CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A recent survey shows that Americans really do prefer driving over flying, with most people saying they would rather road trip six hours or more than take a short flight.
The survey by Family Destinations Guide said that West Virginians would rather drive for seven hours and 40 minutes than take an hour-long flight, with neighboring states having similar results.
- Ohio – 7 hours 40 minutes
- Pennsylvania – 6 hours 14 minutes
- Kentucky – 7 hours 43 minutes
- Virginia – 6 hours 43 minutes
- Maryland – 5 hours 6 minutes
The survey also said that on average people rated their frustrations with air travel at 8 out of 10. In West Virginia, the lack of access to airports may also be to blame. There are only a few usable passenger airports in West Virginia, the main one being in Charleston, which is already a few hour drive away for people in northern West Virginia.
Additionally, smaller airports, like North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport, only offer direct flights to a few specific locations, meaning that taking a truly “hour-long” flight is almost impossible from West Virginia without first driving to a larger airport.
Plus, air travel can be unreliable. Just over a week ago on Jan. 11, a computer breakdown canceled and delayed thousands of flights across the country without warning.