Yesterday a plane crashed in the Congo and at least 30 people died. The week before that thousands of Americans watched their flights get canceled. Last month a Texas woman had to bare her breasts while passing through airport security. Every day brings another new story about why it sucks to fly. Cancellations, delays, price hikes, service cuts, pillow removal, fewer snacks, more fees -- the list goes on and on.
We all love to bash the airlines, it's easy and fun. But here's something that usually doesn't make the headlines: When you sit down and really do the math, flying has a lot going for it. Compared with driving, it's safer, faster, cheaper and cleaner.
Let's say I'm heading from Boston to St. Louis to visit my grandfather. It's a 1,038-mile trip, and I need to decide whether I'm going to fly or drive my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. If I had the time, here are some of the things I might consider:
Safety:
This one's a no-brainer. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 42,642 people died in traffic-related accidents in 2006. The National Transportation Safety Board reports that just over 1,500 people perished in aviation-related incidents last year, and of those only 50 involved commercial aircraft. You can't really argue that your odds of getting to St. Louis in one piece aren't better if you hop a flight.
42,642 annual auto deaths, 1,500 aircraft deaths. Advantage: plane
Time:
Driving at 70 mph, it's going to take me about 15 hours to get to St. Louie. But that's if I go straight through, without stopping at a Flying J Travel Plaza for a bathroom break and a burrito. Add in a night at the Quality Inn in Columbus, and I'm looking at 25 to 30 hours. Getting to St. Louis via US Airways with a convenient connection in Charlotte, N.C. (the cheapest option) takes just over five hours. Even with crappy delays and getting to and from the airport, I'll get there in half the time, max. __
25 hours to drive, 10 hours to fly. Advantage: plane__
Price*:*
According to fueleconomy.gov, a 2002 Jetta gets 29 mpg, so my thousand-mile trip will burn about 35 gallons. At $3.29 a gallon, that's $117.75, so let's call it $235 round trip. But don't forget the $89 room in Columbus. And I'll need to eat while I'm on the road. Three meals at $10 each, at least. The US Airways flight, with taxes included, costs $236 round trip.
__$354 to drive, $236 to fly. Advantage: plane __
Emissions:
This one's a little complicated, but stay with me. According to Terrapass, my Jetta will spew around 850 pounds of CO2 over 1,000 miles. Airliners.netsays an Airbus A320 burns 2.569 gallons per mile, so my thousand mile flight (let's call it 1,500 miles with the connection) requires 3,853 gallons of fuel. The Energy Information Administration says a gallon of jet fuel produces around 21 pounds of carbon, which means my flight is releasing 80,913 pounds of C02. That's horrible, but it's not the whole story. Divide that number by 140 -- the number of passengers packed into that Airbus -- and you arrive at 578 pounds per person.
850 pounds of CO2 driving, 577 pounds flying. Advantage: plane
Of course, when you fly you also have to deal with endless hours at the airport, invasive security checks, uncomfortable seats, surly flight attendants, lousy food ... you know the drill. I'm not telling people to leave the car in the driveway and head to the airport. I'm just pointing out that it's not a black and white issue. Flying is bad.
But it's not all bad.
Photo: Flickr users Romainguy and The Wong Family
