Traveling from Raleigh this summer? A plane ticket might be the cheapest option
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The News & Observer compared prices of travel to six U.S. cities by air, train and bus.
- Traveling by bus is the cheapest way to get to cities such as New York City and Chicago.
- Low-cost airlines Breeze and Frontier offer cheap tickets to Orlando and Atlanta.
The school year is over, and summer is upon us. America, which is turning 250 in a couple of weeks, is hosting World Cup matches in several cities.
It’s as good a time as any to escape the Triangle.
Statewide, on average, gas prices are more than 10 cents lower than they were last week and about 50 cents lower than last month, according to AAA. For some travelers, driving to North Carolina’s beaches or mountains may now seem more attractive, but others may still be looking for ways to save money after months of elevated gas prices.
“We typically see some shift to rail as fuel prices rise, and we’re seeing that pattern here as well,” Amtrak said in an emailed statement.
But some destinations may be a little too far for a road trip, and some travelers may turn to buses, trains or planes instead.
Each of these methods of transportation has its advantages and disadvantages.
Bus and train trips are usually longer than flights. But airfare is generally more expensive and has been on the rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airline fares were up nearly 27% in May, compared to a year earlier.
But low-cost airlines keep adding more nonstop destinations from Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The News & Observer used Google Flight and Amtrak and Greyhound’s websites to find prices of one-way tickets from Raleigh to six cities in the U.S.: Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, New York City and Orlando.
Prices for trips on July 11 were checked June 22, but prices are subject to change.
Here’s how much those trips cost.
Traveling from Raleigh to Charlotte
Driving could be the fastest way to get from Raleigh to Charlotte, but it may not be the cheapest.
Amtrak’s Piedmont train makes several round trips between the two cities each day, with a coach ticket for the three-hour trip priced at $31.
A bus ride is similarly priced. The cheapest option, for a bus that leaves at 6:20 a.m. and arrives just after 9 a.m., costs $29.
Planes are the most expensive option for travelers going to Charlotte. The cheapest option, a $207 ticket, is for a JetBlue flight that leaves RDU Airport at 6:20 a.m., stops in Fort Lauderdale for a multi-hour layover, and arrives in Charlotte at 2:15 p.m. There’s also a Southwest Airlines flight with a stop in Nashville that costs $234.
For a nonstop flight, travelers will have to pay nearly twice as much, $401, for an approximately one-hour American Airlines flight.
Traveling from Raleigh to Washington, D.C.
Road trippers would have to drive about 280 miles from Raleigh to Washington, D.C.
The cheapest way to get to the nation’s capital is by bus. The best ticket price available is $40; that’s for a nearly six-hour trip that departs Raleigh at 10:45 a.m.
It costs about $53 to get to D.C. by train. That’s a six-hour trip.
Airfare is the most expensive option, but there’s a $139 JetBlue flight with one stop that leaves RDU at 5:50 a.m. Nonstop flights cost more — $309 for tickets on American or Delta.
Traveling from Raleigh to Chicago
If you want to save money on a trip to Chicago, your best bet is to take the bus. There’s a $119 ticket for a bus that leaves at 10:45 a.m., but riders will need to transfer buses, and the trip takes more than 24 hours. Another option priced the same takes 23 hours and leaves in the afternoon, but requires two bus transfers.
Traveling by train takes just as long as by bus and costs $220. Travelers can save about $40 by switching trains, but that trip will take 40 hours.
United and American offer nonstop flights to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for $217.
Traveling from Raleigh to Atlanta
Going to Atlanta by bus is the cheapest option. With a $51 ticket, travelers can board a bus at 7:45 a.m. for an approximately eight-hour trip.
But in this case, flying is almost as inexpensive as traveling by bus. A nonstop Frontier flight to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport costs $55. Delta is asking $179 for a nonstop flight.
Amtrak travelers will need to use multiple trains for a more than 13-hour trip to Atlanta. A ticket in coach costs $86.
Traveling from Raleigh to New York City
Bus and train rides to New York City are cheaper than airfare, but travelers will be sacrificing time.
Greyhound offers tickets for $71, but travelers will be on the bus for at least 10 hours — and may have to leave as early as 2:50 a.m.
Amtrak is selling tickets on its Carolinian train for $104. It will take about 10 1/2 hours to get to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan from Raleigh’s Union Station.
But for $5 more, travelers can take a nonstop flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on American, JetBlue or Delta. The trips are about two hours. Delta and American also offer direct flights to LaGuardia Airport, also in Queens, for $109.
Traveling from Raleigh to Orlando
The cheapest way to get from Raleigh to Orlando, the home of Walt Disney World, is by plane. For $44, travelers can take a two-hour, nonstop Breeze or Frontier flight to Orlando International Airport.
Greyhound’s cheapest ticket costs $84. But that’s for an 11-hour trip that leaves at 3 a.m. For about $105, travelers can leave at a more reasonable hour later in the morning, but those trips require at least one bus transfer and take more than 14 hours.
A coach ticket on Amtrak’s Floridian train costs $117, making it the most expensive option. The journey from Raleigh lasts 14 hours.
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Traveling from Raleigh this summer? A plane ticket might be the cheapest option."
