Most of my biz trips are by plane and I d much prefer going by train it s the routes and time that a

In other words, just as the legacy airlines unbundled their airfares in 2009 when they started charging passengers for the first checked bag, these cuts are going to help shore up the troubled national rail carrier s bottom line. Amtrak lost about $73 million on food and beverage service alone last year.
Rail passengers have mixed feelings about these measures, but the most problematic — and overlooked — part of this story is that Amtrak is acting more like an airline every day. And not in a good way.
I think cuts are good for the passengers who are on the moneymaking routes, says regular rail rider Neil Gussman, who works for a non-profit organization in Philadelphia. Amtrak is a constant target for budget-cutters, yet it keeps tens of thousands of people off the most crowded roads in America.
Kersey, who works for a technology company in Chicago and commutes by train to Great Falls, Mont., says she ll notice the absence of the amenity kits on the Empire Builder, the attendants hotel discounts las vegas who offered her champagne and chocolates, and the afternoon wine tastings.
But are these deletions a symptom hotel discounts las vegas of a shift at Amtrak of something even worse? Is Amtrak abandoning hotel discounts las vegas its heritage of dignified and civil travel in favor of making a quick buck, like an ultra low-cost airline? It may be too early to say that, but the warning lights seem to have flickered to life.
It s as if I m watching one of those infomercials in reverse, and the spokesperson is saying, But wait — there s less! says Dave Kaminer, a communications consultant hotel discounts las vegas from Rye Brook, N.Y., who regularly catches Amtrak s Auto Train from Lorton, Va., to Sanford, Fla.
He s worried about two things that have escaped the same media attention as when, say, an airline adds a new fee. (That s because travel journalists like me don t believe in the existence of Amtrak.) Last April, the Auto Train began offering something called Priority Vehicle Offloading that, for a $50 fee, allowed your car to be the first off the train. Amtrak touted the new option as a service that will help passengers get to their destination sooner.
Worse, he ll pay more for the trip than ever. That s because the lowest available fare isn t being published when Auto Train tickets become available, he alleges. hotel discounts las vegas Kaminer sent me screenshots of the higher fares. A one-way Auto Train ticket to Florida that cost $265 last year is pricing at $411 for next spring.
Kaminer complained to Amtrak about the higher fares, to which Amtrak responded with a form letter that apologized for the inconvenience of the higher prices and pointed out that Amtrak fares are not static and may increase or change based upon many factors.
Perhaps. If Amtrak hotel discounts las vegas s little-noticed cuts are nothing more than cosmetic service reductions, which, by most appearances, hotel discounts las vegas they are, then riding hotel discounts las vegas the train will continue to be an experience apart from the indignity of most domestic air travel.
But if more fare tricks and priority disembarkation moves are in the rail carrier s future, the experiences may become all but indistinguishable from flying — except hotel discounts las vegas that the plane gets you there a little hotel discounts las vegas faster.
hotel discounts las vegas • Ride the profitable routes. hotel discounts las vegas Amtrak s well-used Northeast corridor hotel discounts las vegas trains have escaped most of the cuts, because they make money. That s where you ll find the best service and amenities, generally speaking.
• Let Congress know. Congress funds Amtrak to the tune of $1.39 billion this year. If your congressional representative hears from you, it could make a difference. hotel discounts las vegas You might prevent Amtrak from becoming a Spirit Air on rails. Here s how: house.gov/representatives/find/
Christopher Elliott is an author, journalist and consumer advocate. He's the creator of this website and the co-founder of Travelers United , a nonprofit advocacy group for travelers. You can read more about him on his personal website or contact him at [email protected] .
If you look at Amtrak s network, there s really three readily-defined classifications of service: northeast corridor, day trains, and long-distance trains. Each classification tends to be dominated by one cohort, though there is overlap . . . unfortunately, I don t think Amtrak always recognizes that in its planning (once I was on the Adirondack, returning to New York from a business meeting in Saratoga Springs, and the conductor has the gall to announce that no one was allowed to work on business matters while in the cafe/lounge hotel discounts las vegas because this was a recreational, not business, train!). The northeast corridor is dominated by people for whom time is money, and even if the train trip itself takes a little longer than flying, overall productivity (being able to work enroute) hotel discounts las vegas is better. The day trains carry many people for whom driving hotel discounts las vegas might have been the first choice, but the train is a reasonable hotel discounts las vegas option (moreover, flying these shorter distances is relatively expensive).
