Last week, my family and I flew out to Pittsburgh for my grandfather’s funeral, and the last-minute flight prices were horrifically expensive. Roundtrip tickets (Phoenix to Pittsburgh) were in the ballpark of $800, and while traveling on short notice is often expensive, this wasn’t something I’d encountered previously. Fortunately, getting creative with my flights led to one of the more unique travel experiences I’d had to date. Here’s my experience flying with Boutique Air.
A Grim Outlook to Start
As an experienced traveler, I’m typically able to find a less expensive alternative when faced with expensive prices. I have a few travel hacks up my sleeve that allow me to find cheaper flights or transportation. And yet, the more my older brother and I searched, the grimmer our outlook appeared.
We looked at potential flights and airlines, and we found nothing (one-way) that would get us into Pittsburgh for cheaper than $400. So, we then began looking at the surrounding airports: Cincinnati, D.C., Akron, Philadelphia, Cleveland, etc. Any location that we could fly into and rent a car for less than a single flight.
Eventually, we found a budget flight to Cleveland, rented a car, and paid less collectively than we would have for a single ticket into Pittsburgh. Success!
How I Found Boutique Air
While we had managed to find our way to Pittsburgh for a decent deal, prices were still high for the trip back. One-way tickets were around $400, and Easter weekend was fast approaching. Last-minute travel plans during a holiday? Never a spot you want to be in.
So, instead of heading back to Phoenix, I pivoted my search to D.C. (and all D.C. area airports) where my boyfriend lives. Not only did I want to see him, but I had also left a suitcase there prior to our trip to Hawaii just a few weeks earlier. I had changed my travel plans to arrive back in Phoenix following our trip because I had the opportunity to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Because I’m now planning to move to Hawaii in the next month, I want to retrieve those items as soon as possible.
Would I be able to fly to DC for less than $400? I wasn’t feeling too confident at this point.
As I hopped on Skyscanner, I couldn’t believe my eyes, there was a $52 flight from Pittsburgh to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) with a short stop in Altoona, PA. It was with an airline I had never seen before called Boutique Air. I began a frantic Google search to see if it was a legitimate company, its safety ratings, and whether there were enough reviews to deem it worthy of my time.
Overall, people had good things to say about it. Everyone said it was “flying private the commercial way.”
Having flown privately a few times previously, I was even more intrigued. For $52, I couldn’t book my ticket fast enough.
My ticket total when booking my Boutique Air Flight
My Experience with Boutique Air
After I booked my ticket, I didn’t do anything until I got to the airport. I wasn’t able to check-in online or do anything else that larger airlines would expect you to do. In fact, according to my ticket, check-in was open only 3 hours before the scheduled departure time anyway. So, I’m not sure I could’ve done anything the night before.
Generally, I like going to the airport with my mobile boarding pass in hand, but under these circumstances, I was under the impression that I would just figure it out when I got there. All the reviews I had read had described the process as “desk, door, and tarmac.”
I ended up being at the Pittsburgh Airport 2 hours early because my family was flying on a Southwest flight that left before mine. If that wasn’t the case, then I wouldn’t say that this was necessary. However, as I sat there, I scrolled through the Boutique Air website and was able to check-in online because my departure was within 3 hours.
One of my mobile boarding passes from Pittsburgh to Altoona that I didn’t end up using
Although I now had a mobile boarding pass, I decided to check with the gate agent (who would later serve as the flight attendant) before going through security. She checked me in (again) and told me that the pilot prefers paper boarding passes to mobile boarding passes, so she printed one out for me. She also asked me what my weight was so the plane could be properly weighted. I’ve found that this is a common question when you fly on small propeller planes.
The Boutique Air desk located in Pittsburgh International Airport
My physical boarding pass provided at check-in
After I had my physical boarding pass, I was able to go through security like normal. I ended up sitting at the gate for over an hour because of how early I arrived at the airport. If I regularly flew boutique air, I wouldn’t get there as early. It was much more like flying private where you show up closer to the departure time with very little boarding fuss.
My Boutique Air flight was located at Gate A16 in Pittsburgh International Airport
The Boutique Air gate looked similar to other gates in the airport
As the departure time approached, the flight attendant at the gate called our names. There was only a handful of us on the 8-seat plane. We were led down a special hallway and out onto the tarmac where a pilot greeted us. He checked IDs and boarding passes before allowing us to board the plane.
My first glimpse of the plane on this rainy morning
The pilot checking IDs and boarding passes on the tarmac
The flight itself was as smooth as any prop plane flight. If you don’t like small planes or turbulence, then I’m not sure I’d recommend Boutique Air because there were only 8 seats. That said, it was inexpensive, offered snacks (cookies/water), and provided an efficient method of transportation to my desired destination.
The interior of my Boutique Air cabin
The view from where I sat on my Boutique Air flight
We made a short stop in Altoona (presumably to refuel). This would have been a good time for other passengers to join the flight, but no one did. Everyone had to get off the plane and head inside the small airport.
The one inconvenient aspect of this stop was that I had to exit security to go to the bathroom. They also made me throw away the water bottle I was given on the plane when I reentered. While this is to be expected at larger airports, the TSA agents had seen me come from the plane, and the water bottle was completely unopened. Rules are rules, and in the grand scheme, this wasn’t a huge deal. It just sticks out in my mind as an inconvenience.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’d definitely recommend flying with Boutique Air if you have the opportunity. I found it to be an inexpensive and efficient way to get from Point A to Point B!