post

Is This Really A Convenience? (Flying Pittsburgh to Latrobe)

Is This Really A Convenience?

(Flying Pittsburgh to Latrobe)

 

A story came on the local news the other night about a new airline coming into Pittsburgh and adding three daily nonstop flights from Pittsburgh to Latrobe. Really? There’s that big of a demand to fly from Pittsburgh to Latrobe?

Hey, I’m not knocking Latrobe here. All I’m saying is it seems like there are easier ways to get there. You know, like driving. I live near the airport so I did a Google Map search and it said it was 48 miles from here to Latrobe. Do you really need to fly that distance? What are you trying to load up your frequent flyer miles?

Its 48 miles each way! You’d have to take about 300 round trips before you had enough miles to use for a reward ticket. I also like the fact they mentioned the flights would be non-stop. Where the hell are you going to stop?

“Hello, this is your Captain. We will be on our way to Latrobe in just a few minutes here. Along the way, I have to stop off and pick up my dry cleaning. After that we will head straight to Latrobe.”

The airport in Latrobe is “Arnold Palmer Airport” In his “Hey Day” Arnie could have hit a drive from Pittsburgh to Latrobe. Ok, maybe not that far, but if he hit one down the middle of the highway and had a twenty mile downhill lie…

What I don’t understand is how anybody could consider this convenient. You have to get to the airport early so you can get through security. Then it’s almost certain your flight will be delayed anywhere from twenty minutes to eight hours.

This means, I could drive you to the airport in Pittsburgh, drop you off and say,

“Have a nice flight.”

Then I could drive to Latrobe, have lunch, find a cigar lounge and have a cigar, and be waiting for you at the airport when your flight finally arrived.

Just for the heck of it I looked up round trip fares from Pittsburgh to Latrobe. I looked fourteen days ahead, so as not to be quoted last minute fares. The lowest price was $268 on Spirit airlines. That’s before Spirit charges you for every bag, even if you don’t check them. I think that includes women’s purses.

You also have to pay for your seat. It’s only about a ten minute flight, I would be willing to stand to save the fee, but they don’t let you stand during take-off and landing. That’s pretty much all you will be doing anyway.

After the $268 fare, they increased to over 400, 500…I saw some for over 800 dollars. Why would anybody pay that kind of money to keep from driving an hour? Are you a sadistic person that enjoys the hell of airport security? Are you some kind of sicko that gets off taking off his shoes in public?

Even the 268 dollar fare is a bit steep. I mean, even if you took the turnpike for 13 miles between Monroeville and Greensburg, I think the toll is less than $150 dollars round trip. I could be wrong, I haven’t been that way for a while and I know they keep raising the fares.

Ok, I’m not an Uber driver but if anybody needs a ride to the airport for a flight to Latrobe, we can work out a price. Better yet, for eight hundred bucks, I’ll drive you all the way there.

Speak Your Mind

*