flyingcheesehead said:
Hmmm. MSP? Plenty of rental options in your area that are faster than a 172...
Also, it depends on how far you're going. California? Yeah, the airlines will beat you in every way but fun. Joplin, MO? You could probably drive almost as fast as the airlines would get you there, and you'd probably beat them even in the 172.
Indeed. If I need to fly from EUG (Eugene, OR) to SJC (San Jose, CA) all the flights require 1 stop and take no less than 4:40. A quick check on Expedia shows a price of ~$430/person for a flight two weeks from now, round trip.
If I were to rent a C-172, wet, for $115/hr at 77S (Creswell, OR; actually closer than EUG to my home) I could make the flight in ~3:45. Tack on :30 for the usual stuff, and the same trip costs about $490/person tomorrow, one way.
So for my wife and I, a trip to SJC in two weeks:
- By airline takes ~4:40 each way, not including time needed to pass through security, and costs ~$860.
- By rental plane takes ~4:30 each way, including pre-flight, fueling, and paperwork, and costs ~$980.
But if we had to fly there tomorrow, while the rental plane costs wouldn't change, the airline charges more; the same flight would cost us ~$1220.
Add in the hassle of having to fit the trip around the airline's flight schedule, rather than scheduling the trip around our schedule, and sometimes it really is cost effective and all-around better to fly private airplanes. One of the dubious advantage of living in a smaller metro area. (I didn't even include the fact that the 172 can be rented for $105/hr if enough hours are used.)
