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A Little PNS Trip

ByDW
A serene beach scene at sunset. The sun is low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the sky and reflecting on the gentle waves of the ocean. The sky is a mix of soft pastel colors, including shades of pink, orange, and blue, with a few scattered clouds. The waves are gently lapping onto the sandy shore, creating a peaceful and calming atmosphere.

Say PNS five time fast… Ok… you got me! It’s fun to mess around with the Pensacola airport code! All kidding aside, I do have a trip planned to Pensacola, and while it is just a little 24-hour trip, it requires longer routing than others may assume/desire.

The image shows a serene beach scene at sunset. The sky is painted with soft hues of orange, pink, and purple as the sun sets on the horizon. Gentle waves are rolling onto the sandy shore, reflecting the colors of the sky. The overall atmosphere is calm and peaceful.

While there is a direct flight from Tampa, FL to Pensacola, FL, I opted for a more expensive flight, at a less convenient time, with a connection…

The image is a screenshot of a flight search results page. The search is for a one-way flight from Tampa (TPA) to Pensacola (PNS) on Friday, June 2. The page offers options to choose a flight sorted by price, with additional bag fees possibly applying. There is a note about saving $20 if the flight is booked for Saturday, June 3. The best flight options are listed as follows: 1. A flight costing $170, departing at 8:55 AM and arriving at 9:50 AM, with a duration of 55 minutes, operated by Silver Airways, and is nonstop. 2. A flight costing $193, departing at 2:43 PM and arriving at 7:43 PM, with a duration of 5 hours, operated by Delta, with 1 stop in Atlanta (ATL). 3. A flight costing $239, departing at 3:07 PM and arriving at 4:02 PM, with a duration of 55 minutes, operated by Silver Airways, and is nonstop. 4. A flight costing $193, departing at 5:20 AM and arriving at 8:40 AM, with a duration of 4 hours and 20 minutes, operated by Delta, with 1 stop in Atlanta (ATL). The selected flight is highlighted in red, which is the Delta flight costing $193, departing at 5:20 AM and arriving at 8:40 AM, with a

That’s right, people! Rather than flying Silver Airways direct TPA-PNS flight at a reasonable 8:55AM departure, I am flying a TPA-ATL-PNS itenerary on Delta, which includes almost 2 full hours in ATL… at a Tampa departure time of 5:20AM!

Why on earth would it ever make sense for a traveler make this type of selection? Well, maybe because flight time, cost and time of departure are not my top priorities today!

A map of the southeastern United States with three cities marked and connected by red lines forming a triangle. The cities are labeled as ATL (Atlanta, Georgia), PNS (Pensacola, Florida), and TPA (Tampa, Florida). The map shows the states of Georgia, Florida, and parts of neighboring states. The red lines represent the connections between these cities.

Priority Number 1 – Safety of Airplane/Equipment: Delta>Silver

Delta operates an Airbus A321 TPA-ATL and an MD-80 from ATL-PNS. Silver on the other hand, operates a SAAB SF 340 from TPA-PNS…

The image is a screenshot of a flight search result. The search is for a one-way flight from Tampa (TPA) to Pensacola (PNS) on Friday, June 2. The flight details show a departure time of 8:55 AM and an arrival time of 9:50 AM, with a total flight duration of 1 hour and 55 minutes. The flight is operated by Silver Airways, flight number 82, in Economy Class on a SAAB SF 340 aircraft. The flight is noted to have average legroom (30 inches) and is a propeller plane. There is no in-seat power available on this flight. The search options at the top include round trip, one way, and multi-city, with the selected option being one way. The search is for one adult in economy class.

Never heard of a SAAB SF 340? Well, it is a 12-row Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft. Ya… F that noise… I am not messing with any prop planes!

I am sure someone will share some fantastic safety record of the SAAB SF 340, and good for them! This is probably less about safety and more about sense of safety, which I argue is more important than actual safety!

Priority Number 2 – Redemption Cost: $100 worth of points < $170 in cash!

This one is easy. While the dollar cost favors the Silver Airways direct flight, the fact that I can redeem about 20k American Express Membership points, with a 10k point rebate (for now), means that I can fly the Delta route at a reasonable point redemption, with no cash outlay!

The image is a screenshot of an American Express webpage displaying various benefits. The page is divided into three sections: 1. The first section on the left shows "1.5X Membership Rewards Points" with a description about earning 50% more points on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. 2. The middle section highlights a "50% Airline Bonus" with a description about getting 50% more points when transferring Membership Rewards points to Delta Air Lines. 3. The section on the right advertises "Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status" with a description about receiving Hilton Honors Gold status and its benefits. The top of the page has a navigation bar with options like Home, Statements & Activity, Payments, Account Services, Employee Controls, and Benefits. The American Express logo is prominently displayed at the top center. There are also options to log in and log out on the top right.
I applied for the Business Platinum in Dec 2016 and am going to take advantage of this 50% rebate benefit as long as I can!

Priority Number 3 –

Early morning alcohol – Sky Club style (courtesy of my Amex Platinum Business card). My flight leaves Tampa at 5:20am, with the Delta Sky Club opening its doors at 4:30am – leaving me a solid 30 minutes to get the party started! The real fun comes once I touch down in Atlanta at 6:30am and have a full 2 hours to enjoy the relatively new flagship Delta Sky Club in ATL Concourse B!

Get your priorities straight people!

Final Thought

The drive from Tampa to Pensacola spans just under 7 hours. The direct flight from TPA-PNS spans just 1 hour and 55 minutes. I am opting for neither of those and am instead making the 4+ hour journey to Pensacola with Delta by way of Atlanta.

Seems like I managed to turn my little PNS trip into a much bigger and attractive PNS trip!

Happy PNS Travels!

DW

The image shows a simple white outline of a paper airplane on a blue circular background.

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