[QUOTE=carpboy;7518603]I am assessing the fly vs. drive more often now, and cost is not an issue. I am just sick to death of flying and airports - the whole system sucks right now and I am flat out tired of it. [QUOTE]

You're not alone. Even before things got as crazy as they are now, I've always looked at things like "actual door-to-door journey time", liklihood of delays, "airport/airline aggrivation factor","penalty if trip duration changes", etc. on top of cost factors.

My rule of thumb is "six hours". If I can drive it in six hours, that's what I usually do....regardless of how low the airfare is. MSP is a case in point. I can drive it in just under six hours from where I live. If I drive, its an hour to ORD, 90 minutes there, a little over an hour gate to gate (if no delay), half hour to get out of MSP, and probably a half hour after that to get to wherever my appointment is. That adds up to nearly five hours IF everything goes well.

I'll gladly trade less hassle and more control for an hour or so of my time.