Passenger Trains > Southwest Airlines to Hire 4000

Southwest Airlines will hire 4000 workers this year. On-topic? Yes. The extra workers are needed to handle customers who are not riding Amtrak.

http://biz.yahoo.com/apf/020218/southwest_jobs_4.html

Exactly what trains are they taking the people from? Show me a train that can go from LA to SF in 50 minutes and I will take it. I think this press release is to serve notice to laid off airline workers they are hiring. America West is going to implode, and Southwest will get a lot more of their customers. Jet Blue is also expanding rapidly....DirecTV on every seat. How can you beat that?

JetBlue has done a superb job in its first 15 months of operations. They are very focused on making the experience comfortable

Good, regular service JFK to upstate NY, often running a $49 one way fare, compared to $100+ on Amtrak. None of those $25 for 500 mile fares that Amtrak offers in the rest of the US are offered in the Northeast.

JFK to Long Beach CA cross country service has been very well regarded. DirecTV in every seat, free coffee and soda, a little bit more leg room

karldotcom wrote:
>
> Jet Blue is also expanding rapidly....DirecTV on every seat.
> How can you beat that?

That's a good question for Amtrak's managers to ask themselves.

You can't beat it, These are carriers that exist because they pay almost nothing for their right of way or infrastructure.Their aircraft purchases are insured by the government and in the case of Southwest the Federal government provided three of the airlines most important Airports to Southwest alone for many years.
None of this should be a surprise are a marvel. They are what you get when the Government provides the right of way.
Also both cherry pick their routes, they serve only the cities that provide them the max chance of profit with the least chance of competition.
What if you live in city that one of these virtual airlines doesn't chose to serve?