When compared to flying an airline, flying small plane has some nice advantages! If you’re only traveling a couple of states away, then a small plane would probably be better. A small plane doesn’t seem like much of an advantage at first glance, but let’s look a little closer.
Unless you live close to a major airport where the airlines are, then you could have a good 45 minutes of driving to get to the airline, plus another 15 minutes to park and get inside. Don’t forget that when you go to the airline, you are supposed to be there about an hour early to allow time for your body x-ray and search for weapons. Once on the plane, the actual flight time is probably going to be about 1.3 hours.
So far, just getting to the airport and flying to our destination has just taken about 3.3 hours. After you get to your destination airport, you will spend another 30 minutes getting off the plane, waiting for your bags and looking for a cab. Airlines must fly into big airport so unless your destination is by the airport you could have another 30 minutes to get to where you are going.
Total approximate time taking an airline is about 4 hours and 20 minutes if everything goes well. Don’t forget the hassle you had to go through; traffic, being searched and x-rayed, removing belts, shoes, emptying pockets, paying extra for checking bags, cab fair, parking fee, restrictions on things you can take, etc.
Now let’s look at a small plane. Small planes are usually based at local airports. People that own or rent small planes usually live within 15 – 20 minutes of an airport. A 15 minute trip to the airport and another 15 minutes to inspect the plane, load a few bags and take off. We are in the air and on the way. The plane is much slower though and will probably take 2.7 hours of flying to get to the destination.
There are many more small airports around and it is much easier to find a local airport closer to your destination, within 10-15 minutes driving time. While you are in the air, you can have the airport you’re flying to call a cab and have it ready for you if you need one. Once you land, it will take about 10 minutes to grab your bags, check in and be on your way.
Total time in a small plane is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. No getting up early to rush to the airport, less traffic, no waiting, nobody going through your underwear and personal things, no lines, cab waiting for you when you get there, front row seat and people actually treat you great! The fuel for this trip is about $175 which is probably close to the the same as an airline airline ticket. If you bring one or two more people with you in a small plane, the cost doesn’t increase! Every person you bring on the airline would have to pay for another ticket! Bags don’t cost money either, so you could potentially save another $100.
So, for those short trips which are only a state or two away, take your small plane! You can save about an hour or so, and save money if bringing more people. If you don’t own and have to pay plane rental, then the money you save on the airline tickets by bringing more people could pay for the plane rental or at least come close. You’d still save over an hour and have a lot less hassle in that case!