, and other metro campuses hold commencement ceremonies within a tight window each May. Extended families flying in from out of state need coordinated airport pickups that land everyone at the right hotel or venue.

Book those transfers in March or April — the combination of graduation demand and regular spring travel means the available fleet shrinks faster than most families realize.

Wedding season (May through October). Omaha wedding venues fill up fast in warm-weather months, and airport shuttle runs for out-of-town guests are some of our most common requests. If your wedding is in July or August, locking in the airport transfer bus in the spring ensures you are not scrambling for a vehicle two weeks before the ceremony.

Booking, Flight Monitoring, and Timing

Booking an OMA airport shuttle through our network is straightforward, and a little advance planning makes it seamless:

1. Request a quote with your group size, pickup and drop-off locations, date, and your flight details — including which airlines your group is on, since that determines which terminal they exit.
2. Confirm the vehicle, the terminal, and the zone. We lock in the right vehicle and verify the current South Garage commercial lane arrangement for your date, accounting for any Build OMA phase changes in effect.
3. Share your flight numbers. We monitor flight status so the bus is staged and ready when your group actually lands, not when you were scheduled to.

A few questions we hear constantly:

• What if some of our group is on Southwest (North Terminal) and others are on Delta (South Terminal)? We plan a staged sequence — one terminal first, then a short loop to the second — so the bus sweeps both buildings in one coordinated run instead of leaving your guests to call their own rideshares.
• What if our flight is delayed? We track your flights and adjust the pickup window. The bus pulls in when your group is assembled with luggage, not before.
• How early should we arrive at OMA for a departure? The airport recommends arriving at least two hours before your flight, and with the ongoing construction, that buffer is worth respecting. For a large group checking bags, we build in a comfortable window so no one is sprinting to security.
• Can one bus handle multiple hotel stops after the airport? Yes — a single charter bus or minibus can sweep OMA and deliver the group to two or three different hotels in downtown Omaha, saving every passenger a separate rideshare fare.

Ready to lock in your date? Call 402-973-1398 and we will confirm every detail before you fly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does a charter bus pick up my group at Eppley Airfield (OMA)?

All pickup and drop-off at OMA currently takes place on Level 1 of the South Garage, where a designated commercial vehicle lane handles shuttles, taxis, and buses. Arrivals pickup is concentrated in Sections A1–A4. Your group assembles with luggage and exits the terminal, crosses to the South Garage (a two-to-four-minute walk from either terminal), and boards from the commercial lane.

The airport's Ground Transportation information and airport information line is (402) 661-8017. We always recommend checking the official OMA pickup and drop-off page before your travel date, since Build OMA construction phases continue to evolve.

Which terminal will my group exit at OMA?

OMA currently operates two separate terminals. Southwest and United Airlines passengers use the North Terminal. Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, and Frontier passengers use the South Terminal.

The central portion of the building is closed for construction, and travelers between terminals must use Terminal Drive crosswalks — there is no indoor connection. Confirm your terminal with your airline before traveling, and tell us when you book if your group is arriving on different carriers so we can plan the pickup sequence.

How far is Eppley Airfield from downtown Omaha?

About six miles, via Abbott Drive to I-480 or US-75. Under normal traffic conditions, the drive takes 10 to 15 minutes. Charles Schwab Field, CHI Health Center, and the Old Market are all within 12 to 18 minutes of OMA on a typical day — which makes Eppley one of the more conveniently located major-city airports in the Midwest for groups needing a fast transfer to the venue.

What does it cost to rent a bus from OMA to downtown Omaha?

Pricing depends on vehicle size, total hours, the date, and your specific destination. As a general range: 14-passenger Sprinter limos run $170–$344/hour; 15–35 passenger minibuses run roughly $150–$300/hour; and 40–56 passenger charter buses run approximately $150–$300/hour for airport transfers. Most airport runs are billed as a flat hourly block since the vehicle is not held with your group all day.

Call 402-973-1398 for an all-inclusive quote built around your exact headcount, date, and destination — you will know the number before you commit.

How far in advance should I book an OMA airport bus?

For most dates, two to four weeks of lead time is workable. For peak periods — College World Series week (mid-to-late June), Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting weekend (late April or early May), and graduation weekends in May — book as early as your dates are confirmed. CWS week especially: by the time the bracket is set and you know which teams made it, the available fleet for that two-week window is largely spoken for.

The sooner you lock in, the better your vehicle options and pricing.

What if our group has flights arriving on different airlines in different terminals?

That is a common situation and one we plan for directly. When you book, tell us which airlines your group is on and the approximate arrival times. We plan a staged pickup route — North Terminal first, a short loop, then South Terminal, or vice versa depending on the sequence — so the bus makes one coordinated sweep of both buildings rather than leaving half your group to call their own rideshares.

The two-to-four-minute walk between terminals and the South Garage is the same from either building, so the sequencing is efficient.

Do you have ADA-accessible buses for OMA airport transfers?

Yes — accessible vehicle options are available in our network. Mention your group's needs when you request a quote and we will match the right vehicle. Advance notice is important so the correct vehicle is reserved for your date and pickup; call 402-973-1398 to discuss your requirements.

Can a charter bus drop off directly at Charles Schwab Field during College World Series?

Yes. Charter buses and commercial vehicles use the designated commercial drop-off on 10th Street near Mike Fahey Street for Charles Schwab Field events. The Charles Schwab Field 2026 Men's CWS Fan Guide has current parking and transportation details.

Because CWS week fills the downtown parking supply and drives surge pricing on rideshares, a private bus from OMA directly to the stadium is the cleanest game-day option for a group flying in. Call 402-973-1398 to book a CWS transfer early — CWS week is our busiest airport transfer window of the year.

What is the Build OMA construction and how does it affect my group's pickup?

Build OMA is a $950 million terminal modernization project that began in 2025 and is expected to complete in 2027. It has split the airport into two separate terminals (North and South), moved all pickup and drop-off activity to Level 1 of the South Garage, and is progressively rebuilding the Central Pavilion with a new unified concourse and centralized TSA checkpoint. As of March 2026, the project is more than 50% complete.

The construction creates evolving traffic and pedestrian flow changes, which is why we verify the current commercial lane arrangement for your specific date when you book. Check the Build OMA construction updates page for the latest status before your trip.

Book Your OMA Airport Transfer Today

Skip the rideshare scramble, the split-terminal confusion, and the rental car caravan. Tell us your group size, your airlines, your date, and where you are headed — and we will lock in the right vehicle, confirm the current South Garage commercial zone for your date, and have the bus staged and ready when your group walks out of baggage claim. With a fleet that ranges from 14-passenger Sprinter limos to 56-passenger charter buses, Party Bus in Omaha has the right vehicle for airport runs to downtown Omaha, Charles Schwab Field, CHI Health Center, Aksarben Village, Papillion, Bellevue, and beyond.

Give us a call any time at 402-973-1398 for an all-inclusive price quote — you will know the exact number before you commit.