(UNEDITED)My wife and I have made some discussions regarding flying, in light of the new TSA bomb searches, we choose not to fly. No sense in going through the humiliation of being groped and fondled, crammed into a tight seat, lost luggage, etc, and it costs extra for luggage, pillow or a blanket. The one place we do travel is Southern California. I can drive to San Diego in 12 hours.
It takes 1hour to get to the airport, 30 minutes to get parked and back to the terminal, 2 hours to get through to the flight, 1 ¬½ hour flight, if it's on time, 1 hour at the rental car company at destination and an hour drive to my brothers home. That's 7 hours and I can drive in 12, so it really only cost me 5 extra hours. I saved 80% of the cost for 5 hours extra. The flight cost, rental car and parking, is about $800. I can drive it, round trip for about $200. For 5 extra hours down and 5 extra hours back, I'm paying myself $60 an hour. I can work for that. Sure, you have to figure a little extra time, but for the cost and the inconvenience of the airport, it's worth it to me. Airlines, be aware. If you start to see a drop in your revenue, you might look to the TSA and your own tactics to understand why the traveling public is looking at different ways to travel.
Grant Johnson
Ogden
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