RV vs Airlines

Anybody notice lately that flying the RV is becoming less expensive than the airlines when we talk about 2 place travel?
It used to be that when flying > 1000 miles, the airlines beat us out most of the time. Now, the roles are reversed.
I suppose there are exceptions, especially when going to a major hub.
The bonus is no TSA or elevated auto parking fees.

I can go from Nashua, NH to Flagler Florida for less than JetBlue.... just have to get er done first.

Not only that, I beat my wife door to door from Philadelphia to Jacksonville as she flew USAIR. She had to go through parking, security and the drive to and from the airport.

I regularly go to Tulsa (from Midland) for business, and I can beat the airlines on both time and dollars flying the 172. I can't wait until I get my RV9A in the air...

My normal routine is to make reservation on Southwest ahead of time in case the weather turns bad or something else would prevent me from flying myself, and then cancel the reservations most of the time as I'm preflighting.

SLC to APC

We fly yearly from SLC to Napa California. Four of us in the RV10 and the other couples on the airline. It is exactly half the price to fly the RV out when there are two couples splitting the fuel cost. We also have the luxury of landing in Napa county where the others have to land in OAK, SMF or SFO and then drive an hour.

DET, MI to Rochester, NY

The trip is 1.6 hours in the RV6A at an all in cost $160. The commercial flight was going to be $800 via Detroit, Boston, Buffalo, then a one hour drive to Rochester. A total travel time of 8 hours. Driving would be 8 hours with one stop.

Love the RV. I can go to a business meeting and back by the time the airlines get me there.

Absolutely! Was seeing 32-34 NM/gal on my last DFW-Houston trip. **And** I didn't even feel like a criminal since I didn't have to go through the Gestapo TSA screening.

Just wait 'til you see how this equation works out when you're trying to go somewhere in Canada... As an example, Ottawa to Kapuskasing, Ontario. About 3.5hours in the Grumman Cheetah, so about 4.5 hours from one living room to the other. To go commercial would be at least 8 hours, and the ticket cost for one passenger would exceed the round-trip cost of taking the Grumman, even factoring in a very generous engine overhaul reserve cost.

If you aren't going to a hub...

Like I'm often not it makes a lot of sense. I just looked at ATL to MSP on Delta. I could probably fly there for $100 less, and it's 6 hours in the plane so probably a couple hours slower door to door.

But where I really need to get to is Bermidji. That's another $350 for a connector and adds probably at least 3 hours to the trip on the airlines, but has negligible impact to flying myself. If I had to take another person the deal gets so much better for the RV.

We just got back from a commercial flight trip to Colorado Springs from Huntsville AL and my wife is probably sick of me stating that "when the plane is finished we could've made this trip faster and cheaper than the airlines" ...5 hours faster door to door and $200 cheaper, oh and the plane leaves when I want it to.

Atlanta to Greene NY

Normally takes 5.5 hrs in my slow C-182, will take less than 4 when I get my RV-10 done.

A few years ago flew up fallowing a tropical depression, causing it to be 8 hrs and 2 fuel stops.

After that my wife said "we go commercial next time".
So we buy tickets, ATL-Chicago-Binghamton drive to Greene (1hr). House to house scheduled time 10hr. Then the Chicago-Binghamton flight gets canceled because of lack of flight crew when we arrive at Chicago., so overnight in hotel without luggage, then to Phily and on to Binghamton. Total time ends up being 27 hrs.

Told wife. Next time we fly in the 182.

The airlines are rediculously expensive to fly any where out of canada. With our family of four, it is at least half the cost of the airlines everywhere we go in the 10. Thats comparing 4 tickets to fuel costs. Its a no brainer to take the RV for us, as long as we have the time. Besides we see so much more this way, and on our schedule. (Or the weather)

Just about a wash in cost (counting fuel only) and time (assuming you don't mind flying 11-12 hours in one day) for two to visit family in NW Georgia from KTSP. If I HAVE to be there, I'll still buy a ticket on Delta.

Looking forward to RV10 travelling...

I have brought up costs and time savings with my wife on several occasions; RV10 vs. Airlines, because we travel a lot.
She had gotten tired of hearing it, so after one commercial flight she said, "It may be a little faster and cheaper to fly in the 10, but how can you replace the perks that only the airlines offer?" I answered, "I could strip search you before the preflight."

The privileges of being the pilot and the passenger inspector are priceless.

The answer is, of course, it depends. In this case, it all depends on where you are and where you're going.

Example: Yesterday, I returned from BZN to IAH. It took about 8 hr via Conti-Ted (my name for the merged airline) from the time I arrived at BZN until I got to my car at IAH. Let's factor that I actually live a LOT closer to LBX and there's an hour drive, so let's call it 9 hours.

You'd be hard pressed to beat that in the fastest of RVs, particularly given the weather along the front range yesterday. Plus, I got to sit FDH in my seat and catch up on some reading (never get time to read) and have a beverage that is prohibited while serving as PIC. $250 one-way is cheaper than GA for sure. This says nothing of the IAH-PDX run I often do (4 hr direct).

Winner: Big Iron

Example 2: Run to Dallas for the weekend. Going commercial, it requires a one hour drive to the airport, one hour for TSA Freedom Fondle and queuing up like cattle, er, self-loading cargo, one hour flight = 3 hours. $150 one-way short notice ticket. Even in the LSA-speed CT, it was about a 2 hour flight, direct to my destination, and it used about 10 gal of cheap 91 octane pump gas.

Winner: GA

So its all about mission and schedule for the airlines. GA gives you point-to-point ability and schedule flexibility (I'm sure Louise will be here soon to talk about her commute). Big Iron gives you better weather-coping ability, better speed over long distances, and the ability to sit not have to be PIC for 12 hours. You pays your $$ and you makes your choice.

YMMV,
TODR