Instead of driving
Private Jet Charter Instead of Driving
The trips a team currently drives because they look driveable on a map. Four hours each way, absorbed as a normal cost, by people whose time is expensive.
- Routes
- 1884
- Departure markets
- 74
There is a category of business trip that never appears in a travel policy because nobody thinks of it as travel. It is a drive. Four hours out, a meeting, four hours back — or an overnight to avoid doing both in one day. It is booked as mileage rather than as a flight, and it is largely invisible in the numbers.
It is also, frequently, the most expensive travel a company does. Eight hours of driving for four people is four working days of salary spent watching an interstate, plus an arrival that is measurably worse for having driven. The mileage reimbursement is the smallest part of the cost.
These pairs are the strongest case on the network, because the comparison is unambiguous. A four-and-a-half-hour drive becomes a fifty-minute flight. The overnight disappears. The team arrives able to think, and gets home for the evening.
The honest counterpoint: for one person, driving is usually still cheaper, and we are not going to argue otherwise. The arithmetic changes with headcount, and it changes sharply at three or four.
What makes it work
Four hours becomes fifty minutes
The typical shape of these routes. Two of those recovered per trip, per person, is the entire argument.
The overnight disappears
Most long drives quietly force a hotel, because nobody wants eight hours of driving around a meeting. Flying removes the night.
Arriving able to think
Harder to price and easy to underrate. Nobody does their best work having just driven four hours to get there.
Headcount decides it
For one traveller, driving usually still wins. At three or four people the arithmetic flips, and it flips hard.
1884 routes
Routes teams currently drive
Pairs where the road version runs four hours or more each way — and where the drive, not the airline, is the real competitor.
From Birmingham
BHM · 41 routes- Austin2 h 10 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 35 m
- Charleston1 h 22 m
- Charlotte1 h 18 m
- Chicago1 h 57 m
- Cincinnati1 h 24 m
- Cleveland2 h 00 m
- Columbus1 h 39 m
- Dallas1 h 55 m
- Des Moines2 h 09 m
- Detroit2 h 07 m
- Fort Lauderdale2 h 05 m
- Fort Wayne1 h 44 m
- Fort Worth2 h 00 m
- West Michigan2 h 06 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 28 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 02 m
- Houston1 h 56 m
- Indianapolis1 h 28 m
- Jacksonville1 h 17 m
- Kansas City1 h 54 m
- Knoxville0 h 53 m
- Lexington1 h 12 m
- Louisville1 h 11 m
- Madison2 h 11 m
- Memphis0 h 51 m
- Miami2 h 07 m
- Milwaukee2 h 06 m
- New Orleans1 h 08 m
- Hampton Roads2 h 04 m
- Oklahoma City2 h 03 m
- Orlando1 h 36 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 58 m
- Research Triangle1 h 37 m
- Richmond1 h 57 m
- Savannah1 h 13 m
- St. Louis1 h 26 m
- Toledo1 h 54 m
- Tulsa1 h 49 m
- Washington, D.C.2 h 02 m
- Wichita2 h 08 m
From Lexington
LEX · 41 routes- Albany & the Capital Region2 h 07 m
- Atlanta1 h 04 m
- Baltimore1 h 32 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 49 m
- Birmingham1 h 12 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 33 m
- Charleston1 h 30 m
- Charlotte1 h 03 m
- Chicago1 h 12 m
- Cleveland1 h 04 m
- Des Moines1 h 47 m
- Detroit1 h 11 m
- West Michigan1 h 13 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 05 m
- Upstate South Carolina0 h 58 m
- Harrisburg1 h 31 m
- Hartford & Springfield2 h 12 m
- Huntsville1 h 00 m
- Jacksonville1 h 49 m
- Kansas City1 h 48 m
- Madison1 h 29 m
- Memphis1 h 17 m
- Milwaukee1 h 20 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul2 h 07 m
- New Orleans2 h 03 m
- New York City1 h 57 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 35 m
- Omaha2 h 05 m
- Orlando2 h 12 m
- Philadelphia1 h 46 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 06 m
- Research Triangle1 h 16 m
- Richmond1 h 23 m
- Rochester1 h 41 m
- Savannah1 h 32 m
