RV vs Airlines

roadrunner20 · #1 07-08-2013, 06:40 PM

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.

Michael Henning · #2 07-08-2013, 06:46 PM

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

tkatc · #3 07-08-2013, 07:06 PM

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.

airguy · #4 07-08-2013, 09:47 PM

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.

Strasnuts · #5 07-09-2013, 05:26 AM

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.

DickG · #6 07-09-2013, 07:16 AM

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.

Low Pass · #7 07-09-2013, 09:10 AM

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.

Canadian_JOY · #8 07-09-2013, 09:10 AM

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.

walkman · #9 07-09-2013, 11:51 AM

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.

J Twilbeck · #10 07-09-2013, 01:36 PM

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.