Sunday, November 21, 2004
Subsidies for Trains Vs. Subsidies for Planes
I noticed an interesting story on the yearly bailouts for Amtrak, so that way their trains keep on running. Now, compared to the amount of money that airlines receive each year, along with their poor security and poor service makes me wonder... Why??? Compared to every airline that has received bailouts in the past three years, Amtrak service is superb. I rode on the Capitol Limited, a route that goes from Washington D.C to Chicago, and it was excellent. It took about sixteen hours to reach my destination, but along the way I could get up and walk around, enjoy the scenery in the lounge car, have a steak dinner in the dining car, and sleep in a nice reclining chair through the night.
On my trip to Chicago with the airline, it took only two hours, but i was cramped inside a 737 along with about 100 other people, some with screaming babies, and it wasn't nearly as luxurious. I received a bag of peanuts and some water through the flight. This was before September 11th, 2001, but even then the service was mediocre. Anyone remember all the complaints about waiting on the Tarmac for hours on end and not getting anywhere? I was lucky... we actually left almost on time. The view was stunning from the airplane... I would enjoy seeing it again someday.
I don't think that will be anytime soon though, because of the whole terrorist scare, and it's just too expensive. In a way, I'm already paying the airlines through my taxes, and then they expect me to pay again to actually fly. How wrong is that?? Make your own money, everyone else has to!!! At least Amtrak has been improving its service the past several years, and they have a shot at becoming profitable. Besides, a good train network is excellent for industry and the economy as a whole. You can't send thousands of tons of oranges by plane can you? Didn't think so...
All in all, I'm supporting the train industry far more than the airline industry. The airline industry needs to redesign itself, or suffer the fate that any other organism receives when its skills just aren't adequate enough, death. ¶ 9:15 PM
I noticed an interesting story on the yearly bailouts for Amtrak, so that way their trains keep on running. Now, compared to the amount of money that airlines receive each year, along with their poor security and poor service makes me wonder... Why??? Compared to every airline that has received bailouts in the past three years, Amtrak service is superb. I rode on the Capitol Limited, a route that goes from Washington D.C to Chicago, and it was excellent. It took about sixteen hours to reach my destination, but along the way I could get up and walk around, enjoy the scenery in the lounge car, have a steak dinner in the dining car, and sleep in a nice reclining chair through the night.
On my trip to Chicago with the airline, it took only two hours, but i was cramped inside a 737 along with about 100 other people, some with screaming babies, and it wasn't nearly as luxurious. I received a bag of peanuts and some water through the flight. This was before September 11th, 2001, but even then the service was mediocre. Anyone remember all the complaints about waiting on the Tarmac for hours on end and not getting anywhere? I was lucky... we actually left almost on time. The view was stunning from the airplane... I would enjoy seeing it again someday.
I don't think that will be anytime soon though, because of the whole terrorist scare, and it's just too expensive. In a way, I'm already paying the airlines through my taxes, and then they expect me to pay again to actually fly. How wrong is that?? Make your own money, everyone else has to!!! At least Amtrak has been improving its service the past several years, and they have a shot at becoming profitable. Besides, a good train network is excellent for industry and the economy as a whole. You can't send thousands of tons of oranges by plane can you? Didn't think so...
All in all, I'm supporting the train industry far more than the airline industry. The airline industry needs to redesign itself, or suffer the fate that any other organism receives when its skills just aren't adequate enough, death. ¶ 9:15 PM
