News-Record.com

Interesting and a bit unusual marketing tactic by PTI as seen in its latest TV commercial. In a nutshell, PTI is conceding that it's cheaper to fly elsewhere.

But the tradeoff, according to the ad, is you have to drive a lot farther to get to another airport. Although not named, the ad is most likely referring to Raleigh and Charlotte.

And once you arrive at those airports, finding a place to park is a royal pain, so the ad says. Then you get to stand in long lines at security checkpoints. The passenger in the commercial, who chose not to use PTI, looks like he's about ready to check into a mental hospital when all is said and done.

But is the ad right on the money?

From my own experience, it's definitely more convenient to fly out of PTI compared with Raleigh and Charlotte regarding those key points: travel time, parking and security.

On Friday afternoon, the beginning of a holiday weekend no less, I had to pick up a friend who was flying in from Dallas. I was easily able to find a prime parking spot about 50 feet from one of the main entrances and close to his arrival gate.

His plane was late, but not PTI's fault. As I waited in the lobby, I glanced over at the security checkpoint. The lines never got long and passengers seemed to get through it with their sanity intact. My friend even remarked how easy it is to use PTI.

So having said that, do you still prefer to drive to Raleigh or Charlotte to save some bucks or, if time is money and you can't put a price tag on mental health, do you find that PTI is still a bargain in the long run?