If you want to make a trip to Pittsburgh, most people would elect to drive. Some might take the bus or maybe even Amtrak, but flying? That doesn’t seem practical.
But ever since Frontier announced nonstop service between the two cities earlier this year, flying may be the best option, depending on the type of traveler you are. Frontier initially offered a promotional rate of $34 round-trip back in April, but now flights start at $58. If you book at peak times, the price is higher, but it isn’t hard to find the $58 flights. Your best bet is to book on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
While this is all fun to think about, how feasible is it? We had a Billy Penn reporter and his friend square off in a high-stakes race to Pittsburgh.
The setup: Santiago by car and Logan by plane.
The goal: First one to get to Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh wins.
8:41 AM
It was decided that both contestants would depart from the airport. Yes, the trip to the airport is part of the process, but because everyone’s trip to the airport can be different, we felt it was best to remove that variable altogether. (Editor’s note: I think this was a huge break for Logan. Would have never agreed to if consulted.)
Logan is feeling confident in his trip’s success and is very thrilled with his $59 flight, while Santiago plugged his destination into the GPS and stared down a 5-hour drive estimate. It is certainly going to be less fun to drive. To make matters worse, the auxiliary cord in the car was not working and an extra 15 minutes was wasted trying to fix it. Behind schedule and with no music, Santiago finally departs from PHL.
8:55 AM
Logan has passed the TSA security checkpoint in about 15 minutes. He walks to his gate and the flight is on time. This is bad news for Santiago, who has well over 4 hours still to drive. There is still hope, however, because until Logan steps off that flight in Pittsburgh, there’s always a chance delays can happen. Many travelers have experience landing at their destination and sitting on the tarmac for an hour.
9:36 AM
Logan boards his flight. Doomed with a middle seat, he bartered with his neighbor and got the window seat for just $5. A deal so good, Shark Tank should take notice.
10:15 AM
Takeoff from Philadelphia. Again, a timely departure is bad news for Santiago. While everything goes as planned for Logan, Santiago is stuck driving the most expensive stretch of highway in the country: I-76 from Philly to Pittsburgh, which costs $72 in tolls round-trip with EZ-PASS.
11:02 AM
Touchdown in Pittsburgh. 47-minute flight time. No crying babies on board the flight, just one man snoring somewhat loudly, says Logan. Unless Logan gets delayed on the tarmac, he might have the victory wrapped up.
Santiago has over 3 hours to go, and with his spirits low, he also realizes he needs gas. The next Service Plaza is in 34 miles, that’ll do.
11:21 AM
Logan has stepped off the plane and is en route toward the bus station in Terminal 2 of Pittsburgh International. Obviously, with no car, the bus is the cheapest way into the city.
11:53 AM
Logan secured his bus ticket on Bus 28X that runs every 30 minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport to the city. It makes multiple stops, servicing areas like Oakland, Carnegie, and Downtown Pittsburgh.
The bus fare is only $2.75, negligible in the grand scheme of things. Additionally, the 28X runs from 4 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week, so everybody flying into Pittsburgh can take advantage of it.
Despite the cheap bus fare, Logan said it was a bit confusing to get a ticket. He couldn’t figure out how to work the only kiosk available, and instead opted to pay with cash on board the bus. It would be much more convenient if the bus had tap-to-pay as an option, similar to SEPTA buses in Philly.
12:16 PM
Santiago stops for gas. Despite gas being pretty expensive these days, he’s driving a Hybrid Honda Civic, so it costs about $35.50 to fill up the entire tank. If you’re driving a crossover or SUV, your bill will be much higher.
Hearing of Logan’s quick flight with no delays, Santiago’s spirits were crushed, and he decided to take his time at the service plaza: he used the restroom, got a snack, and purchased an auxiliary cord for the car so he could finally listen to something other than the radio. If he was going to lose this race, he would do it listening to his favorite podcast. Please note, this “little” stop added 45 minutes to the drive. Slow and steady does not win the race.
12:34 PM
Logan steps off the 28X bus after a 40-minute trip. The bus stop on Liberty and Fifth avenues was a mere 20-minute walk from Primanti Bros. There was virtually nothing stopping Logan from victory at this point.
1 PM
“Clock it in” texts Logan. He sent a picture of the original Primanti Bros. in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, he had won the challenge — 4 hours and 15 minutes from PHL to Primanti Bros.
Santiago has under 2 hours to go. Yikes.
3:02 PM
Santiago finally arrives at Primanti Bros. after circling around for 15 minutes trying to find parking. While his final time was 6 hours, 17 minutes, the drive could’ve been done much more quickly if lengthy stops hadn’t been made.
For comparison, Santiago’s return trip took about 5 hours, 20 minutes.
Final Cost
For Logan, the cost of flying round-trip and using the bus to and from the airport: $65
For Santiago, the cost of gas and tolls round-trip: $143
Flights are not always this cheap, and Logan did not take a carry-on, which would’ve added at least $100 in cost. Nonetheless, for a single traveler, it can be almost $80 cheaper to fly than to drive.
Important to Note
Let’s talk air flight variance: We couldn’t have had a better example of how variable flight times can be. Had this challenge taken place just one day later — on Friday, July 19 — Logan likely would’ve been caught up in the mass IT outage that caused thousands of flights to be canceled across the country. Quite incredible how close this challenge came to a complete disaster — and an easy Santiago victory.
