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Reno - Fly or Drive?

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Why fly when you can drive from the Bay Area?

 

Some say you can drive faster to Reno than flying from the Bay Area. That is not always true.

 

Let’s analyze the two:

 

Driving:

Reno is approximately 200 miles from the East Bay. That is 3 hours, no traffic – straight through. How often does that happen? You will hit traffic in Fairfield, Vacaville, Davis, Sacramento, Roseville, and up the grade. So, how long does it really take to drive to Reno? Generally, 4 hours on an average Friday afternoon, not a holiday weekend.

 

When you drive, how relaxed are you when you arrive? Stop and go traffic, traffic accidents, lane closures, drivers going up the grade the same speed as the trucks, trucks in both lane on the grade, and much more. So I ask again, how relaxed are you when you arrive in Reno?

 

Using the flying analysis below, leaving the East Bay at 2:45pm, you should arrive at your destination at approximately 6:45pm, not being a holiday weekend. Don’t forget, you have to drive back home.  

 

Flying:

To better analyze the two, let’s just say, you have a 5:00pm flight from Oakland Airport, arriving in Reno at 6:00pm. Flights generally board 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. You should arrive at the airport an hour before your scheduled boarding to check your luggage and go through security. Therefore, you should be at the airport by 3:30pm. It takes, on an average, 45 minutes from the East Bay to Oakland Airport. So leaving the East Bay at 2:45pm for a 5:00pm flight is not unreasonable.

 

When you arrive at the airport and you check your luggage and go through security, you should have time for a few over-priced drinks before you board the aircraft. Once you board the aircraft, you are relaxed. If there is drink service on the aircraft (depending on if it is a full flight or there is turbulence), you might be able to have another cocktail before you arrive in Reno. If drink service is not available, enjoy the 30 minute flight.

 

When you arrive in Reno, you should be relaxed. Go get your luggage and wait for the free shuttle service to the resort. When you arrive at the resort, you are so relaxed, you are ready to have some fun.

 

Economics of the two:

If there are sales on flights and each person is paying for their own, it may be better to fly. If you have a family, say a total of five, flying might not be economical.

 

Scenic:

At times, I like to drive to Reno, especially in the winter after it has been snowing for a while. The Sierra - Mountains in the winter in awesome. Once you get into the mountains, the scenery will make the drive feel a lot less time. Just don’t drive when it is snowing or it will make the drive fell a lot longer, which it will be.