As travel times between major metro areas go, the flying time between Los Angeles and San Francisco is about as short as it gets: less than an hour in the air, and a bit longer gate-to-gate. Getting to the airport probably takes longer than the flight itself.
That explains the dearth of lie-flat seats on those flights. By the time you’ve reached cruising altitude and can recline your seat, it’s time to stow your tray table and prepare for landing.
There is a place for lie-flat seating in the West Coast corridor, however. It’s on the newly launched Sleepbus service between California’s two largest cities.
RELATED: Need a Nap? JetBlue Has a Pod for You
As the name suggests, Sleepbus’s signature feature is a bed, rather like those on a train’s sleeper car. But there are other amenities as well:
Private pod with twin bed Pods have reading light and electric outlet Free WiFi Free coffee and tea No charge for three bags (and a bike) Premium Casper bedding with privacy curtain Fare: $65 each way, but $48 introductory rate No taxes or fees
Travel time between the Santa Monica pier and the San Francisco Caltran station at 4th and King streets is around 6.5 hours. The northbound bus leaves Santa Monica at 11 a.m., arriving the same afternoon; southbound departures are at 11 p.m., arriving the next morning.
Deal or No Deal
Price-wise, Sleepbus is more expensive than Greyhound, but much cheaper than the airlines. But even factoring in the travel time to and from the airport, and time at the airport, flying is considerably faster than busing.
Time will tell whether Sleepbus has identified a sweetspot in the travel equation, where the combination of convenience, low cost, and comfort outweighs the extra travel time.
Reader Reality Check
Bus trip, anyone?
More from SmarterTravel: Is This the ‘Golden Age of Flying’? Hyatt Offers Members-Only Discounts Win a Cruise of Tahiti and the Society Islands
After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Today’s announcement that Southwest has a new marketing relationship with a rideshare company was no surprise. As rideshare services have become an ever-larger part of the travel landscape, such tie-ups have proliferated. It won’t be long before every airline and hotel loyalty program has a rideshare company on its roster of points-earning partners.
While its success is based principally on attractive pricing and ease of use, Uber’s business model critically depends on a ready supply of available and motivated workers. While there’s no sign that the supply of potential drivers is drying up, yet, the enthusiasm of Uber drivers seems to be eroding.
WOW Air, the Iceland-based no-frills carrier that raised eyebrows with its $99 fares from Boston and Baltimore to Iceland a year ago, now has something in common with Spirit Airlines, the U.S. carrier notorious for its nickel-and-diming and generally customer-unfriendly ways.
In a big win for Uber, the ride-sharing service today announced a new partnership with American, the world’s largest airline. “The companies will work together to provide customers faster service, better airport navigation, rider promotions and mileage promotions.”
Likely in response to JetBlue’s systemwide double-points promotion, in effect through February 29, Virgin America is also offering double points, but only on select routes.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) have a novel proposal to alleviate the expected congestion at airport security checkpoints this summer. In a letter sent this week to executives at 12 U.S. airlines, the senators called on the carriers to “suspend bag fees for the summer”: