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Between the airsickness, bad food (if it is even offered), cramped seats, poor customer service, endless delays and cancellations, having to remove your shoes at the security gate and who knows what other items of clothing, being felt up and degraded by a bunch of power-mad TSA agents, flying in the US has become a form of sadomasochism and torture.
But people are still largely opposed to high-speed rail? Go figure.
I love traveling by rail....definitely my favorite form of transportation. But sometimes time restraints are such that you have to suck it up and fly. Especially here in Florida. At least when I was living in the Northeast you could move around a little by rail (ie. Boston to NYC, DC).
Between the airsickness, bad food (if it is even offered), cramped seats, poor customer service, endless delays and cancellations, having to remove your shoes at the security gate and who knows what other items of clothing, being felt up and degraded by a bunch of power-mad TSA agents, flying in the US has become a form of sadomasochism and torture.
But people are still largely opposed to high-speed rail? Go figure.
Maybe the results are such because not everyone shares your negative opinion of flying. And why would none of the above features of airplane travel be also part of HSR travel?
I have used the train before... its not exactly comfortable, equally bad food (if it is even offered), cramped seats there too, poor customer service? Yup... delays? Yup... security is being ramped up for train as well... and flying is still enormously faster than train... why not drive? More comfortable seats, much better food, you are your own customer service and no security... there can be delays (traffic) and the it takes a lot longer... I don't like air travel and will drive whenever possible... I prefer Southwest airlines for travel but its a bit further away for an airport that services them...
The airlines must be hurting, with people abandoning air travel due to security procedures and hassles. The problem with HSR is that there's no money to invest in it. And when you do take Amtrak, as often as not you're stuck in a car with a parent yelling at and/or beating their kid. The train is great if you can get some peace and quiet.
I love traveling by rail....definitely my favorite form of transportation. But sometimes time restraints are such that you have to suck it up and fly. Especially here in Florida. At least when I was living in the Northeast you could move around a little by rail (ie. Boston to NYC, DC).
No question, flying sucks.
The Amtrak Acela is a very nice train. The closest thing to high-speed rail in the US. And is profitable.
The regular seating on the Acela is so much roomier than any airplane I have been on. I love how they have a separate car on the train for everything. There's the dining car where you can sit at a real table and order a first rate dinner. There's a lounge car where you can sit back and relax, order a beer, wine, soda or snack and take in the views of the countryside. There's a sleeping car where you can sleep on a real bed and take a shower. The list goes on. You don't have to be in 1st class to take advantage of these amenities. Its fun to just walk around the train from car to car to discover all the cool stuff you can do instead of just sitting in one place for the whole trip like you have to do on airplanes, bored out of your mind. It's a world away from the miserable experience of flying on a domestic airliner.
much cheaper to maintain runways than build and maintain railroad systems. the old day of trains were romantic, and expensive.
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