Thursday, October 19, 2006

I just don't get it

I am making plans for a trip to see Rick. I am still trying to decide if I will drive the 2000 round trip, and get a few extra days of peace and quiet, or if I will fly to save some time. I am not really big on flying, but if it is cheaper, then it is a no brainer...

I spent some time on the travel websites this morning and it looks like driving will be a little cheaper, but not by much. Maybe $200 once you add in meals on the road and taxes at the airport. But I give up two days of quiet, getting to listen to CDs and mp3s that I chose. Surely days like that go for more than $100 a piece.

One thing cracks me up about flying. Since there are no direct flights from here to there, some airlines would route me through Memphis or Houston. Makes sense, since those cities are in the general direction of my destination. Some flights overshoot and connect in Atlanta, GA. And they are some of the cheapest flights. Huh? You are taking me 300 miles out of the way and it is cheaper?

The biggest surprise, besides the fact that it is possible to book a first class flight for only $1600, is that a few of the flights connect through Chicago. Isn't that like a thousand miles out of the way? And it is one of the cheaper possible flights?

Let's see, sitting in Chicago, on a flight to Alabama from Texas... Sounds to me like the pilot is planning ahead to get lost on the way. No thanks, I can do that in my own car.

3 comments:

Terry said...

My last flight took me from Tulsa to Las Vegas, via Salt Lake City. Only about 450 miles out of route, but no additional charge for the missed connecting flight due to delays in Oklahoma. Got squeezed onto a last minute alternative flight for free. I did have to go running through the airport at top speed. My luggage made the first flight... How ironic is that...

Ginger said...

In July three of us flew to Baltimore by way of Dallas. This was our best route based on price and schedule. How many miles out of the way is that?

I have been online getting ready to book our flights to Orlando in January. I thought we could use Delta miles but not on the direct flight. To use our miles we would have to fly to Atlanta first. How can two flights be better than one?

Rick said...

It's all about demand. No one wants to fly from Austin to Dallas by way of Chicago and San Francisco so obviously that flight will be cheaper. But if you want to take just any one of those legs it will cost you a bundle.

For the record, Atlanta's air port is fairly large, Memphis is small. The flight from Atlanta to HSV is about 30 minutes total. Not a bad flight.