Anybody else make this mistake?

[Bryan Wood]

About two weeks ago Sher and I went to Las Vegas for her yearly tax seminar and training. Because she has to be there on time and because of the stress she feels worrying about the possibly not making it in time by flying ourselves she booked our flights on an airline as I sheepishly conceded. When the day came to actually make the trip all I could think about was the 15 minutes to get the airport and that 30 minutes or less later we could be lifting off in our RV. The flight to Vegas would have taken 2 hours and 45 minutes in the RV. Instead we began the 1 hour drive to the comercial airport. This allowed me to replay the previous points over and over in my head. After arriving we found a parking spot in long term parking at the rate of $14 per day. From here we waited and then boarded the bus to the terminals. Upon exiting at the terminals we were 1 1/2 hours into our adventure. Checking our one bag that we had decided not to carry on so that we could bring shampoo and other ointments, which we were checking by ourselves via a bag checking atm it was a surprise to discover that we were going to be charged an extra fee to check the bag. After placing a credit card into this fleecing device we were on our way to meet with the TSA on the way to our gate. As one of our carry ons is going thru the scanner I watched a number of passengers that looked to me as if they should have been profiled and checked a little closer. Much to my surprise I was taken out of line and allowed to stand quietly while somebody pillaged my bag. After wrinkling my clothes I was allowed to put on my shoes and continue to the gate. Around the 2 hour mark into our trip I closed my eyes and tried to catch a few winks in a chair at the gate. I awakened to a crack that sounded like gravel trying to escape from somebodies lungs. My eyes opened to see a woman next to me with a mask over her face who was covered in sweat and coughing the cough of the dying. I recoiled in horror. Without concern for her feelings I grab Sher by the hand and lead her to another seat.

Naturally our seats are in the last part of the plane to be allowed to board after the overhead bins are basically full. After finding a place for our carry ons in bins nowhere near our own seats we buckle in and get ready for our trip. I glance to the right and horror again overtakes me. Two seats to my right is a teenage boy that is also extremely sick. When I was realizing the magnitude of my bad luck he went to the second knuckle on his index finger into a little nasal maintenance. This literally went on for several minutes. My face must have showed some distress because the flight attendent asked if everything was okay. He likely thought I was afraid of flying. I pointed to my right and he realized that my expression was the result of what was happening over there. As the shock of what this kid was openly doing set in the flight attendent began to laugh uncontrollably. I sat there wondering how I ended up on this dumb airliner. I told Sher that this was like having a car in the garage and taking a cab. She was getting mad at me. That's when the noise breaks the silence. My hair moves from the wind of the mans cough that is sitting behind me. His cough sounds exactly like the womans with the mask in the terminal. This went on for the remainder of the flight and my mood grew more and more foul. Finally we arrive in Las Vegas and while waiting to exit this flu ridden person wanted to be in my personal space, or from the way he was crowding, in my clothes with me. Finally we are off of the plane and retrieving our bag from the claim area. This took almost 40 minutes. By this time I've pointed out to Sherri that we would have been at the hotel long ago if we would have flown ourselves. She was less able to defend our airline trip and more angry with me each time I updated with a new time. We would have been in the restaurant long ago followed by her scowl. When we get to the taxi area there is even a taxi cop who tells you which one you can ride in. The line was like we were on the seasons new ride at Disneyland and was at least 250 yards long being controlled by this taxi cop. The folks in front of us in line got a caddy that was new and we got an old smelly dented and dirty wrecker. The cop assigned us and off we went. When we arrived at the hotel and waited to check in the time clicked thru the 6 1/2 mark. I was greatly distressed. We walked to our room that we had reserved months earlier to ensure a King sized bed and a view. You can pay extra for the guarentee and we did. I opened the curtains and there it was in all the glory you can only experience in Vegas. There in front of me were the largest air conditioning units I'd ever seen.
[IMG][/IMG]
After returning from Las Vegas to San Jose, CA we flew our RV to Yellowstone and then on to the Black Hills of South Dakota. After completing our trip home Sher said to me, "We just flew ourselves home from South Dakota in less time than it took to fly on an airliner to Las Vegas." I smiled...

[Webb]

Now a days, it seems that 6 hours of driving time is the magic mark for commercial. Drive time less, drive it. Drive time more, book it. How long would it have taken to drive it?

[Bryan Wood]

Originally Posted by Webb

Now a days, it seems that 6 hours of driving time is the magic mark for commercial. Drive time less, drive it. Drive time more, book it. How long would it have taken to drive it?

10 hours to drive. We did it last year.

[jferraro17]

Man, for a while there, it sounded like you were describing me going to work


Joe

[pierre smith]

...how many of you have flown from somewhere in the East to California and back, instead of taking the airlines?

My experience last December was all this and worse.....disgusting, but I decided that I'd brave it instead of flying my RV to the Bay area because of Wintertime bad weather.

I'm also curious how the overall expense compared to airlines.

Thanks,

[flytoboat]

Bryan,
Did you do a cost analysis for commercial versus private?

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by Bryan Wood

...As one of our carry ons is going thru the scanner I watched a number of passengers that looked to me as if they should have been profiled and checked a little closer. Much to my surprise I was taken out of line and allowed to stand quietly while somebody pillaged my bag. After wrinkling my clothes I was allowed to put on my shoes and continue to the gate...

I have always wondered what it takes to get on "the list" for extra scrutiny. It seems that I get pulled aside every time I fly commercial. Is this because It makes me wonder if having my PPL, concealed carry permit, and that speeding ticket I picked up in a school zone 15 years ago triggered me for "the list".

[Bob Axsom]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

...how many of you have flown from somewhere in the East to California and back, instead of taking the airlines?

My experience last December was all this and worse.....disgusting, but I decided that I'd brave it instead of flying my RV to the Bay area because of Wintertime bad weather.

I'm also curious how the overall expense compared to airlines.

Thanks,

Several years ago I used some excess United FF miles for a trip from Tulsa to Burbank but otherwise I always use my airplane. I must admit if it were for business I would go commercial. I have made a lot of short trips (Santa Ana to Lancaster, Santa Ana to Santa Barbara, and Santa Ana to San Jose) for business even though they were not allowed by my employer. I have no expense information.

Bob Axsom

[Louise Hose]

Originally Posted by Bryan Wood

About two weeks ago Sher and I went to Las Vegas for her yearly tax seminar and training. Because she has to be there on time and because of the stress she feels worrying about the possibly not making it in time by flying ourselves she booked our flights on an airline as I sheepishly conceded....

Bryan,

I don't understand how you ended up in this situation. Southwest flies from San Jose to Vegas, doesn't it? Our default for situations like this one is to book tickets with Southwest. Then, more times than not, the weather is clearly RV-flyable so we jump in one of the RVs and cancel the SWA ticket. The great thing about Southwest is that they give you FULL credit (not a refund, though) and no charge on cancelled tickets. We apply the credit to the next trip that we book and, eventually, weather or other considerations force one or both of us into the aluminum mailing tube. This strategy has been working great for us.

I'm afraid I don't have a strategy for dodging a view of an air conditioning unit, though.

[mannanj]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

...

I'm also curious how the overall expense compared to airlines.

Thanks,

Pierre:

Atlanta to San Francisco for two on Delta buying super saver fare tickets well in advance.........$625.

Same round trip in the RV-8, fuel only......$840.

This trip was 12% longer than direct route. You'd have to add two nights in a Motel to that.