US Airways to start charging for drinks

slowly forcing us back to these options more and more every day

 

Outside of the Northeast (ie, the Boston-New York-Philly-Washington corridor), taking the train or bus isn't really practical. The distances are too vast and the passenger rail transportation infrastructure too undeveloped (or needing to be redeveloped to the tune of many millions, if not billions, of dollars).

You want to spend 15-20 hours on a train taking Amtrak or a Greyhound Bus from New York to Chicago? Even if you wanted to, you have an extra two days of time (round trip) to spend sitting on a train that runs only a few days a week when you can fly the distance in 2 hours on probably 60 flights a day from the New York area?

Even if we had technology like the TGV in France or the Bullet Train in Japan, this country is simply too vast for passenger rail transportation to be viable. People simply don't have the time to spend days just getting to their destination anymore.

Simply put, the airlines have us by the you-know-whats, and they know it. Business travelers still have to use them, and unless everyone moves back close to their families, there will be a demand from non-business travelers too.

 

The Terminal is actually based on the story of an Iranian refugee that lived in a terminal in the Charles De Galle airport from 1988 to 2006 (when they had to take him to the hospital).

 

For what it's worth, Southwest Airlines has the right approach from a marketing perspective at least.

http://southwest.com/nofees/?src=BANRYHPPODC000000080528

 

Well, the no aisle or window seat fees is a bit disingenuous, but other than that, yeah.

 

Just wonder how much American Airlines paid for product prominence in that pile of steaming crap.

 

George Carlin would've loved this thread.

 

Not surprisingly, the Northeast is also home to Amtrak's only profitable route (and the only one that's run like it wants to make a profit).

If Amtrak weren't one of the most incompetently-run transportation operations in the world, it would be primed to take over a huge chunk of the market right now.

But by focusing on an antiquated, 1930s-era vision of providing long-haul long-distance travel (which cannot compete with the airlines), Amtrak is getting killed. If Amtrak focused on high-speed regional routes nationwide, like it does in the Washington-Philly-NYC-Boston corridor, it would be killing the airlines and be picking up a lot of business from the auto industry. When the freight lines started pulling up tracks a few years back, Amtrak could've taken up that infrastructure. Instead, it's turned into bike trails.

 

You're thinking of KC. I flew thru there this weekend for the first time in 15 years. Holy shit what a fucked-up mess that place is.

Pre-911 when you could bring anything up to large livestock thru security without much of a hassle it wasn't that bad a set-up having a security entrance for every 5-6 gates.

But now, once you go thru security, your only option for provisions is a small Wolfgang Puck kiosk that sells pre-wrapped sandwiches, soft drinks and bottled water. If you want anything else, including reading material, you have to exit the secured area.

As an added bonus the TSA people I encountered there were the rudest and most incompetent I have ever seen.

Combine that with a Southwest flight that was delayed FOUR FUCKING HOURS due to weather in, of all places, Philadelphia and it was a less than pleasant flying experience.

 

I did that yesterday only because I wasn't about to be trapped like a rat for four fucking hours while I waited for my flight. Security was a breeze the second time. They were five alarm flaming douchebags the first time though.