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300 miles, generally. Of course there are exceptions, such as no decent airport close to destination, or great flight deals to closer places.
The Auto Train sounss like fun. Unfortunately I don't live on the east coast.
We fly if vacationing in cities such as Boston, New York or San Francisco. Mostly we drive, and have a car that we use strictly for vacation driving. Being retired we have plenty of time and we change our destinations plans many times mid-trip. A few years ago we started out going to some of the national parks out west and eventually found ourselves up in Banff, AB. We didn't make it home for 7 weeks.
Our last flight was a nightmare. In June we flew from Hartford to Savannah, with a stop in Charlotte. American Airlines regional carrier PSA`s computer`s were down. We were stuck for five hours in Charlotte, with a bunch of pilots, that had no plane to fly. When we finally arrived in Savannah, our luggage was still in Charlotte, another hour, as we waited for the next plane with our luggage. Yes we could of had it sent to us, but things were such a mess, we waited, to make sure we got it. A hundred degree weather....we needed our clothes!
We will never fly American PSA again! They had issues for weeks! We wanted to cancel our flight from Charlotte, and drive to Savannah, they would not give a refund to do that. They said because we didn`t book through them
You kind of have to look at the big picture.... How far are you from the airport? They want you to show up at least an hour beforehand to get through security. How are you going to GET to the airport? would you inconvenience somebody to drive you there at a crazy time of day, or will you pay $70 per week to park it at a valet lot near the airport? Are you going to rent a car at the other end, or inconvenience your kid to pick you up and drop you off? then how long of a drive to get to your kid's place? So maybe the 800 mile flight might be 2-3 hours if it's a direct flight, but total time might be 8-10 hours with the delays inside of the airport.... So with all of the hassles, fees, inconveniencing other people, I say ROAD TRIP.... two days out, two days back.
You kind of have to look at the big picture.... How far are you from the airport? They want you to show up at least an hour beforehand to get through security. How are you going to GET to the airport? would you inconvenience somebody to drive you there at a crazy time of day, or will you pay $70 per week to park it at a valet lot near the airport? Are you going to rent a car at the other end, or inconvenience your kid to pick you up and drop you off? then how long of a drive to get to your kid's place? So maybe the 800 mile flight might be 2-3 hours if it's a direct flight, but total time might be 8-10 hours with the delays inside of the airport.... So with all of the hassles, fees, inconveniencing other people, I say ROAD TRIP.... two days out, two days back.
You must live in the boonies. I request an Uber, it takes 10 minutes to arrive, then a 20 minute ride to the airport. At the airport, I have TSA Pre, so through security in about 15 minutes. After the flight, request an Uber to the destination.
While in town doing family stuff, hitch a ride with family. When going home, Uber back to the airport.
You must live in the boonies. I request an Uber, it takes 10 minutes to arrive, then a 20 minute ride to the airport. At the airport, I have TSA Pre, so through security in about 15 minutes. After the flight, request an Uber to the destination.
While in town doing family stuff, hitch a ride with family. When going home, Uber back to the airport.
I live in Greater Hartford, CT.... Not in the boonies. 50 minutes to the CT airport. My daughter goes on trips with her college friends and they always fly out of Logan. Two plus hours just to meet at her friend's apartment then they carpool it to the airport. I don't fly often but when I do I have to be at the airport at 5am and a week later I get back at midnight.... Never did an Uber, but I suspect at those hours good luck getting one. And I bet most retired seniors don't understand the concept of an Uber or Lyft. My dad sure doesn't. I had to bring him to a doctor appointment yesterday and I saw one of those Lime Bikes on the sidewalk... I explained how it works and he looked at me in disbelief. I'm sure the TSA-Pre is a hassle to sign up for if you only fly occasionally.
Now, if I wanted to visit my dad's family in Mississippi, I have to fly to New Orleans, then rent a car and drive 3-4 hours.
Point is, flying isn't always easier...
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