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Ok so I noticed that airfare is CRAZY going in and out of RAP.
Are there any tips and tricks you can give me when travelling in or out of RAP? It’s mostly gonna be to and from Salt lake City. Thanks in advance!!!
Unfortunately you're SOL. RAP is the only major airport between Sioux Falls and Denver so you're pretty much screwed. And there's so much demand in the summer with all the tourists that teh rates are much higher than in winter. Compound that with the fact that your flying from SLC so you're only choice in Delta and your looking at a recipe for high fares. Sorry I don't have better news for you.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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RAP is one of those destinations that you need to use Free frequent flyer miles (or you PAY).
The drive from Denver to RC is a long Haul (but cheapest flights). I used to truck it daily. Winters were fun. Summers brought exciting prairie lightning storms, hail and twisters. Not too many 'dull' trips! ALways some deer, antelope, and open range cattle on the road to keep you awake.
Try hiring a private plane. You never know - they might be cheaper. My dad used to work for someone in Rapid City (think he just died recently) as a private pilot, so I know they're out there. Here's one:
Try hiring a private plane. You never know - they might be cheaper. My dad used to work for someone in Rapid City (think he just died recently) as a private pilot, so I know they're out there. Here's one:
"Cheap" doesn't come to mind when I think "charter jet". Plug some departure and arrival dates for flights between KRAP (Rapid City) and KSLC (Salt Lake City) airports for one person into their quote request tool. I didn't see anything below $10k.
Also, a private pilot is not allowed to fly passengers for any form of compensation. And when flying any passengers, the pilot must not pay less than their pro rata cost of any flight (e.g. if a flight costs $500 to make, they must contribute $250 or more.)
The cheapest and legal way I know to travel by small plane on one's own schedule than an airline's without a pilot license is to first find a place that rents planes to pilots. Here are a couple I found in the Rapid City area: Home Eagle Aviation, Inc. - Full Service FBO Serving Spearfish, Deadwood and Lead, South Dakota
Tell them you would like to rent a plane to fly but need a pilot with a commercial rating or an instructor and ask that pilot to fly you (if they are an instructor you can get some training at the same time with little extra cost.) [A pilot with a commercial rating can't hold themselves out to the public - only an outfit with an air taxi certificate can do that. But the pilots are allowed to fly anyone who comes to them asking for their pilot service! In the latter case the customer must supply the aircraft.]
KRAP and KSLC are 440 nm apart, and 100 knots is a good planning speed of the typical small plane, and after taking account preflight, taxiing and other maneuvering, probably 5 hours time between airports. Plane Training LLC claims to have a Piper Archer available for $125/hr. I don't know their instructor rates, but guesstimate of $50/hr is probably within $10. Assuming 5 hours each way (alas, the pilot and plane need to get back whence they started) the passenger one-way total cost is ~$1750; round trip is ~$3500. If the pilot could cool their heels while the passenger goes about their business the round-trip cost could be cut roughly in half.
If the OP had their own pilot license, then the cost drops to ~$625 each way (this becomes competitive with airlines by simply taking a passenger like a spouse.) The advantage is the departure and arrival times are completely up to the OP, not beholden to airline schedule. Down side is that they wouldn't be able to fly in marginal weather, even with an instrument rating.
My dad was considered a professional pilot and although he didn't work for himself, he flew people all over the place. I remember him flying Humphrey when he was stumping around Minnesota back in what, the 60s? Anyway, he was what they called a corporate pilot, but made his own decisions to fly if he thought the weather was too bad. I think he also did a lot of his own maintenance. I know a lot of people go by private plane, so it can't be all that expensive. The only reason I brought it up was because my dad's last job was in Rapid City flying a King Air before he retired. My mom would fly with him sometimes on overnight trips and I went with him once to Casper, Wy. Fun times.
You can get a cheap flight on Allegant down to Las Vegas and then use Southwest to get flights to pretty much every where in the South west. The catch is you have to book it all yourself as individual flights and only use carry on bags. That is about the cheapest way to get out of Rapid City by air.
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