I love Amtrak
I just wanted to write a post about why I love Amtrak so much. Most people like to fly but for various reasons I don't. I think most Americans are missing out on US train travel so I want to write a blog post to share with you my experience traveling by Amtrak but I also have a hidden agenda that I will reveal at the end of the post.
Luxury
First and foremost, Amtrak is more comfortable. The seats on long distance trains are as big as the first class seats that one percenters can buy on an airplane but for those of us who don't have a pile of gold, Amtrak provides a very large seat for a price that in almost every case is cheaper than a flight for the same place.
Even if you get a fully flat bed which includes several meals in the dining car, the prices are still more akin to the prices you pay to fly coach. Seated service is just fine though and the seats recline enough for me to sleep soundly.
A positive side effect of more room is that people talk to each other. On a plane you tend to be strapped in so tightly together that you just try to pretend like your fellow passengers don't exist. On the train you typically have a community feel. You share phone chargers, food, stories. You feel like the people around you are neighbors, not fellow victims. I have even added fellow passengers on Facebook.
The train is not just bout getting there, its about enjoying the journey.
Time Saving
Yes, really! People ask me why I would spend so much time on a cross country train ride when a flight is shorter. For instance San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles, California takes about 29 hours by Amtrak and maybe more like 4 by plane. But if you think about it the amount of time saved is not 25 hours. Not even close.
If I were to fly from San Antonio, I would have to arrive at the airport several hours in advance, by train I just have to arrive about an hour before to be sure but I think I can check bags even 45 minutes before the train leaves and if I don't check any thing I only need the five or so minutes it takes for them to check my identity and ticket (though I would not recommend this). Additionally I can save time by checking in bags as much as 24 hours before my train leaves which can free my departure day schedule further.
When I fly, security takes longer and is far more treacherous (see comments below) but without any real benefit. If I want to get anywhere close to the same price as Amtrak I have to make some sort of connection along the way which means being stuck in an airport in a town I don't know, nervous and worried about catching another flight. With Amtrak I just get on in San Antonio and 29 hours get off in Los Angeles. And if there are any delays along the way, we are not stuck on a runway belted into tiny seats.
On one recent trip there was a delay leaving Los Angeles and no sooner had that delay been announced then a second announcement was made inviting passengers to the dining car which was open and fully functional. No worries, you settle into your trip and let the staff worry about the schedule. We made up the time by the way later and arrived on schedule.
When I fly I don't find that I can do anything useful. It is all hurry, hurry through the checkpoints to get frisked, hurry through the gates, get crammed into a seat so small I can't move, turn off anything useful because it interferes with the flight, and dissociate so as not to have to deal with my surroundings. I find that an entire day is taken up this way when I fly and that day then becomes useless.
I first chose to take the train to Los Angeles when I realized that once arriving in the city, I would have to take an expensive shuttle to the train station (I think this takes an hour) in order to catch the Metro to where I was staying. So why not just take the train and skip that annoying step?
On Amtrak the travel time is 25 hours longer but I am using every minute of the 29 hours once on board to do what ever I need to including at least 8 hours of sleep. Often times I am able to do more on the day before I get on the train because I know I can just pass out and sleep the whole way. I once took this trip and was literally only awake for four hours of it.
There are tables with the large seats and power outlets to keep all my technology useful to me. I don't have to shut anything off and I get 3G coverage for my phone most of the way. I am completely plugged in and as able to work as much as I want to though I often tell people I am unavailable just so I can get some peace for a few days. The truth is that I could do anything I need to from the train.
Better Security
Note that I said better here, not more. I prefer the train for more than one reason but I have to say that without a doubt that scanners taking naked pictures of air passengers has turned me from someone who does not like to fly to someone who would probably have a panic attack if she had to fly from an airport using one of those scanners.
In contrast, at the train station it is not unusual to see an appropriately armed police officer or other law enforcement often with a sniffer dog present in the terminal. I have seen as many as three officers together in a group and usually there are more roaming around the building. Those scanners at airports use are often manned by giggly boys who just want to laugh at or look at female passengers.
The difference between less well trained security staff and real police officers was made clear to me in New York's JFK airport in February of 2008 when I put a cell phone in the bucket to go through security and watched it go in the machine only to cross through the check point and find that the phone was not in the bucket. Only security staff could have stolen it.
I filed a police report with and actual police officer at the airport and he was unfortunately not able to request to look at security footage to catch the security officers stealing the phone. It was ridiculous. But he took me seriously and even complimented me on my ability to recall information about what happened when the phone was stolen. Later, when I called NYPD to get a police report for my insurance company, the officer I spoke with actually apologized that it happened to me. I suppose on behalf of the city of New York.
Since then, I have always felt like a victim when I go through airport check points and I avoid flying if possible. I think the train station I most often use in the United States is Los Angeles Union Station and I have to say that seeing real police and or ex military (some of the guys have what look like camo uniforms) roaming around instead of boys with toys (naked picture machines) makes me feel safe and secure.
So while there is far less standing in line, taking off shoes and belts, being patted down, and photographed, Amtrak gives you a sense of security without the violation. You feel like adults are watching.
No Scams
You get what you pay for. That trip I mentioned earlier where I realized my first task upon arriving at Los Angeles airport would be to get myself to Union Station for transport links, well I compared prices on flights and Amtrak for that trip and I think a flight was a few pennies more or less, I don't remember which, but it only included one carry on bag. I was traveling to Los Angeles for a film festival.
Festivals are fun for fans of film but for us filmmakers they are work which often includes bringing lots of changes of clothes including (for us ladies) multiple pairs of high heal shoes. That is a lot of luggage. I never checked the prices but I think it would have doubled my ticket price. Its not that Amtrak don't charge more for extra luggage its just that their idea of extra luggage conforms to the realities of most travelers lives. I think before you have to start paying for extra bags you have to be on your third (very large) check in bag which is in addition to your two not terribly small carry on bags.
When you are charged for extra luggage (you are allowed two further very large checked bags) get this, the charge is $20 per bag (it only very recently went up from $10). So for forty dollars over your ticket price you get four large checked bags and two decent sized carry ons. Your only problem is how you are going to get all of that on the Metro when you get to the city you are going to.
I use Amtrak Guest Rewards system and unlike air miles systems which can be so complicated as to require professional assistance, Amtrak is very straight forward. The only shock I ever get from the system is just how many points I have and where they have all come from. I use the Guest Rewards Master Card so some of them come from that but they just seem to keep appearing out of nowhere.
They are easy to use too. I can book trips on the website and twice now I have had to cancel trips last minute for reasons out of my control which only required a friendly phone call and I got all of my points back to use again. I doubt air rewards would work that well.
Just last week I booked a very last minute (day of travel) trip to Los Angeles from Texas only to find out three hours later that I had been given a ticket of a NASA inaugural event in Washington D.C. I called to cancel the train ticket, was given back my points, and after the agent found out I was heading to the Northeast (unfortunately this was so last minute I had to drive because the next train did not leave in time to get me there for the event) the agent offered to sign me up for a promotional that was running in that area just in case I used Amtrak in the region while I was there. This was free and no risk. It was just ready for me if I needed it.
In fact every time I call them to get refunds on tickets I did not end up using, the cheerful staff always sign me up for something or other that ends up getting me more points or something valuable. My mother also uses Amtrak and so between the two of us the rewards are hard to keep up with. Its so refreshing.
The Staff
Amtak staff are really hard working, really nice people. Its just that simple. Not just the helpful people on the train but also the people who answer the phones and man the social media. As soon as I check in at a station I get tweeted at asking where I am going and get best wishes from the staff. I often get into twitter conversations that go on pleasantly for an extended period of time. They really care that you are on Amtrak and that you are enjoying your trip.
If you don't believe me, just download the app and go check into a station which you can do without buying a ticket. If you have the app set to tweet your check in you are likely to get a friendly tweet in short order welcoming you and asking where you are going. That app also represents a revolutionary ticketing device that makes train travel something that I don't think air travel can ever be, spontaneous and fun.
I Love My Country
Yes I am a dual citizen and yes I lived in Europe for an extended period of time but I was born and raised in the US and I love to see it at its best. And Amtrak just makes me proud. I wish more public funding would go into keeping it going and adding more routes. The history of train travel in this country is interesting and the most recent chapter is almost exclusively in the hands of Amtrak. Rail used to play a far greater role in our nation's history, and I am proud that Amtrak has kept the tradition going in an era where Americans have abandoned rail travel to an extent that it has to be run on a non profit model.
I love a good road trip and I love cars but lets face it, there are some times when you just have to move a lot of Americans around and there is no where to park. For instance on that recent trip to Washington D.C., my mom and I considered staying on for the inauguration ceremony and rather than pay $400 to $700 to stay the night before in D.C. (those prices were vastly inflated because of the high demand for that particular night) we looked at staying somewhere in Maryland or Virginia and taking the train in. We finally decided that we did not want to deal with the large crowds but imagine if all those people did not have Amtrak to take them into the city.
Can you imagine if you had to park your car somewhere in Virginia and walk all the way to D.C. for the inauguration. So there it is Amtrak (America's track) was bringing in large numbers of Americans (and some guests) into America's capital to see America inaugurate our President. Now isn't that nice.
Which brings me to the hidden agenda that I mentioned above. I don't just want to share my experiences with the reader on this blog. I want you to join me. The more people who travel with me, the more interesting people I get to meet. Even better, if passenger numbers continue to rise we may get back some of those lost train stations that used to be in every little town in America. Won't it be great when we can once again take a train trip (perhaps on a whim with a ticket bought on our phone) from anywhere USA to anywhere USA without having to drive or take a bus between stations. I hope it happens soon.
I have to go now. I have lots to do because... well.. tomorrow I have a train to catch. See you there!
Friday, 25 January 2013
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