The national average for a gallon of gas just hit $5 for the first time, and in some cases, it is cheaper to fly than to drive right now.
Cheaper rates apply to road trips around 8-12 hours long using the national average gas mileage of 25.04 miles to the gallon. A round trip from Denver to Phoenix would cost you about $320 in gas. Meanwhile, the cheapest nonstop flight listed on Kayak is $291 a week in advance. If it's a month in advance, it would be around $157.
“You may find that a flight is much more efficient in terms of pricing and timing than driving a car, and that will probably be true for most of the summer,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for Gas Buddy.
Right now, De Haan doesn't see an end in sight for the rising costs that we see at the pump. He said the things that would provide some relief just don't have simple solutions.
“We're still out there driving; it’s the summer, the jobs market is good, unemployment is low,” he said. “Americans are feeling really good, so I don't think that side of the equation is going to improve different prices down the other side of the equation is supply that has lagged behind, made worse by the Russia war on Ukraine, which has caused sanctions. Many countries not buying any Russian oil and that's driven the price of oil up and we can't really boost supply in a significant way to offset Russia's 10 million barrels.”