The tickets for the Wyoming vs. Appalachian State game just went on sales at the UW Ticket Office. Now people are asking what is the best airport to fly into to get to Boone. My guess is Charlotte or Asheville, but I figure the locals know better. It doesn't affect me, I'm driving from Northern Virginia.

Thanks in advance.

Asheville is not a bad call. About and hour and a half to Boone, last 45 minutes or so is two lane. But your folks can probably get direct flights into Charlotte - which is always my preference. Easy 2 hour ride - 4 lane all the way from Charlotte. 321 route is about 1 hour 45 minutes and 77 to 421 is 2 hours.

Tri Cities airport in TN is an easy drive as well.

PTI airport in Greensboro might be an option too. Could have cheaper flights than Charlotte. Worth a check.

QueencityApp wrote:PTI airport in Greensboro might be an option too. Could have cheaper flights than Charlotte. Worth a check.

Maybe, but probably not.

http://www.news-record.com/business/loc ... fc87f.html

In order:
Charlotte
Greensboro
Johnson City
Asheville

Since it's WYO fans asking, there are non-stop flights from Denver to Charlotte, Greensboro, and RDU. My guess would be RDU would be cheapest, but of course furthest; GSO is easiest and slightly closest of the three; while CLT would have the most schedule options, while being most expensive.

I wouldn't recommend flying into Asheville or Tri-cities because they are more expensive and would possibly require a connection in CLT anyway and what is the point of paying more and not really getting any closer to Boone than the connecting airport (or in Asheville's case, further)

kiddbrewer wrote:

QueencityApp wrote:PTI airport in Greensboro might be an option too. Could have cheaper flights than Charlotte. Worth a check.

Maybe, but probably not.

http://www.news-record.com/business/loc ... fc87f.html

Growing up in Greensboro, we used to fly out of PTI often but airfares are now so much cheaper out of RDU that almost everyone I know in Greennsboro now either flys out of RDU for price or CLT for non-stops choices.

We have a similar thing here where I live now in Richmond, VA. I fly out of there every week (Sacramento tomorrow) at my company's expense, but when I'm paying I usually drive up to Dulles or Reagan or even Norfolk or RDU and save 25%.

The least expensive (and poorest schedule) will be Frontier out of DEN nonstop to GSO and now RDU, typically $100 each way. Bag fees apply so one must compare total cost vs Southwest into CLT and RDU.

App74 wrote:The least expensive (and poorest schedule) will be Frontier out of DEN nonstop to GSO and now RDU, typically $100 each way. Bag fees apply so one must compare total cost vs Southwest into CLT and RDU.

Denver to PTI (Greensboro) is $262 on Frontier coming in 2 Oct and leaving Sunday.

Denver to RDU (Raleigh) is $288 on Frontier and my tab for Southwest closed and I am too lazy to look now.

As the resident Amtrak fan can I suggest for $249 start out from Denver on Amtrak train 6 Calif Zephyr at 7:10 pm and arrive in Chicago to take the Amtrak 30 Capitol Limited to DC and then the Amtrak 19 Crescent to Greensboro and arrive at 12:15 am Oct 2. You can be in Boone by 2:30 am and have all day Friday to explore Boone. I think the $249 is a one way price. So double it. And you might want a sleeper so the price is around $1150 one way then. I'll personally meet you at the train station and help with luggage and a rental car arrangement if you go Amtrak. And that part will be gratis.

When traveling from the Boone area, i have appreciated the opportunity to use PTI. It is a low-hassle airport which is a straight shot from Boone. Coming from out of town and using a rental car will mean that ease of parking is not as much of a bonus; however, I have found it to be an easy airport with limited waiting.

If the prices and travel times are reasonable, I would say that it is worth considering.

tjpappy wrote:When traveling from the Boone area, i have appreciated the opportunity to use PTI. It is a low-hassle airport which is a straight shot from Boone. Coming from out of town and using a rental car will mean that ease of parking is not as much of a bonus; however, I have found it to be an easy airport with limited waiting.

