Car Vs. Plane From LA To San Francisco

Two LA Times reporters race from Los Angeles to San Francisco. One drives, the other takes a plane.

1 minute read

July 7, 2004, 7:00 AM PDT

In the pre-9/11 era, a one-hour flight from LA to San Francisco (or SF to LA) was much faster than the typical 6-hour, non-stop drive. Today, it's almost a toss-up: "Who hasn't wondered if it's worth the time and trouble to fly -- especially now that highway speed limits have been raised from 55 mph to 70 mph?... We decided to put the two travel methods to the test. Jennifer Oldham, who covers regional aviation for the Los Angeles Times, would fly on a commuter flight from LAX, and Sharon Bernstein, who writes about ground transportation, would drive up the I-5."

The the plane beats the car (as you might expect), but only by 50 minutes: "They both made it for lunch at noon. But they were both dead tired."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: A Not-So-Quick Getaway Test by Plane and Car

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 in The Los Angeles Times

Transportation California

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