Plane versus Bus

I was looking in the Calendar and realized that the last day of classes before Reading Week is February 18th. Which is perfect, because I am seriously considering attending the Northern Voice conference which is taking place on February 19th.

So I decided to look up some travel costs. I expected the bus to be quite a bit cheaper than flying, but as it turns out, its not! Even with a Student Discount applied, return fare on Greyhound from Edmonton to Vancouver is $280.23 and the duration of the trip is 18 hours and 35 minutes. So I’d have to leave Friday afternoon to get there on time, and if I left right after the conference ended on Saturday I’d get back at 11 AM on Sunday.

Compare that with flying. I could leave at 7:50 AM on Saturday and get to Vancouver a half hour before the start of the conference. If I really wanted to, I could even leave right after the conference and be back in Edmonton around 9 PM. Total cost for a return flight on either WestJet or AirCanada? $397.93. So for an extra $100 I won’t have to sit on a bus for two days.

Of course, if I were to go with someone, the Companion Fare from Greyhound would make the combined travel costs much cheaper. And if I am going to Vancouver at the start of Reading Week, I’d likely stay for a couple days 🙂 Just thought the pricing difference (or lack thereof) between the bus and plane was interesting!