If the prices and travel times are reasonable, I would say that it is worth considering.

PTI does offer the size to be hassle free and everything is in one building unlike RDU. And it is 5 min from the interstate/421 and on the way to Boone. Also 421 is 4-lane all the way to campus. Some of 321 is still 2-lane in a few places, which would be your best option for coming from CLT. More fun to drive in my view, but you are not coming from Florida so you don't need that experience - you got that at home.

Unless CLT comes in crazy cheap your best bet really is PTI it would seem. (Or Amtrak again.)

321 north of Lenoir all the way into Boone can be dicey with all of the (seems like never ending) road work going on. Welcome WYO folks. Go Apps!

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote:

App74 wrote:The least expensive (and poorest schedule) will be Frontier out of DEN nonstop to GSO and now RDU, typically $100 each way. Bag fees apply so one must compare total cost vs Southwest into CLT and RDU.

Denver to PTI (Greensboro) is $262 on Frontier coming in 2 Oct and leaving Sunday.

Denver to RDU (Raleigh) is $288 on Frontier and my tab for Southwest closed and I am too lazy to look now.

As the resident Amtrak fan can I suggest for $249 start out from Denver on Amtrak train 6 Calif Zephyr at 7:10 pm and arrive in Chicago to take the Amtrak 30 Capitol Limited to DC and then the Amtrak 19 Crescent to Greensboro and arrive at 12:15 am Oct 2. You can be in Boone by 2:30 am and have all day Friday to explore Boone. I think the $249 is a one way price. So double it. And you might want a sleeper so the price is around $1150 one way then. I'll personally meet you at the train station and help with luggage and a rental car arrangement if you go Amtrak. And that part will be gratis.

Frontier does not fly GSO-DEN on Sunday, Oct 4.
DEN-GSO Friday, Oct 2 = $103 + bag fee
GSO-DEN Monday, Oct 5 = $103 + bag fee

If you have your own single engine plane, lots of experience and balls of steel then you can fly right into Watauga County International.

fjblair wrote:If you have your own single engine plane, lots of experience and balls of steel then you can fly right into Watauga County International.

Oh yeah. You'd have to cut your engines in Bristol and coast in the rest of the way.

App74 wrote:

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote:

App74 wrote:The least expensive (and poorest schedule) will be Frontier out of DEN nonstop to GSO and now RDU, typically $100 each way. Bag fees apply so one must compare total cost vs Southwest into CLT and RDU.

Denver to PTI (Greensboro) is $262 on Frontier coming in 2 Oct and leaving Sunday.

Denver to RDU (Raleigh) is $288 on Frontier and my tab for Southwest closed and I am too lazy to look now.

As the resident Amtrak fan can I suggest for $249 start out from Denver on Amtrak train 6 Calif Zephyr at 7:10 pm and arrive in Chicago to take the Amtrak 30 Capitol Limited to DC and then the Amtrak 19 Crescent to Greensboro and arrive at 12:15 am Oct 2. You can be in Boone by 2:30 am and have all day Friday to explore Boone. I think the $249 is a one way price. So double it. And you might want a sleeper so the price is around $1150 one way then. I'll personally meet you at the train station and help with luggage and a rental car arrangement if you go Amtrak. And that part will be gratis.

Frontier does not fly GSO-DEN on Sunday, Oct 4.
DEN-GSO Friday, Oct 2 = $103 + bag fee
GSO-DEN Monday, Oct 5 = $103 + bag fee

When I did this I could have sworn it was showing an Oct 4 date. I guess not. I know it is not daily and only runs summer months, though I am not sure what summer is in this case.

Good news for them - one more day in Boone. Lucky bastards.

I could have sworn United flew from Denver to GSO but I guess I was wrong. I just remember being in some United hub and being suprised to Greensboro on the flights boards. Thought it was Denver, but maybe I was in Houston.