DFW ground stoppage? Weather?

[JC316]

I've come to the conclusion that flying only saves you a couple of hours over driving. When you factor in the drive to the airport, the 2 hours for TSA, possible delays, delays in getting off the plane, getting a rental car, and driving to your destination, there really isn't that much time saved.

[Rick Modena]

I've come to the conclusion that flying only saves you a couple of hours over driving. When you factor in the drive to the airport, the 2 hours for TSA, possible delays, delays in getting off the plane, getting a rental car, and driving to your destination, there really isn't that much time saved.

You make a good point, but im not driving to NYC or any part of Commiefornia or southern Florida, I'll gladly take a non-stop flight to and from Lover Field any day of the week, pahTnah...

[slow84lx]

I've come to the conclusion that flying only saves you a couple of hours over driving. When you factor in the drive to the airport, the 2 hours for TSA, possible delays, delays in getting off the plane, getting a rental car, and driving to your destination, there really isn't that much time saved.

This conclusion only applies if you are within a 5-6 hour drive. Bad weather for planes could stretch that out to about a 10 hour drive but you might also be fighting bad roads a the same time.

It really depends upon where you are going. Going to meet a customer in the Chicago area? Leave DFW early a.m. visit your customer late morning, have lunch, get back home in time to have dinner with your family. You can't do that in your car.

[JC316]

This conclusion only applies if you are within a 5-6 hour drive. Bad weather for planes could stretch that out to about a 10 hour drive but you might also be fighting bad roads a the same time.

I think the number goes up to about a 10 hour drive. I left Dallas at 9PM and ate breakfast in Pensacola, Fl at 7AM. Factoring in 2 hours to wake up and get to the airport, then 2 hours for TSA, then a 2 hours flight, and another hour to pick up the car, I'm only saving 3 hours.

I can handle 3 extra hours on the road to avoid the aggravation of TSA, the shitty seats on a plane, possible annoying children, and definitely annoying passengers.

[Mach1]

2 hrs tsa??, carryon and precheck ftw

[lowthreeohz]

yeah I have never seen a 2 hour wait for security and I do this shit weekly. sometimes I'll fly to FL, NC, then PA in the same week. doing that in a car would be impossible.

[JC316]

yeah I have never seen a 2 hour wait for security and I do this shit weekly. sometimes I'll fly to FL, NC, then PA in the same week. doing that in a car would be impossible.

Missed my flight to Orlando due to that BS. Took an hour and a half to get through TSA.

[slow84lx]

I think the number goes up to about a 10 hour drive. I left Dallas at 9PM and ate breakfast in Pensacola, Fl at 7AM. Factoring in 2 hours to wake up and get to the airport, then 2 hours for TSA, then a 2 hours flight, and another hour to pick up the car, I'm only saving 3 hours.

I can handle 3 extra hours on the road to avoid the aggravation of TSA, the shitty seats on a plane, possible annoying children, and definitely annoying passengers.

The magic number is a lot lower than 10 hours. I've boarded 40 flights this year and never waited that long for TSA. It did take 45 minutes to get thru security once. Rental car normally takes no more than 20 minutes from baggage claim to leaving the car lot, and that long only if riding a shuttle to an offsite lot,...your results will vary if using the ultra discount lots. Sign up for the rewards plan even if you do not plan to use it often and you'll breeze right thru the rental car lot.

The plane seats get uncomfortable on flights longer than 2 hours, especially if you are in a middle seat. The earliest flight of the day usually has the most empty seats so more room to stretch out, but it leaving the house at 3:00 a.m. sucks big time.

It's just like anything else that you do regularly, once you learn the rhythm of how the system works you learn to work with it for your benefit.

There are annoying people & their kids everywhere you go, and bad drivers on the road.

[71chevellejohn]

We flew into Abilene a few years back and had to sit on the tarmac for a few hours because of lightning in the area. The plane at the terminal couldn't fuel up/take off until the lightning was so many miles away(I think 10, but not sure). The shitty thing is, there are two terminals at this airport, but they only ever use one.

It wasn't terrible until we got the all clear that we were going to pull up to the terminal. Then the flight attendant made everybody go back to their assigned seats(with seatbelts) so we could drive up to the skybridge. I'm pretty sure we were less than 100 yards from the terminal and this bitch is going around with a seating chart!

[JC316]

The magic number is a lot lower than 10 hours. I've boarded 40 flights this year and never waited that long for TSA. It did take 45 minutes to get thru security once. Rental car normally takes no more than 20 minutes from baggage claim to leaving the car lot, and that long only if riding a shuttle to an offsite lot,...your results will vary if using the ultra discount lots. Sign up for the rewards plan even if you do not plan to use it often and you'll breeze right thru the rental car lot.

The plane seats get uncomfortable on flights longer than 2 hours, especially if you are in a middle seat. The earliest flight of the day usually has the most empty seats so more room to stretch out, but it leaving the house at 3:00 a.m. sucks big time.

It's just like anything else that you do regularly, once you learn the rhythm of how the system works you learn to work with it for your benefit.

There are annoying people & their kids everywhere you go, and bad drivers on the road.

Maybe I just have bad luck with airports. Plus a complete lack of patience for bullshit security theater like TSA and annoying fuckers that I can't escape from.

Bad drivers aren't usually a problem when I'm taking a road trip. I'm blessed/cursed to be a night owl, so I can drive till about 5AM.

[68RR]

Missed my flight to Orlando due to that BS. Took an hour and a half to get through TSA.

Recently the wife and I flew to Australia. Left DFW in an A-380. Landed at Sydney almost the same time another 380 came in from Europe. Like a freakin zoo!! Of course we missed our connecting flight to Brisbane, which caused a late final leg to Townsville.
And as a side note, I brought back a crushed 50 cal shell from a B-26 crash site. The Aussie Security on the return legs went ape shit about a "threat" but luckily Supervisors cleared it. When I got to DFW, the TSA guy said "that's neat" and passed us through.

[Strychnine]

then 2 hours for TSA

2 hours? Are you volunteering for multiple cavity searches?



I'm at ~63,000 miles for the first half of this year (actual flight miles, not reward miles with multipliers, etc) with another 39,000 booked for the next two months. It can get shitty sometimes, but I always think of this and remember that flying is fucking awesome.

[bcoop]

TSA leaving Orlando will take 60+ minutes every fucking time. But that's the only airport I've ever had take more than a half hour or so to get through. I hate that goddamn city, I hate that goddamn airport, and I hate every last one of those whiny snotnosed little shits that don't know how to act in public, and I hate their shitty goddamn parents too.

[Strychnine]

I hate that goddamn airport, and I hate every last one of those whiny snotnosed little shits that don't know how to act in public

So it's Atlanta, but with kids

[AdamLX]

If you travel at all get TSA PreCheck / Global Entry / Clear which will cut your time down dramatically even if the line is as long or longer than standard security.