- St. Louis1 h 11 m
- Central New York1 h 52 m
- Toledo0 h 58 m
- Tulsa2 h 03 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 21 m
- Westchester & Fairfield2 h 00 m
From Nashville
JWN · 41 routes- Atlanta0 h 52 m
- Baltimore2 h 00 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 26 m
- Buffalo & Niagara2 h 04 m
- Charleston1 h 32 m
- Charlotte1 h 15 m
- Chicago1 h 26 m
- Cincinnati0 h 57 m
- Cleveland1 h 34 m
- Columbus1 h 13 m
- Dallas2 h 00 m
- Des Moines1 h 44 m
- Detroit1 h 38 m
- Fort Wayne1 h 14 m
- Fort Worth2 h 03 m
- West Michigan1 h 35 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 21 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 02 m
- Harrisburg2 h 00 m
- Houston2 h 11 m
- Indianapolis0 h 57 m
- Jacksonville1 h 39 m
- Kansas City1 h 35 m
- Madison1 h 40 m
- Milwaukee1 h 35 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul2 h 13 m
- New Orleans1 h 34 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 57 m
- Oklahoma City1 h 58 m
- Omaha1 h 58 m
- Orlando2 h 01 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 36 m
- Research Triangle1 h 32 m
- Richmond1 h 47 m
- Rochester2 h 12 m
- Savannah1 h 28 m
- St. Louis1 h 01 m
- Toledo1 h 25 m
- Tulsa1 h 41 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 48 m
- Wichita1 h 56 m
From Cincinnati
LUK · 40 routes- Albany & the Capital Region1 h 59 m
- Atlanta1 h 17 m
- Baltimore1 h 28 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 53 m
- Birmingham1 h 24 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 23 m
- Charleston1 h 39 m
- Charlotte1 h 11 m
- Chicago1 h 02 m
- Cleveland0 h 53 m
- Des Moines1 h 43 m
- Detroit0 h 58 m
- West Michigan1 h 01 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 10 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 09 m
- Harrisburg1 h 26 m
- Hartford & Springfield2 h 05 m
- Huntsville1 h 12 m
- Jacksonville2 h 00 m
- Kansas City1 h 48 m
- Knoxville0 h 54 m
- Madison1 h 20 m
- Memphis1 h 26 m
- Milwaukee1 h 10 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1 h 59 m
- Nashville0 h 57 m
- New York City1 h 51 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 36 m
- Omaha2 h 02 m
- Philadelphia1 h 41 m
- Pittsburgh0 h 58 m
- Research Triangle1 h 20 m
- Richmond1 h 23 m
- Rochester1 h 31 m
- Savannah1 h 43 m
- St. Louis1 h 13 m
- Central New York1 h 43 m
- Tulsa2 h 08 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 19 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 54 m
From Piedmont Triad
GSO · 40 routes- Albany & the Capital Region1 h 51 m
- Atlanta1 h 05 m
- Baltimore1 h 05 m
- Birmingham1 h 28 m
- Boston2 h 04 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 37 m
- Charleston0 h 53 m
- Chicago1 h 57 m
- Cincinnati1 h 10 m
- Cleveland1 h 21 m
- Columbus1 h 10 m
- Detroit1 h 39 m
- Fort Lauderdale2 h 12 m
- Fort Wayne1 h 30 m
- West Michigan1 h 50 m
- Harrisburg1 h 12 m
- Hartford & Springfield1 h 51 m
- Huntsville1 h 23 m
- Indianapolis1 h 28 m
- Jacksonville1 h 23 m
- Knoxville0 h 54 m
- Lexington1 h 05 m
- Louisville1 h 14 m
- Southern New Hampshire2 h 07 m
- Memphis1 h 52 m
- Milwaukee2 h 04 m
- Nashville1 h 21 m
- New York City1 h 33 m
- Hampton Roads0 h 52 m
- Orlando1 h 45 m
- Philadelphia1 h 21 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 05 m
- Providence1 h 58 m
- Rochester1 h 40 m
- Savannah1 h 03 m
- St. Louis2 h 00 m
- Central New York1 h 45 m
- Toledo1 h 29 m
- Washington, D.C.0 h 53 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 37 m
From Indianapolis
IND · 40 routes- Albany & the Capital Region2 h 11 m
- Atlanta1 h 27 m
- Baltimore1 h 45 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 40 m
- Birmingham1 h 28 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 32 m
- Charleston1 h 55 m
- Charlotte1 h 28 m
- Cleveland1 h 01 m
- Des Moines1 h 24 m
- Detroit0 h 58 m
- West Michigan0 h 53 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 28 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 24 m
- Harrisburg1 h 41 m
- Huntsville1 h 15 m
- Jacksonville2 h 13 m
- Kansas City1 h 31 m
- Knoxville1 h 06 m
