Flying vs. Driving

[skives]

My wife and I are taking a trip next March from Cadillac, MI to Savannah, GA. It's obviously cheaper to drive i figure $500 i gas round trip (2,500 miles) for flights I have seen $1,035 plus bag fees for the two of us. My one concern with flying is the return flight has a layover of only 39 in LGA. Is this enough time to get my connecting flight to DTW? I have only flown once 6 years ago.

Any advice on flying vs. driving is appreciated.

[MonkeyMama]

The deciding factor on flying versus driving, for us, is generally time. If you have time to drive, then driving probably makes more financial sense.

From a cost standpoint, don't forget wear and tear on car, and any hotel costs on the road.

On the flip side, air travel is so painful in this day and age (security and so on). We personally generally try to avoid it (but have flown to east coast and overseas in recent years - which made no sense to drive in those cases).

[HappySaver]

You only mentioned gas and plane tickets.
Other costs to consider
- if you drive: hotel and meals while traveling, tolls, car maintenance (i.e. oil change), time spent in transit
- if you fly: ground transportation in Savannah (car rental, taxis, etc.), and to and from the airport at home

[skives]

You only mentioned gas and plane tickets.
Other costs to consider
- if you drive: hotel and meals while traveling, tolls, car maintenance (i.e. oil change), time spent in transit
- if you fly: ground transportation in Savannah (car rental, taxis, etc.), and to and from the airport at home

I have 3 free nights at Marriott hotels to use and meeting my parents there so they will pick us up.

[disneysteve]

the return flight has a layover of only 39 in LGA. Is this enough time to get my connecting flight to DTW?

It is if your 1st flight is on time. Of course, that's unpredictable.

I've almost never flown anywhere with a connecting flight for just that reason but I recently booked a trip to San Diego and flying non-stop was cost-prohibitive so we will have connecting flights each way. I intentionally picked the flight with a 90-minute layover instead of the one with the 35-minute stop for this very same concern. I think 35 minutes (or 39 in your case) is cutting it way too close. I wasn't willing to take that chance.

[Wino]

There is absolutely no way I'd take a flight with only a 39 minute connection. You need at least 2 hours, and even that's cutting it close.

My basic rules are "if it takes more than 8 hours to drive, then fly." Unless you have scads of vacation time to waste, a trip from Cadillac to Savannah is going to be about 18 to 20 hours at a minimum. Unless you have a second driver, you're going to have to do a layover. That's four days going and coming. If you have two weeks of vacation, then you've just thrown away 28% for $2000 or less.

My advice is either fly, or you can't afford the trip.

[jIM_Ohio]

My wife and I are taking a trip next March from Cadillac, MI to Savannah, GA. It's obviously cheaper to drive i figure $500 i gas round trip (2,500 miles) for flights I have seen $1,035 plus bag fees for the two of us. My one concern with flying is the return flight has a layover of only 39 in LGA. Is this enough time to get my connecting flight to DTW? I have only flown once 6 years ago.

Any advice on flying vs. driving is appreciated.

Less than 6 hours drive

[bjl584]

Less than 6 hours drive

Those two cities are over 1000 miles apart. It's more like a 15 hour drive. Or a 2 hour flight.

I personally don't like flying. Too much hassle. But, putting over 2000 miles on my car isn't too appealing either.

For me, this trip would really depend on how much flights cost and how many days the duration of this trip was.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Pertaining to the layover, for me personally I would not only allow myself 00:39 minutes between flights, 2 or 3 hours is a safer amount of time and gives me more peace of mind. However, another thing to take into consideration is if the connecting flight is with the same airlines. If it is then the chances of getting another later connecting flight (should you miss the 00:39 minutes) be a little easier. If the connecting flight is on a different airlines and you miss the connector, it'll more difficult (and/or more costly) arranging to get to your final destination. Sleeping at the airport is never a good thing (lol).

[disneysteve]

My basic rules are "if it takes more than 8 hours to drive, then fly."

My advice is either fly, or you can't afford the trip.

Less than 6 hours drive

I'll be the voice of opposition here. We drive to Disney World every year. It is just over 1,000 miles each way and takes about 17 hours of travel time. We stop overnight going down. Coming home we sometimes stop over but occasionally drive straight through. It is cheaper but more importantly it is far more convenient. We are able to leave when we want. We're able to pack what we want. We have our own car when we get there and don't need to deal with a rental.

[rennigade]

Most people never take into consideration the amount of time wasted getting to an airport (unless you live really close) and arriving early enough to make it through security without any issues.

