Did you do a double-take at that headline? Read it again—we’re about to break down why it’s absolutely true. When you’re traveling intrastate for business— Houston to Dallas for example, the debate of flying vs. driving often comes up. Now, naturally for longer trips say, from Houston To LA—flying is going to be more efficient.
However, what we’re talking about are those short, puddle jumper trips that are less than five hours away. El Paso to Albuquerque, Houston to New Orleans, Dallas to OKC, if you’re doing these by air—you’re wasting time and money.
You see, what you’re forgetting is even though most of these trips are only about an hour in the air—the hassle takes longer. The costs are higher, and the certainty your flight will be on time? Your odds of winning the lotto are better.
Houston Transportation Service Vs. Flying
You know what we’re talking about. A typical short business trip like this is usually not planned months in advance. Additionally, things change, and meetings get canceled a day before. Those low fares come with strict cancellation restrictions, and then you’re out of that money. Here, let’s break down a typical intrastate business trip.
Houston To Downtown Dallas 2/24-2/25 Business Meeting Trip: 8:40 am Flight Out of Hobby.
- Round Trip Airfare: $278 (Southwest Airlines)
- Car Rental: $124/day (plus fees and taxes) for standard class (Avis, Enterprise, SIXT)
- Hotel: $143/night (plus tax and tourism fee) for a business class hotel (Hilton Garden Inn Downtown)
TOTAL TRAVEL COSTS: Approx. $545
Now notice, this traveler is up to nearly $550 just in tangible travel expenses. We haven’t even included miscellaneous transportation costs such as rideshare fees, fuel used in the rental, and parking fees. However, all those extras still don’t account for one of the most valuable resources being spent— TIME.
As the saying goes, “time is money,” and that’s never more evident when trying to catch a flight for business. Let’s now take a look at how much wasted time went into this business trip in transit.
- Leave The House (Spring, TX): 6:00 am
- Travel Time To Hobby With Traffic: 45 Mins – 1 hour (via Hardy Toll Rd)
- Time Spent In Airport Getting Through TSA: Wild Card (could be pre-check, could get a false positive in the scanner, so many possibilities. 30 min – 1 hour
- Flight Time: 1hr 10 mins (if it leaves the terminal on time)
- Arrive in Dallas, Wait To Deplane And Then Wait For Rental Car: 45 mins to an hour (Love Field rental terminals are notoriously slow)
- Travel Time To Hotel: 15 mins
Total Point to Point Travel Time: Approx. 4 hours 10 mins
Now, you might be thinking that’s about how long it takes to drive to Dallas so it’s a wash. However, think about it for a moment—it’s not if you are not having to drive yourself.
Excelsior Transportation Service Maximizes Productivity Time
Consider how much of this traveler’s time is “dead” time—there’s no productivity possible. 95% of the time is occupied with non-productive drive or travel time. Even on the plane, because it’s such a short flight, there’s only about 15 mins where he/she could have their laptop out. If this were a flight from IAH to LAX—again, different story.
However, if this same traveler used Excelsior Transportation services that trip could be far more productive. While our prices can vary based on the vehicle chosen, distance traveled, and dates our overall cost is less. Why? Because of the value of productive time you retain and additional costs, you avoid. Let’s break it down:
- Excelsior Pickup At Home: 6:00 am
- Travel Time To Hotel:5 – 4 hours
- No parking fees, no rideshare fees (you already have transportation)
Well, that was an easy breakdown, and here’s the key stat: up to 4 hours in a WiFi enable vehicle comfortable enough to work. Do you realize how much work can get done in 4 hours from the backseat with a laptop? That’s half a workday that you’ve been able to get back by choosing the leader in Houston transportation over flying.
Don’t Stress, Take The Road Less Traveled
But wait, there’s another added benefit you’re probably not thinking about on this trip. STRESS or better yet, the lack of stress. There’s no waking up extra early to battle Houston traffic and then pay for overnight parking at the airport. Even if you take a rideshare—well, c’mon it’s a rideshare. It’s a roll of the dice if you get a good one or a horrible one—notice there’s never a middle ground?
So, you wake up and calmly walk outside and get picked up by your driver and you’re on the road. In the plush leather backseat going through emails and beginning your workday in comfort. Had you gone the other route, you’d be scrambling to get a Starbucks and get to your terminal on time. Let’s be honest, after rushing to the terminal…you’d probably be greeted by the announcement that your flight is running 20 minutes late. Never fails, right?
So, you’re comfortably working, getting a lot done, and the next thing you know you’re in Dallas. Trust us, you can tell when you smell the Trinity River crossing I-45—you’ve reached your destination.
The only way you could mess this up is by not choosing the best Houston transportation service in the industry.
Why Take Your Short Business Trips With Excelsior?
We know you have many options when it comes to transportation service companies. However, we sit at the top of our industry for a reason—well, several reasons:
- Diverse Drivers: We have drivers that are fluent in many different languages such as French, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese and more.
- Excess Insurance Lines: We don’t just scrape by with the bare minimum coverage like some companies. We pride ourselves on taking the same precautions with our clients as we do with our family. That is why we carry a $1,000,000 liability insurance policy.
- Safety Is Non-Negotiable: All of our drivers go through extensive driving safety courses, extensive background checks, and zero-tolerance drug and alcohol screenings before we hire them.
- Professionalism At All Times: From our luxury, GPS-tracked fleet that looks showroom new, to our uniformed drivers—we run a tight ship. You can depend on us to maintain the level of professionalism you expect when hiring a car service.
COVID-19 Protocols
At Excelsior, we understand that the risks associated with common cold, influenza, and COVID-19 can all be potentially spread by droplets. These infections are spread when a sick person talks, coughs, or sneezes. These droplets can travel through the air for several feet and can be breathed into the nose and mouth of another person, where the virus can grow and make that person sick.
To ensure that we are providing the safest customer service possible, we are utilizing the Hierarchy of Controls methodology when applying potential safeguards.
Hierarchy of COVID-19 Control
- Elimination – Disinfect the vehicle before and after each trip
- Substitute – Limit the number of passengers for each trip (use another vehicle)
- Engineering Control – Implementation of the Driver Shield
- Administrative control – Screening policy in place to ensure drivers are fit for duty and tested regularly
We have taken the most aggressive, yet unintrusive approach to protect our clients than any other transportation service in Houston. We have been able to do this without disrupting the luxury feel of taking a car service. We’ve done this in part by installing unique, optically clear passenger protection shields by Foxmark. These shields offer maximum protection between driver and passengers while maintaining visibility and pleasing aesthetics.
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Ready To Book?
All of this makes it seem too easy for a business trip doesn’t it? Well, it really is that simple. So, if time is money, and dead time is a loss— taking a car service is a brilliant decision. Contact us now to book your next business trip.