And that leaves the long distance trains. People who are in a hurry are not generally on the train (very few people are in business attire, though you may see some suits on the overnight trains between the east coast and Chicago). People who are looking to save money are certainly not going to be found in the sleeping cars, though they might be found in the coaches. Between large cities, flying is almost always less expensive than a coach ticket on Amtrak, so many of the people seeking cheaper fares are going between smaller locales. Usually (but not always) buses are a bit less expensive, so the least affluent are not usually found on an Amtrak hotel discounts las vegas train. However, periodically Amtrak does run some sales, with limited tickets, at very low prices.
I think somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of the passengers are on board solely to ride a train and see the country; these passengers hotel discounts las vegas are in the sleeping cars. About an equal number are on board because they need to go someplace, and have decided that seeing the country is something important, and have eschewed flying in favor of the train; hotel discounts las vegas some of these passengers are in the sleeping cars, but most are in coach. Maybe 15 percent are riding hotel discounts las vegas out of necessity. That is, people how cannot, or will not, fly (e.g., medical hotel discounts las vegas or health condition, hotel discounts las vegas religion, aversion to air system security hotel discounts las vegas measures); people going to small places where there is no bus or air service; and people for whom trains are themselves the attraction (i.e., rail enthusiasts). Perhaps 10 percent are riding because, overall, Amtrak provided the best value. I put myself in either the necessity group (I do not fly, and I like trains) or the value group (I like bus and sea travel, and will readily travel by either if a better value).
The people riding the train for the purpose of seeing the country are the ones that Amtrak risks losing on account of cheapening the first class amenities. They re paying big bucks (really, take a look at sleeping car fares!), and they re going to see Amtrak as a poor competitor against hotel discounts las vegas the cruise lines. They ll spend their money elsewhere if Amtrak cannot get its act together. The people going someplace are somewhat price sensitive, and they ll put up with a few bumps so long as they have a reasonable trip with respect to fares and service. Amtrak will always hotel discounts las vegas have the necessity passengers, regardless of how service is provided. Nonetheless, I think the public hotel discounts las vegas policy arguments for subsidy are strongest for these passengers, even though these passengers are the least likely to stop riding in the face of increased hotel discounts las vegas fares (i.e., this is where the fairness are best applied). The value passengers will abandon ship quickly if fares are raised much higher than the competition (e.g., Megabus).
Just home from a biz trip on Amtrak hotel discounts las vegas both NEC and inland in PA. It was mostly fine and comfortable and on Acela in first, the food was outstanding baked salmon with a quinoa/kale salad. Service was good I need Red Caps for mobility and at DC s Union Station and in Harrisburg and my transfer in Phila. at 30th St., all went smoothly with nice people.
Most of my biz trips are by plane and I d much prefer going by train it s the routes and time that are too much. It s far more civilized and easy and comfortable. I think I d rather pay more for Amtrak to ensure they live than to pay for the nickel and diming on airlines. Oh and Amtrak s CEO makes around $350,000. The airlines CEOs? UA s dropped last year to (OH NO .. poverty!) $8.1 million. There s something wrong with it all.
There are currently about 60 flights per day providing non-stop service between the three NYC airports and the two Chicago airports. Assuming that each flight carries an average of 150 people, that s 9,000 passengers. Assuming that each train would make 3 or 4 intermediate stops with some passengers traveling only between intermediate cities, I can see market of 12,000 or more passengers daily. It is doubtful that any other US or European route over 500 miles long has that many potential travelers.
Problem is that those cities don t exist in a void. Trains, like every other form of transportation, requires a network. Otherwise, it seems an overly expensive an investment to just link a few choice cities.
Even if none of those passengers are in transit somewhere else (unlikely, as Chicago is a hub for the three largest airlines) do the math: Using a generously-low $100B in construction costs / 12,000 passengers per day / 365 days-per-year / 100 years, and you STILL end up with a cost of $228/person, and that s just construction costs! hotel discounts las vegas ($456 round trip) It doesn t count a penny in operational costs (rolling stock, maintenance, payroll, energy, etc.) All for something that doesn t deliver much of an advantage (if any) over flying.
Maybe Amtrak should hotel discounts las vegas try. Every tourist railroad has a car in which gifts and the like are sold. Passengers transiting Chicago have several hours during which shore excursions could be sold. A photographer on the train is easy enough to arrange. Even though Amtrak is selling transportation, hotel discounts las vegas rather than a tour, the same is true for the Queen Mary 2 on its non-stop c