For me, we live 1 hour from DCA taking the metro. Its much more convenient than having to drive/park at the airport, and much cheaper than taking a taxi.

We drive to Jacksonville FL almost every year. It takes us 10.5 hours. The flight itself is around 2 hours I believe. Plus the 2 hours arrive before flight rule, plus 1 hour to get to the airport. Plus 15 minutes to get off the plane, and another 15-20 min to get rental car. In this situation...leaving our apartment to getting our rental car in Jacksonville is 5.5 hours if we flew...thats only 5 hours better than driving. Theres no way I would even consider flying in this situation. I also dont mind driving long distances and I rarely fatigue when driving (we do it through the night to avoid traffic.)

To answer your question...40 minutes is enough time assuming there arent any delays...and thats a big assumption. I always have connecting flights and most are around 40-50 min...which is more than enough time.

[disneysteve]

Most people never take into consideration the amount of time wasted getting to an airport (unless you live really close) and arriving early enough to make it through security without any issues.

I totally agree and have this discussion frequently when people ask me why we drive when it "only takes 2 hours to fly." I proceed to explain how their "2 hour" flight really takes 7 or 8 hours and that's if their flight isn't delayed. You have to drive to the airport, park, take the shuttle to the terminal, check your bags, get through security, wait to board, take the actual flight, deplane, get to baggage claim, get your rental car, and drive to your final destination.

[MonkeyMama]

Most people never take into consideration the amount of time wasted getting to an airport (unless you live really close) and arriving early enough to make it through security without any issues.

Agreed. We live 6 hours from LA and a couple of minutes from the airport. I am stunned how many of our friends regularly fly to LA (especially when they pay airfare for a family of 4+). We actually generally take our tiny gas sipper since it is such a "short" drive in the grand scheme of things. I can't see flying saving that much time or hassle. IT would take at least 4 hours to get to the airport early enough, fly, and wait in line for a rental car. Or you can just hop in the car and avoid all of that hassle. All of the above said, I generally prefer to drive rather than fly. I like driving, and road trips.

On the short layover times, we flew to Orlando last fall and I was shocked how many extremely short layovers were recommended in airfare searches (like 30-40 minutes). I'd be really cautious - and with kids there was just no way I was going to take that risk. (IT's one thing if I am willing to sprint across the airport when I land - but a it's bit much with little kids).

[Wino]

I totally agree and have this discussion frequently when people ask me why we drive when it "only takes 2 hours to fly." I proceed to explain how their "2 hour" flight really takes 7 or 8 hours and that's if their flight isn't delayed. You have to drive to the airport, park, take the shuttle to the terminal, check your bags, get through security, wait to board, take the actual flight, deplane, get to baggage claim, get your rental car, and drive to your final destination.

This is true. It is also why my "8 hour rule" was determined. It was originally a "6 hour rule," but that changed after the TSA got going. If you're looking at more than two plane tickets, the driving range would be extended; I figure about 2 to 4 hours per additional ticket.

But once you consider everything, there's no way you're driving more than about 12 hours per day, and the more days you travel, the lower that figure goes. I've done a ton of travel by car and by plane. The "calculators" say 15 to 16 hours for this drive. That is "driving time only." Stopping for food, gas, or bathroom extends that time, as does traffic in general. This is where my "20 hours or so" estimate came from.

So, back to the OP: You're going to have to decide whether the money for the airfare, rental car, and associated costs is worth the time you'll add driving. Don't forget that if your car breaks down en route, then you're going to be forced to fix it, at probably a higher cost than you could do around your home. You'll also have to do a "pre-trip" maintenance check for tires, oil, brakes, transmission fluid, and probably something else I'm leaving out. A quick rundown of pluses and minuses:

By air, pluses: Time left to be with others, and low "overhead" of baggage.
By air, minuses: Cost, rental car, TSA groping, general airport hassle

By car, pluses: Cost, carry more personal items, no rental car, ability to spend some family time alone during the trip.
By car, minuses: Time lost, general long-term discomfort during the drive, wear and tear, and possibility of away-from-home breakdown.

The above list is not meant to be comprehensive, but just a guide the way I see it.

[Blessed]

I wouldn't take a flight with such a short time in between. We have flown a lot on the dime of the company my spouse works for. Too many things can go wrong. I personally think flying is a pain in the butt. Not the actual flight but everything that goes with it. It wastes so much time.

We have taken trips driving too a destination up to 23 hours away. For us it was more economical and pleasant. We also enjoy driving trips. We plan to do do one 18 hours away next month. We pack a cooler and only go out for supper as a rule. We also have gotten to see a lot of neat things driving that we would not have been able to see flying.