Airline flights that stop but don't require a plane change?
June 18, 2014 10:46 AM   Subscribe

What are these called and is it possible to identify them on sites like Expedia? I'm trying to help my mother fly cross country as comfortably as possible. Many thanks.
posted by harrietthespy to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total)
 
Direct Flight.

What you want is a carrier that doesn't use a hub and spoke system. Southwest/Airtran doesn't. They're harder to find now, but that'll be your best bet. What is the origination city and the destination city?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2014


Note that sometimes even on direct flights they make everyone get off the airplane at the connecting airport. If your mother is in a wheelchair or has mobility troubles they may make an exception for her but I would call the airline first to check.
posted by sockermom at 10:49 AM on June 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Roundtrip from Nashville to Reno. I do know from my own travels back to Nashville that there are no non-stops, but I have never looked for a direct flight.
posted by harrietthespy at 10:50 AM on June 18, 2014


Response by poster: Getting off the plane and back on is not an issue. Done threadsitting.
posted by harrietthespy at 10:52 AM on June 18, 2014


Yes, the only airline I have encountered this with is Southwest, which you won't find on websites like Expedia or Orbitz. However these types of flights are clearly identified on their website.
posted by signondiego at 11:00 AM on June 18, 2014


Best answer: However these types of flights are clearly identified on their website.

Actually, they are, when you put the origination and destinations in, when the flight display, they tell you if you need to Change Planes.

I have some suggestions.

Here are the airlines that serve RNO. You are right, none of them will have a nonstop, and a cursory look reveals that there aren't any direct flights either. Not only that, but HOO, that is an expensive flight.

What exactly is the issue with your Mom? If it's mobility, you can arrange for someone to meet her with a wheelchair at the gate and transport her to her next gate. You tip these guys $20, but BOTH of my parents use them, I wouldn't be surprised if my Mom yelled 'MUSH' as she was wheeled through the airport.

Your cheapest bet for a flight would be from Atlanta to Sacramento, provided that a 3 hour drive down to ATL and a 3 hour drive from SAC wouldn't be an issue. Also, that lets you fly Delta, which will be nonstop, so there's that.

If you fly Delta from BNA, you're going to change in Salt Lake City (weird). There are other flights with more changes.

Southwest gives you a host of places to change planes. I like LAS because I can play slots.

Reno is so out of the way that a commercial direct flight just isn't a thing. Sorry.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:15 AM on June 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thank you everyone. Mom has both balance and pride issues, unfortunately. I appreciate the help. I will try to get her to use a wheelchair.
posted by harrietthespy at 11:37 AM on June 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


One nice thing about using a wheelchair when flying is that it gets you right to the front of the security lines. So maybe use that as a motivator?
posted by bowmaniac at 12:15 PM on June 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


One nice thing about using a wheelchair when flying is that it gets you right to the front of the security lines. So maybe use that as a motivator?

I was going to say that! Sell it as though she's Cleopatra on her litter. She won't hate it at all. In fact, I'm thinking of just starting a service of rickshaws in Airports. I'd make a bloddy fortune at Hartsfield!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:18 PM on June 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Actually there are some direct flights from Reno to Nashville at least. On September 9th Southwest flight 164 is direct to Nashville. Well, as direct as possible since the flight stops in Los Angeles. Yesterday there was flight 3341. It stopped twice in Vegas and Austin, TX before Nashville. There might be direct flights around the time your mom wants to travel.

These Southwest "bus" flights are really time consuming. Maybe you can use that as well to get you mom to use a wheelchair or one of those electric carts and let the airport people move her to her next gate.
posted by sevenless at 1:49 PM on June 18, 2014


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