Why do people love flying out of Rochester International Airport (RST)? We caught up with two local travel pros, Dan Mesenburg and Dr. Marcus Pinto, who consistently Fly Local (Flocal). Their reasons include quick security, friendly faces, getting to your destination without breaking a sweat, and more. Watch or read the stories of why RST is their top pick, whether they’re jetting off for work or heading out on a family adventure.
Marcus’s Story: Friendly TSA agents, less stress with kids.
I love to Flocal because I love to travel.
My name is Marcus Pinto. I am a neurologist. I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I moved here to Rochester eight years ago.
I think my favorite thing flying through RST is the friendly TSA agents. When you travel with kids, it’s way easier to travel through here. You’re having the friendly agent that can wait patiently for you to fold your stroller, to put your car seat through the X-ray machine and all that.
For me, for my family, for the kids — the stress levels are much, much lower when you travel locally.
And whenever I travel for work, I do not check luggage. So then I can get through TSA here in five minutes. The time we spend here in the airport — in line, through TSA, checking bags — you know, it’s just unbelievable how fast and how hassle-free the process is.
You can also travel internationally through RST. We travel to Rio with family. I’ve gone to Japan, Europe — you know, you can go anywhere in the world through RST.
Flying locally here through Rochester is very important, and I hope that more people will understand this and kind of expand our airport capabilities.
My name is Marcus, and I Flocal.
Dan’s Story: A quick drive to RST, same cost.
I’m Dan Mesenburg. I’m from Byron, Minnesota, and I’m a corporate trainer for ServiceMaster.
Well, I’ve had the opportunity to travel quite a bit through Rochester — probably around 50 flights in and out of Rochester this year. I fly to Memphis, Atlanta, Kansas City, L.A., Las Vegas…
As I book flights, I look at Rochester versus Minneapolis, and I try to look at the difference in fare. A lot of times it’s the same. Going through RST, it’s a short distance from my home, the lines are short, and it’s a short flight to Minneapolis to catch a flight anywhere I want to go.
I think most of the time the layover is the same as the time it would take me to drive to Minneapolis. During the time I’m on that layover, I can be on my computer, I can make a couple of calls — utilize the time in a useful way rather than sitting in a car driving.
I think a lot of times when people fly, they’re concerned about lines — and you’re not going to find those at Rochester. Even TSA — it’s very quick through the line. Checking in is easy because there aren’t lines there.
We have a nice little restaurant here that you can go and have a drink or some food before your flight, and it’s just very convenient for the local traveler to be able to get in and out of an airport — instead of waiting in those big lines, paying higher fees for parking and things like that.
My name is Dan, and I Flocal.
For Dan and Marcus, it’s clear that flying out of RST isn’t just about catching a plane; it’s about ditching the typical airport headaches. From breezing through security to having more time for yourself (or your family), it really does make a difference. If you’re tired of the usual travel hassles, maybe it’s time you gave RST a try. We bet you’ll be saying “I Flocal!” in no time, too.
