Passenger Trains > Mayor Pete

The day after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline leaders to quiz them about widespread flight disruptions, his own flight was canceled and he wound up driving from Washington to New York.  I guess he couldn't take Amtrak.

BB

Was there sleeping car space available? I wonder when his flight was cancelled. If it was in the morning maybe it's time efficient enough to take 30 in the afternoon. If it was after 30 departed then driving would be faster than waiting 24 hours to catch the next day’s Capitol Limited.

Posted from iPhone

Uh, his trip was from Washington To NYC.  #30 does not operation on that segment of the network.

Does he even know about Amtrak? Not a rhetorical question.

Posted from Android

I believe that he did tell a story about being on the Lake Shore Limited to/from South Bend at one point. 

I bet Amtrak never even entered his head.

-John

Maybe he was checking out other transportation modes and taking his time driving.lol

Posted from Android

I'm sure Mayor Pete knows about Amtrak, but if you're at an airport and your flight is canceled, there are rental cars right there and getting to a train station is a very uncertain matter . . . even if you know what you're doing. 

Way back in the day or two after 911, there was a deliciously bone-headed conversation on one of the Chicago morning news programs. Someone actually raised the question of how you might still travel, apart from driving, now that airplanes had all been grounded. Amtrak was mentioned, but all the participants confessed ignorance about what was available, except that one of them volunteered that she thought she remembered that there was one train a week from Chicago to Seattle, something like that. (All agreed that that didn't cut it.)

Mayor Pete is a joke.  Does he really think he can bully the airlines into hiring more folks?  The current administration is doing all it can to discourage folks from going back to work.  You can not load airplanes, fly airplanes or function as flight attendants by working at home.  And, just how long will it take to requal licensed pilots who were furloughed or requal flight attendants?

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

Before Pete Buttigieg, I can't remember the last time that Trainorders even mentoned the United States secretary of transportation. I'm guessing this is a good thing?

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before Pete Buttigieg, I can't remember the last
> time that Trainorders even mentoned the United
> States secretary of transportation. I'm guessing
> this is a good thing?

I think it reflects the reality of the lack of control the SecTrans has over Amtrak or even the airlines.

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before Pete Buttigieg, I can't remember the last
> time that Trainorders even mentoned the United
> States secretary of transportation. I'm guessing
> this is a good thing?

Wait.......You didn't hear all the complaining that was done about Norman Mineta?

livesteamer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mayor Pete is a joke.  Does he really think he
> can bully the airlines into hiring more folks? 
> The current administration is doing all it can to
> discourage folks from going back to work.  You
> can not load airplanes, fly airplanes or function
> as flight attendants by working at home.  And,
> just how long will it take to requal licensed
> pilots who were furloughed or requal flight
> attendants?


The rule that commercial pilots must have 1500 hours of flight time passed Congress with strong bipartisan support. And discouraged many would be commercial pilot candidates.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Robert-Silk/How-1500-hour-rule-created-pilot-shortage

Posted from Android

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe that he did tell a story about being on
> the Lake Shore Limited to/from South Bend at one
> point. 

Probably did it in order to have a campaign sound bite.

TAW

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Uh, his trip was from Washington To NYC.  #30
> does not operation on that segment of the network.

No, but well over 20 others do.

TAW

DevalDragon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before Pete Buttigieg, I can't remember the last
> time that Trainorders even mentoned the United
> States secretary of transportation. I'm guessing
> this is a good thing?

Elaine Chao got a lot of hate by some here.

P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does he even know about Amtrak? Not a rhetorical
> question.
>
> Posted from Android

Of course he knows about Amtrak.  This has been discussed in previous Trainorders threads.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> livesteamer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Mayor Pete is a joke.  Does he really think he
> > can bully the airlines into hiring more
> folks? 
> > The current administration is doing all it can
> to
> > discourage folks from going back to work.  You
> > can not load airplanes, fly airplanes or
> function
> > as flight attendants by working at home.  And,
> > just how long will it take to requal licensed
> > pilots who were furloughed or requal flight
> > attendants?
>
>
> The rule that commercial pilots must have 1500
> hours of flight time passed Congress with strong
> bipartisan support. And discouraged many would be
> commercial pilot candidates.
>
> https://www.travelweekly.com/Robert-Silk/How-1500-
> hour-rule-created-pilot-shortage
>
> Posted from Android

And that rule change was paid for in blood.  

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > livesteamer Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Mayor Pete is a joke.  Does he really think
> he
> > > can bully the airlines into hiring more
> > folks? 
> > > The current administration is doing all it
> can
> > to
> > > discourage folks from going back to work. 
> You
> > > can not load airplanes, fly airplanes or
> > function
> > > as flight attendants by working at home. 
> And,
> > > just how long will it take to requal licensed
> > > pilots who were furloughed or requal flight
> > > attendants?
> >
> >
> > The rule that commercial pilots must have 1500
> > hours of flight time passed Congress with
> strong
> > bipartisan support. And discouraged many would
> be
> > commercial pilot candidates.
> >
> >
> https://www.travelweekly.com/Robert-Silk/How-1500-
>
> > hour-rule-created-pilot-shortage
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> And that rule change was paid for in blood.  

Both pilots in the Colgan crash had more than 1500 hours. One had 10+ years.

What they DIDN'T have was sleep. Both were heavily fatigued, like many rail workers. One had traveled overnight to report for work "rested".

Congress had a chance to define adequate rest. And punted.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > livesteamer Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Mayor Pete is a joke.  Does he really
> think
> > he
> > > > can bully the airlines into hiring more
> > > folks? 
> > > > The current administration is doing all it
> > can
> > > to
> > > > discourage folks from going back to work. 
> > You
> > > > can not load airplanes, fly airplanes or
> > > function
> > > > as flight attendants by working at home. 
> > And,
> > > > just how long will it take to requal
> licensed
> > > > pilots who were furloughed or requal flight
> > > > attendants?
> > >
> > >
> > > The rule that commercial pilots must have
> 1500
> > > hours of flight time passed Congress with
> > strong
> > > bipartisan support. And discouraged many
> would
> > be
> > > commercial pilot candidates.
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://www.travelweekly.com/Robert-Silk/How-1500-
>
> >
> > > hour-rule-created-pilot-shortage
> > >
> > > Posted from Android
> >
> > And that rule change was paid for in blood.  
>
> Both pilots in the Colgan crash had more than 1500
> hours. One had 10+ years.
>
> What they DIDN'T have was sleep. Both were heavily
> fatigued, like many rail workers. One had traveled
> overnight to report for work "rested".
>
> Congress had a chance to define adequate rest. And
> punted.

The ALPA lobbied for the 1500 hour rule, as it created a pilot shortage.  They are using that to their advantage for increase in pay, and reduction of scope.  The one thing the ALPA did not touch is rest.  One of the perks of being a pilot is the ability to live in another city that you are based, and commute via flying as a non rev before you report to work.  I know one person who is based out of LA, but lives in Chicago, and my neighbor in Jax is based out of Dallas.  The fly for free, either in an open seat in the back or the jump seat in the cockpit to their base.  The ALPA will never bring that up.