I am curious to see how much this tough winter will influence our mid-west neighbors to want to get in a late spring vacation. Many of our neighbors took their vacations last fall and have been cooped up for a while, itching for some nice weather. Even though Interstate 90 is still under construction, with the interchange at Route 47 and Interstate 90 complete, accessibility to Rockford from Huntley has improved. I found myself wondering if there were any opportunities for travelling out of Rockford Airport versus Chicago O’Hare since there will soon be heavy construction between Elgin and O’Hare.
So, I did some web surfing to see what’s happening at Rockford International Airport. I have never travelled out of Rockford and was pleased to find that Rockford is trying to attract commercial airline travelers. I randomly picked a southeast vacation spot, Tampa / St. Petersburg and some dates in May to see if there were convenient flights at a reasonable cost. Allegiant Airlines is the carrier out of Rockford. Allegiant had Monday evening flights to Tampa, and I found a return Friday flight that would provide a short-week break.
Next, what was the cost? The round trip flight cost on Allegiant was $215. I compared that cost to a round trip flight from O’Hare to Tampa on United Airlines for the same dates. The cost was $486, a 56% savings. I also checked to see what the baggage fees were for both airlines. Allegiant charges between $14 and $35 for a 40 pound bag. United Airlines charges $25 to $35 for up to 70 pounds per piece. There is not a significant difference there.
A nice surprise was the parking fees at the airports. The economy parking rates at O’Hare ranged from $9 to $19 per day. At Rockford International, parking is free. Yes, FREE! Not to mention that each of the parking lots at Rockford are within walking distance of the terminal. So, from a cost and convenience standpoint, Rockford clearly is the better deal. I didn’t look into lodging costs, since they can vary so widely in the Tampa / St. Petersburg area and there are numerous options to choose from.
I have never flown with Allegiant Airlines. I looked for some customer feedback on the web. Flight delays were a common complaint but that reminded me of the many times I sat on O’Hare runways waiting for a gate. I found a number of positive comments about Allegiant from repeat customers – a good indication.
I would love to hear from our readers. What has been your travel experience from the Rockford Airport and with Allegiant Airlines?
Send in your questions and ideas to: Sun Day, Frugal Forum Column, P.O. Box 761, Huntley, IL 60142, or, by email to: thefrugalforum@gmail.com.
Don Grady is a CPA and Professor of Accounting at National Louis University, Chicago.
