Amtrak vs. Flying: A Comparison
Last year, to spend the holidays with my parents, my round-trip, non-stop airline ticket from Chicago to the Plains was $350 from Priceline. I take a cab to and from O'Hare, which is around $80 including both rides and tips. My only "saving" grace is I NEVER check a bag when flying. If necessary, I ship a box to my destination, which has been vastly cheaper, convenient and reliable.
The cab ride can take a hour if traffic is bad, I get to the airport the prescribed two hours early, and the flight is two hours long. Boarding time is usually delayed by at least 30 minutes.
The total time spent for me to fly is a minimum of 5 hours, 30 minutes one way, usually more; and the total cost is $430.
The TSA security measures were the last straw for me, so I started hunting for an alternative means of transportation. Renting a car for a couple of one-way trips is danged expensive for one person, but if there's more than one person, it rapidly turns into the cheapest way to go. However, it's a long trip by car -- around 12 hours -- I'm by myself, and might also have to face severe winter weather, so I ruled out driving.
That bring us to Amtrak. A round-trip, coach ticket would cost $266. Though I decided to ship a box to my folks as I have in the past, I noted that Amtrak's baggage policies are much more generous than the airlines'. Amtrak does do random searches of baggage, but doesn't appear to frisk passengers or have scanners. Once on the train, passengers can move around at liberty, and have access to the dining car and/or snack bar. The trip is still roughly 12 hours long, but the ability to read or watch movies (if you bring a laptop or portable DVD player), walk around, and get some food take a lot of the sting out of it. Cabs to and from Union Station would only run $15 each way including tip ($30 total), and take about 20 minutes. Also, there's no need to be at the station prior to your boarding time, which is 30 minutes before departure.
The total time spent for me to take Amtrak is a minimum of 13 hours one way, and the total cost is $296.
This year, I decided to give Amtrak a try. I'm saving $134, but will spend an additional 7 hours, 30 minutes in travel. Think of it this way: for each additional hour I'm willing to spend on the train versus on the plane I put $17.86 in my pocket.
Will it be worth it? I'll let you know.
1/15/11 UPDATE
Yeah, it was fine! I'm considering training it to my folks this summer, and flying back, since their small airport will never have scanners. I'll lose some of the savings, but will cut back on the total travel time.
The cab ride can take a hour if traffic is bad, I get to the airport the prescribed two hours early, and the flight is two hours long. Boarding time is usually delayed by at least 30 minutes.
The total time spent for me to fly is a minimum of 5 hours, 30 minutes one way, usually more; and the total cost is $430.
The TSA security measures were the last straw for me, so I started hunting for an alternative means of transportation. Renting a car for a couple of one-way trips is danged expensive for one person, but if there's more than one person, it rapidly turns into the cheapest way to go. However, it's a long trip by car -- around 12 hours -- I'm by myself, and might also have to face severe winter weather, so I ruled out driving.
That bring us to Amtrak. A round-trip, coach ticket would cost $266. Though I decided to ship a box to my folks as I have in the past, I noted that Amtrak's baggage policies are much more generous than the airlines'. Amtrak does do random searches of baggage, but doesn't appear to frisk passengers or have scanners. Once on the train, passengers can move around at liberty, and have access to the dining car and/or snack bar. The trip is still roughly 12 hours long, but the ability to read or watch movies (if you bring a laptop or portable DVD player), walk around, and get some food take a lot of the sting out of it. Cabs to and from Union Station would only run $15 each way including tip ($30 total), and take about 20 minutes. Also, there's no need to be at the station prior to your boarding time, which is 30 minutes before departure.
The total time spent for me to take Amtrak is a minimum of 13 hours one way, and the total cost is $296.
This year, I decided to give Amtrak a try. I'm saving $134, but will spend an additional 7 hours, 30 minutes in travel. Think of it this way: for each additional hour I'm willing to spend on the train versus on the plane I put $17.86 in my pocket.
Will it be worth it? I'll let you know.
1/15/11 UPDATE
Yeah, it was fine! I'm considering training it to my folks this summer, and flying back, since their small airport will never have scanners. I'll lose some of the savings, but will cut back on the total travel time.
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