- Madison1 h 04 m
- Memphis1 h 20 m
- Milwaukee0 h 56 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1 h 42 m
- Nashville0 h 57 m
- New York City2 h 06 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 54 m
- Oklahoma City2 h 12 m
- Omaha1 h 43 m
- Philadelphia1 h 57 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 13 m
- Research Triangle1 h 38 m
- Richmond1 h 42 m
- Rochester1 h 41 m
- Savannah1 h 57 m
- St. Louis0 h 57 m
- Central New York1 h 54 m
- Tulsa1 h 53 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 36 m
- Westchester & Fairfield2 h 09 m
- Wichita2 h 00 m
From Louisville
LOU · 40 routes- Atlanta1 h 08 m
- Baltimore1 h 41 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 39 m
- Birmingham1 h 11 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 38 m
- Charleston1 h 38 m
- Charlotte1 h 13 m
- Chicago1 h 05 m
- Cleveland1 h 08 m
- Des Moines1 h 37 m
- Detroit1 h 11 m
- West Michigan1 h 10 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 14 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 06 m
- Harrisburg1 h 40 m
- Huntsville0 h 59 m
- Jacksonville1 h 54 m
- Kansas City1 h 38 m
- Madison1 h 22 m
- Memphis1 h 11 m
- Milwaukee1 h 14 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1 h 59 m
- New Orleans2 h 01 m
- New York City2 h 05 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 45 m
- Oklahoma City2 h 13 m
- Omaha1 h 55 m
- Philadelphia1 h 55 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 13 m
- Research Triangle1 h 25 m
- Richmond1 h 33 m
- Rochester1 h 47 m
- Savannah1 h 39 m
- St. Louis1 h 01 m
- Central New York1 h 58 m
- Toledo0 h 58 m
- Tulsa1 h 54 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 31 m
- Westchester & Fairfield2 h 09 m
- Wichita2 h 05 m
From Toledo
TOL · 40 routes- Albany & the Capital Region1 h 44 m
- Atlanta1 h 46 m
- Baltimore1 h 27 m
- Northwest Arkansas2 h 10 m
- Birmingham1 h 54 m
- Boston2 h 05 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 02 m
- Charleston2 h 04 m
- Charlotte1 h 34 m
- Chicago0 h 52 m
- Des Moines1 h 42 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 29 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 35 m
- Harrisburg1 h 20 m
- Hartford & Springfield1 h 53 m
- Huntsville1 h 42 m
- Kansas City1 h 56 m
- Knoxville1 h 23 m
- Lexington0 h 58 m
- Louisville0 h 58 m
- Madison1 h 07 m
- Southern New Hampshire2 h 04 m
- Memphis1 h 51 m
- Milwaukee0 h 54 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1 h 46 m
- Nashville1 h 25 m
- New York City1 h 42 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 44 m
- Omaha2 h 02 m
- Philadelphia1 h 36 m
- Pittsburgh0 h 53 m
- Providence2 h 04 m
- Research Triangle1 h 37 m
- Richmond1 h 31 m
- Rochester1 h 12 m
- Savannah2 h 09 m
- St. Louis1 h 26 m
- Central New York1 h 25 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 21 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 45 m
From Charlotte
JQF · 39 routes- Albany & the Capital Region2 h 02 m
- Atlanta0 h 54 m
- Baltimore1 h 17 m
- Birmingham1 h 18 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 46 m
- Chicago1 h 58 m
- Cincinnati1 h 11 m
- Cleveland1 h 28 m
- Columbus1 h 15 m
- Detroit1 h 44 m
- Fort Lauderdale2 h 04 m
- Fort Wayne1 h 33 m
- West Michigan1 h 54 m
- Harrisburg1 h 23 m
- Hartford & Springfield2 h 02 m
- Huntsville1 h 14 m
- Indianapolis1 h 28 m
- Jacksonville1 h 14 m
- Lexington1 h 03 m
- Louisville1 h 13 m
- Memphis1 h 44 m
- Miami2 h 07 m
- Milwaukee2 h 06 m
- Nashville1 h 15 m
- New Orleans2 h 07 m
- New York City1 h 44 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 02 m
- Orlando1 h 36 m
- Philadelphia1 h 32 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 14 m
- Providence2 h 09 m
- Richmond0 h 56 m
- Rochester1 h 50 m
- Savannah0 h 54 m
- St. Louis1 h 56 m
- Central New York1 h 55 m
- Toledo1 h 34 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 05 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 48 m
From Columbus
OSU · 39 routes- Albany & the Capital Region1 h 43 m
- Atlanta1 h 29 m
- Baltimore1 h 16 m
