With the fees and fare increases recently we decided to try driving on our next vacation in August. The trips will be about 2,100 miles RT with our dog, I'm guessing it will take a long time with frequent stops. I hate driving long distances, but we're going to give it a shot and save approximately $800 vs flying even with the cost of gas. A $200 pet fee in addition to two $450 tickets each from NY to Chicago (at the times we want) is too much.