Passenger Trains > Increased traffic for Amtrak?

A thread below said an airline pilot on the Auto Train, talked with passengers.  They said they were on the train because they are afraid to fly.  We  have all met such people. Some have medical condition which rule out airline trips. 

But has the recent spate of airline incidents and crashes increased Amtrak's ridership even slightly??  I keep seeing articles and interviews how our airline system is "safe."   And I just flew round trip from Cleveland to Miami on Frontier.  Nice planes.  Early arrivals.  No complaints from me, but the planes were not even close to full.  

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A thread below said an airline pilot on the Auto
> Train, talked with passengers.  They said they
> were on the train because they are afraid to
> fly.  We  have all met such people. Some have
> medical condition which rule out airline trips. 
>
> But has the recent spate of airline incidents and
> crashes increased Amtrak's ridership even
> slightly??  I keep seeing articles and interviews
> how our airline system is "safe."   And I just
> flew round trip from Cleveland to Miami on
> Frontier.  Nice planes.  Early arrivals.  No
> complaints from me, but the planes were not even
> close to full.  

It's lousy if necessary security arrangements...and the deep inspection lottery that no one wants to "win" If I can choose a different way to go the choice is made!

I, personally, know someone who makes regular trips between Omaha and Denver, and they recently went from plane travel, which was too expensive, to driving, which was too tiring, and now uses Amtrak due to its cost effectiveness and easy boarding procedure. Amtrak coach tickets are proving to be cheaper, sometimes vastly-so, than airline tickets for many trips recently. I met a lady on the Zephyr last month who traveled from Denver to Albany, NY, and Amtrak was even cheaper than bus tickets for her, while airline tickets for the journey she was making were triple the price of Amtrak.

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A thread below said an airline pilot on the Auto
> Train, talked with passengers.  They said they
> were on the train because they are afraid to fly.

Don't airlines allow you one vehicle as a carry-on anymore?

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A thread below said an airline pilot on the Auto
> Train, talked with passengers.  They said they
> were on the train because they are afraid to
> fly.  We  have all met such people. Some have
> medical condition which rule out airline trips. 
>
> But has the recent spate of airline incidents and
> crashes increased Amtrak's ridership even
> slightly??  I keep seeing articles and interviews
> how our airline system is "safe."   And I just
> flew round trip from Cleveland to Miami on
> Frontier.  Nice planes.  Early arrivals.  No
> complaints from me, but the planes were not even
> close to full.  

Florida has to many seat miles going to it airlines are cancelling some frequencies down there in the upcoming schedules i read

MEKoch Wrote:
>  I just flew round trip from Cleveland to Miami on
> Frontier.  Nice planes.  Early arrivals.  No
> complaints from me, but the planes were not even
> close to full.  
Why did you go Frontier instead of Floridian?
Never mind - I just read the thread FLORIDIAN 41.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/25 10:36 by CPMorris.

The fact that the most dangerous part of flying, driving to the airport, is lost on these types.

Flying has however certainly become the most irritating travel experience of all

I wish more routes were available.  Driving to PA or NY from TN every year is quite tiring, and flying is cost prohibitive for six of us.  I've had a rule for years - if it's under 500 miles, I don't even consider flying.  Driving will be faster and I won't have to rent a vehicle when I get there.  The only flights I plan on taking in the next five years or so would be Hawaii and Alaska.

Dan

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fact that the most dangerous part of flying,
> driving to the airport, is lost on these types.
>
> Flying has however certainly become the most
> irritating travel experience of all

I think it's been that way after 9/11, used to be a lot better before then!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PumpkinHogger Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The fact that the most dangerous part of
> flying,
> > driving to the airport, is lost on these types.
> >
> > Flying has however certainly become the most
> > irritating travel experience of all
>
> I think it's been that way after 9/11, used to be
> a lot better before then!

And we had unscheduled trips to Cuba then too.  Flying stopped being "special" about 1970 when planes like the Boeing 747 went into service and made flying affordable.

it was still neat with 747's the lounge upstairs stewardesses in miniskirts, smoke and booze

deregulation and fast frequent service with smaller aircraft,  dc-9s 727's 37's more bus like, years later smokers could not smoke anxiety went up,  flying bus atmosphere

I'm a big fan of at least partially getting rid of Jimmy Carter's airline and railroad deregulation, but both seem to have corporate approval now so it doesn't matter in the least what the majority of the American people might think.  I think Carter was a disaster as far as transportation policy was concerned, and we're just stuck with it.

OmahaTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I, personally, know someone who makes regular
> trips between Omaha and Denver, and they recently
> went from plane travel, which was too expensive,
> to driving, which was too tiring, and now uses
> Amtrak due to its cost effectiveness and easy
> boarding procedure. Amtrak coach tickets are
> proving to be cheaper, sometimes vastly-so, than
> airline tickets for many trips recently. I met a
> lady on the Zephyr last month who traveled from
> Denver to Albany, NY, and Amtrak was even cheaper
> than bus tickets for her, while airline tickets
> for the journey she was making were triple the
> price of Amtrak.

Not each market, mode of travel and destination is the same. 
Denver to Albany, New York on Amtrak is cheaper than airline prices?  No overnight accommodations, dining or taxis?  C'mon.
My wife and I fly several times a year with Southwest Airlines from Chicago to Spokane (an Amtrak city).  With occasional Southwest gift-card purchases ($70 discount) from Costco, we fly for a total, two-person, round-trip cost under $900. Same-day arrival. 
PS, on-time airline performance is far better than Amtrak's "track" record.
 

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fact that the most dangerous part of flying,
> driving to the airport, is lost on these types.
>
> Flying has however certainly become the most
> irritating travel experience of all

Truth about the drive part. However I find Amtrak far more irritating on average than flying. My planes are always clean. Usually on time. The staff is nice. Amtrak struggles to deliver a good experience. And the plane involves 4 hours or less on my domestic travels. The train takes ten times longer. It’s definitely more comfortable, but it needs to be given the time involved.

Posted from iPhone

"Flying has however certainly become the most irritating travel experience of all."

I can certainly verify that.  When I retired from the airlines...22 years at Eastern and 14 at Aloha...in 2003, both my former flight attendant wife and I were more than a bit fed up wth airline travel, or rather even than at what had become.  We were full-time motorhomers, traveling over 57,000 miles in our last coach...number 4, and did some very enjoyable Amtrak trips in the intervening years, including two epic trips, one to Williamsburg and the other to Los Angeles, both from St Louis.  We have never looked back on that decision to avoid air travel whenever possible and it has suited us just fine.  I do find it somewhat amusing that so many others are coming around to that conclusion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/25 06:28 by a737flyer.

NPRocky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm a big fan of at least partially getting rid of
> Jimmy Carter's airline and railroad deregulation,
> but both seem to have corporate approval now so it
> doesn't matter in the least what the majority of
> the American people might think.  


I am guessing the "majority of the American people" have no idea how expensive flying was pre deregulation, and would have no desire to go back to those costs.

Typhoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am guessing the "majority of the American
> people" have no idea how expensive flying was pre
> deregulation, and would have no desire to go back
> to those costs.

Exactly. The regulated system would not have lasted much longer.