I Fly to Work Instead of Drive; Commuting by Plane Saves Money, Time

As a university professor who lives in Los Angeles however teaches in San Jose, I fly to work on a weekly foundation.

I used to reside within the San Jose space earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, however when my office went distant, I moved about 350 miles away to Los Angeles.

When distant work led to 2021, I made a decision to remain in Los Angeles — largely as a result of my husband and youngsters most well-liked Southern California and its proximity to our prolonged household. So, I had two choices: drive over 10 hours a day in California’s infamous visitors, or take a brief flight there and again.

I selected the latter, and now, I have been flying to work for practically 4 years.

There are a number of methods I observe for a clean commute

Flying from Los Angeles to San Jose normally takes simply over an hour, and all the journey from my entrance door to my workplace hardly ever takes greater than three.

Normally, I am going to fly out of Los Angeles Worldwide Airport, which is simply quarter-hour from my home. As soon as I arrive, I take a bus from San Jose Worldwide Airport to the sunshine rail station, which is only a 20-minute trip to campus.

Though this does take longer than an Uber trip, it is also a fraction of the value, so the trade-off is properly value it. As a bonus, bus and rail rides are the proper time to make amends for work emails.

To minimize the risk of flight delays, I at all times attempt to guide the primary flight out and by no means the final one again. In my expertise, this has helped me get the place I am happening time, as a result of earlier flights are hardly ever depending on one other airplane’s tightly timed arrival.

This rule additionally helps guarantee I do not get caught in San Jose in a single day if my return flight is canceled — a destiny I’ve managed to keep away from thus far.

My commute is cheaper than folks assume, thanks to some go-to guidelines

Ticket costs to and from airports can fluctuate tremendously, so being versatile about location saves me each money and time. From time to time, I am going to fly out of Lengthy Seashore — which is about 15 miles from my home — if I find a cheaper flight.

Reserving all my flights for the semester without delay throughout seasonal airline gross sales helps, too.

My largest hack, although, is utilizing an airline credit card. I usually would not use any card with an annual charge, however I made an exception for the Southwest Speedy Rewards one — and it stays among the best choices I’ve made for my commute.

I primarily fly via Southwest, and the $99 annual charge is a no brainer contemplating what number of round-trip flights I’ve taken for just about no price by utilizing factors I’ve accrued.

I usually spend between $5 and $60 a flight, because of credit-card factors and strategic planning.

To save lots of much more cash, I additionally attempt to keep away from buying meals and drinks on the airport.

As a substitute, I deliver my very own flight-friendly food. My favourite hack is to pack immediate oatmeal or ramen and ask for warm water on the airplane. Voila: an immediate breakfast or lunch.

My commute is not the simplest, however it works for me

When folks discover out that I commute by airplane as an alternative of by automobile, they normally assume that I am exceedingly wealthy (or my employer pays for my miles) and that I mainly reside on the airport.

The reality is, this type of commute is much extra inexpensive and environment friendly than some folks would possibly assume — and I genuinely love the journey.

My commute not solely provides me the possibility to reside in my favourite metropolis whereas working in one other, however it additionally retains the remainder of my household comfortable and near what they love.

Moreover, sitting in an airplane seat with snacks in a single hand and my laptop computer in entrance of me beats driving in visitors any day of the week.