5 ms·

Good point. I was interested in how much Alaskan had to foot for pure curiousity reasons. I have no idea how much the actual cost of a flight is.

by ethbro 9y ago

mikeash 9y ago
I'm curious too. I wish I had something more concrete than "it's much higher than that." The best bet may be to look at charter prices, then divide by some small factor (2-4?) to account for profit margins and the better economies of scale an airline will have and such.
- KGIII 9y ago
  If you ping me tomorrow, I can try to get you those numbers. I know a bunch of pilots. They'll even let me fly the plane. I'm sure they will have some sources but it's too late to bug them tonight.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - ethbro 9y ago
    Based on sokoloff's source, it looks to be a bit under $50k in total cost (to the airline). If you want to run that number by your friends for a 4.75 hr flight in a 737-900ER, it'd be nice to get confirmation. PS: You lucky dog. I've been debating going for my pilot's license.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      About $3750/hr. There is also ownership costs which are about $3500/day. By the way, flying small planes is more fun. With the larger planes, I've been expected to mostly keep it going the right direction. In the smaller prop jobs, my friends don't much care so long as I don't bump into anything. You don't need a license to pilot the plane. A licensed pilot can let you take the controls. Just hit up your nearest regional and pay the fuel costs and a few extra bucks. Someone will take you up. It does help to have friends with planes and live where that is pretty common.
      - ethbro 9y ago
        Thanks! That's kind of inline with the numbers above after they were clarified, ex ownership costs. And noted. I may see if I can get a flight. My long term dream is to acquire float plane.
        KGIII 9y ago
        If you know the pilot and have flown with them a few times, they might let you do both the landing and the takeoff. I've never landed on the water, but I've landed on skis and over-sized tires on the river's shore. Most pilots I've met are happy to encourage a love of flying. Planes are pretty common here (outside Rangeley, Maine) and I've been encouraged to get one. I probably won't, but I do consider getting my license.
sokoloff 9y ago
See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15103535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15103535

Good point. I was interested in how much Alaskan had to foot for pure curiousity reasons. I have no idea how much the actual cost of a flight is.

by ethbro 9y ago

Good point. I was interested in how much Alaskan had to foot for pure curiousity reasons. I have no idea how much the actual cost of a flight is.

mikeash 9y ago

I'm curious too. I wish I had something more concrete than "it's much higher than that." The best bet may be to look at charter prices, then divide by some small factor (2-4?) to account for profit margins and the better economies of scale an airline will have and such.

KGIII 9y ago
If you ping me tomorrow, I can try to get you those numbers. I know a bunch of pilots. They'll even let me fly the plane. I'm sure they will have some sources but it's too late to bug them tonight.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- ethbro 9y ago
  Based on sokoloff's source, it looks to be a bit under $50k in total cost (to the airline). If you want to run that number by your friends for a 4.75 hr flight in a 737-900ER, it'd be nice to get confirmation. PS: You lucky dog. I've been debating going for my pilot's license.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    About $3750/hr. There is also ownership costs which are about $3500/day. By the way, flying small planes is more fun. With the larger planes, I've been expected to mostly keep it going the right direction. In the smaller prop jobs, my friends don't much care so long as I don't bump into anything. You don't need a license to pilot the plane. A licensed pilot can let you take the controls. Just hit up your nearest regional and pay the fuel costs and a few extra bucks. Someone will take you up. It does help to have friends with planes and live where that is pretty common.
    - ethbro 9y ago
      Thanks! That's kind of inline with the numbers above after they were clarified, ex ownership costs. And noted. I may see if I can get a flight. My long term dream is to acquire float plane.
      - KGIII 9y ago
        If you know the pilot and have flown with them a few times, they might let you do both the landing and the takeoff. I've never landed on the water, but I've landed on skis and over-sized tires on the river's shore. Most pilots I've met are happy to encourage a love of flying. Planes are pretty common here (outside Rangeley, Maine) and I've been encouraged to get one. I probably won't, but I do consider getting my license.

sokoloff 9y ago

See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15103535 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15103535