- Northwest Arkansas2 h 08 m
- Birmingham1 h 39 m
- Boston2 h 03 m
- Buffalo & Niagara1 h 06 m
- Charleston1 h 45 m
- Charlotte1 h 15 m
- Chicago1 h 04 m
- Des Moines1 h 51 m
- West Michigan0 h 55 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 10 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 17 m
- Harrisburg1 h 12 m
- Hartford & Springfield1 h 50 m
- Huntsville1 h 28 m
- Jacksonville2 h 09 m
- Kansas City2 h 00 m
- Knoxville1 h 06 m
- Madison1 h 21 m
- Southern New Hampshire2 h 03 m
- Memphis1 h 43 m
- Milwaukee1 h 09 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul2 h 01 m
- Nashville1 h 13 m
- New York City1 h 36 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 29 m
- Omaha2 h 11 m
- Philadelphia1 h 28 m
- Providence2 h 01 m
- Research Triangle1 h 19 m
- Richmond1 h 16 m
- Rochester1 h 15 m
- Savannah1 h 51 m
- St. Louis1 h 26 m
- Central New York1 h 26 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 08 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 40 m
From Detroit
PTK · 39 routes- Albany & the Capital Region1 h 38 m
- Atlanta1 h 59 m
- Baltimore1 h 29 m
- Birmingham2 h 07 m
- Boston2 h 00 m
- Buffalo & Niagara0 h 56 m
- Charlotte1 h 44 m
- Chicago0 h 55 m
- Cincinnati0 h 58 m
- Des Moines1 h 46 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 39 m
- Upstate South Carolina1 h 47 m
- Harrisburg1 h 21 m
- Hartford & Springfield1 h 49 m
- Huntsville1 h 55 m
- Indianapolis0 h 58 m
- Kansas City2 h 03 m
- Knoxville1 h 36 m
- Lexington1 h 11 m
- Louisville1 h 11 m
- Madison1 h 07 m
- Southern New Hampshire1 h 59 m
- Memphis2 h 03 m
- Milwaukee0 h 54 m
- Minneapolis-St. Paul1 h 44 m
- Nashville1 h 38 m
- New York City1 h 40 m
- Hampton Roads1 h 49 m
- Omaha2 h 06 m
- Philadelphia1 h 35 m
- Pittsburgh0 h 56 m
- Providence2 h 00 m
- Research Triangle1 h 46 m
- Richmond1 h 37 m
- Rochester1 h 05 m
- St. Louis1 h 35 m
- Central New York1 h 18 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 25 m
- Westchester & Fairfield1 h 42 m
From Huntsville
HSV · 39 routes- Baltimore2 h 07 m
- Northwest Arkansas1 h 30 m
- Charleston1 h 24 m
- Charlotte1 h 14 m
- Chicago1 h 44 m
- Cincinnati1 h 12 m
- Cleveland1 h 49 m
- Columbus1 h 28 m
- Dallas1 h 56 m
- Des Moines1 h 59 m
- Detroit1 h 55 m
- Fort Wayne1 h 31 m
- Fort Worth2 h 00 m
- West Michigan1 h 53 m
- Piedmont Triad1 h 23 m
- Upstate South Carolina0 h 59 m
- Harrisburg2 h 09 m
- Houston2 h 02 m
- Indianapolis1 h 15 m
- Jacksonville1 h 25 m
- Kansas City1 h 46 m
- Lexington1 h 00 m
- Louisville0 h 59 m
- Madison1 h 58 m
- Milwaukee1 h 54 m
- New Orleans1 h 18 m
- Hampton Roads2 h 00 m
- Oklahoma City2 h 01 m
- Omaha2 h 11 m
- Orlando1 h 45 m
- Pittsburgh1 h 48 m
- Research Triangle1 h 33 m
- Richmond1 h 51 m
- Savannah1 h 17 m
- St. Louis1 h 15 m
- Toledo1 h 42 m
- Tulsa1 h 45 m
- Washington, D.C.1 h 55 m
- Wichita2 h 03 m
Showing the 12 busiest departure markets. 62 more qualify — browse every market or the full route directory.
Questions
Instead of driving
At what distance does flying beat driving?
For a small group, roughly three hours of driving each way is the crossover, and it moves earlier as headcount rises. Below about 130 nautical miles we do not publish routes at all, because the drive genuinely competes and we would be selling you something you do not need.
How do I justify this against mileage reimbursement?
Price the hours, not the miles. Four people times eight hours of driving is four working days, plus the hotel that a long round trip usually forces. Compare that against the charter and the answer is often clearer than expected — and sometimes it is not, in which case drive.
Is it faster door to door on a short route?
On anything over about 150 nautical miles, yes, once you count that there is no security queue and roughly ten minutes of airport at each end. Below that, the ground time at both ends starts to eat the advantage.
Other trip shapes
More ways people use it
Price your trip
Two airports, a date, and a headcount. You will have an all-in figure back within the hour during business hours.