How long does it really take to fly from Raleigh to Puerto Vallarta? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Puerto Vallarta, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Tuesday, 10:35 am: start in Raleigh
drive for about 33 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 12:03 pm at the latest
11:08 am: Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 12:33 pm
11:38 am: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
12:38 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
1:08 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
1:23 pm: board Delta Air Lines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
1:33 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 3 minutes
1:36 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 16 minutes to taxi to the runway
1:52 pm: wheels up! take-off from RDU
fly for about 1 hour in the air
2:54 pm: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Atlanta, GA is the same time as Raleigh/Durham, NC
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 6 minutes to the gate
3:00 pm: arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
4:35 pm: get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 95 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
4:50 pm: board Delta Air Lines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
5:00 pm: scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but remember flights can be delayed, so take that into account
it takes the plane an average of 15 minutes to taxi to the runway
5:15 pm: wheels up again! take-off from SLC
fly for about 3.5 hours in the air
7:38 pm (local time): Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International (PVR)
Puerto Vallarta is 2 hours behind Atlanta, GA
and 1 hour behind Raleigh
so the time in Raleigh is actually 8:38 pm
taxi on the runway for an average of 15 minutes to the gate
7:53 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at PVR
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 13 minutes to your destination
8:06 pm (local time): arrive in Puerto Vallarta
Total travel time: 11 hours
How far is Puerto Vallarta from Raleigh? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 1,918 miles or 3087 km
Flight time: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 10 hours, 31 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 2.6x faster, and saves you about 6.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. For a long distance, this appears as a curve on the map, and this is often the route that commercial airlines will take so it's a good estimate of the frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate as well.
This is a medium length flight, so unless you have a nice private jet, you might be booking a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
The most common route is RDU to ATL, then connecting to PVR, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Delta Air Lines Inc. for your main flight, and Delta Air Lines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Puerto Vallarta. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out San Pancho. A great place to eat might be Don Pedro's. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Puerto Vallarta like La Palapa Restaurant. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Puerto Vallarta like First week in Puerto Vallarta, any exalted things we shouldn't miss? Click the button below to explore Puerto Vallarta in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Puerto Vallarta to Raleigh, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Raleigh to Puerto Vallarta road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Raleigh to Puerto Vallarta?
If you happen to know Raleigh, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Raleigh!