Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Chatter > General Discussion


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 12-04-2003, 12:50 AM   #1 (permalink)
who?
 
phredgreen's Avatar
 
Location: the phoenix metro
train ridership numbers are up... are people still scared to fly?

Quote:
<i> as found here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...bers_for_2003/</i>

<b>Amtrak to post record Thanksgiving ridership numbers for 2003</b>
12/3/2003

BOSTON -- About 600,000 passengers boarded Amtrak trains over Thanksgiving weekend, the highest holiday ridership in the company's 32-year history, an Amtrak spokesman said.

The week that began Nov. 25 and ended Monday also brought the highest ticket sales for Thanksgiving travel, totaling $30.9 million.

"The numbers are preliminary, but we are pretty confident in what this means," Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said, adding that the company would release official numbers next week.

The holiday weekend also set records at Boston's South Station, where many of the Thanksgiving passengers were college students, said Amtrak's New England division spokesman Richard Peters, who attributed the boom to the company's student discount program.

Stessel said Amtrak has refurbished equipment and updated its trains in recent years, and has added trains during the peak holiday travel period.

"Passengers are noticing that cars are looking better and the trains are operating more reliable and hopefully that will continue for years to come," he said.

In 2002, Amtrak recorded 545,000 passengers for the Thanksgiving travel week. In 2001 -- a big year for Amtrak due to air-travel anxieties following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- ridership was 567,000 for the week.

so the facts are plain.. people are still anxious about hopping on those jetliners. so where do you stand? do you still feel we are in any danger, or do you feel like this is an over-reaction? do you prefer trains over planes? tell us why.
__________________
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
- Thomas Paine
phredgreen is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 01:00 AM   #2 (permalink)
Human
 
SecretMethod70's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Chicago
I have absolutely no more qualms about flying than I did before September 11. In fact, I never had a heightened problem with it. There were hundreds of planes in the sky that morning and only 3 were hijacked. Add into that consideration that the hijacking of planes is hardly a regular occurance and it's easy to see there's no reason for concern.

However, if Amtrack got off their butts and started to switch to super-fast trains - maybe like the one that goes 360 MPH I read about the other day - then I'd imagine train ridership would skyrocket TREMENDOUSLY.
__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
SecretMethod70 is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 05:25 AM   #3 (permalink)
We are everywhere...
 
Location: Barrie, Ontario
Personally I think it's a big Catch-22 - many people are still afraid to fly, but no more than over the last couple of years. Because business is so bad year round for the airlines after 9-11 however, they have had to cut back planes, flights, and even whole routes - meaning far fewer total seats available. Some smaller airlines have even gone out of business completely.

Now, when you use the single biggest travel day in the US as the benchmark, many people who aren't afraid to fly couldn't get a seat. They had to travel somehow, so train, bus or driving their own vehicles are the only alternatives. I'd be willing to bet bus business went WAY up during the US Thanksgiving holiday as well.
__________________
You can be young only once, but you can be immature for the rest of your life...
Baldrick is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 05:27 AM   #4 (permalink)
Crazy
 
They Said that a significant number of people did fly over the holiday weekend, but the industry is still off by over 14% from pre 9/11 numbers or something like that..

more people are flying just, not as many that were before 9/11 yet.
exile is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 05:38 AM   #5 (permalink)
A Real American
 
Holo's Avatar
 
I would still fly but I personally love going by train. You get to see so much that you can't in the air or on a bus or in a car, winding thru woods and around farm fields. If I had the time I would take a train over flying any day, but not really because of terrorism.
__________________
I happen to like the words "fuck", "cock", "pussy", "tits", "cunt", "twat", "shit" and even "bitch". As long as I am not using them to describe you, don't go telling me whether or not I can/should use them...that is, if you want me to continue refraining from using them to describe you. ~Prince
Holo is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 05:42 AM   #6 (permalink)
On the edge of control
 
Location: Ga
I think its a combonation of two things some people are still scared to fly and some people don't feel like putting up with all the security bullshit they have now when you fly
cj22009 is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 08:06 AM   #7 (permalink)
Junkie
 
I have no problem with flying, but if you have time and want a relaxing ride the train with a sleeper seems the way to go

and trains derail too
__________________
name's Bramage, Dain Bramage
opey99 is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 08:10 AM   #8 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Being in the Northeast, traveling by train is very convenient.

I can drive 15 minutes from home, hop a train, and be in Grand Central in under two hours for very little money and hassle.
erion is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 08:50 AM   #9 (permalink)
Tilted Cat Head
 
Cynthetiq's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
i'll fly most places, and get anxious but i don't take the train because of costs and not saving any time
__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.
Cynthetiq is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 09:11 AM   #10 (permalink)
Invisible
 
yournamehere's Avatar
 
Location: tentative, at best
Quote:
Originally posted by SecretMethod70
There were hundreds of planes in the sky that morning and only 3 were hijacked.
So I guess that's pretty insignificant, right?
BTW - 4 were hijacked - <i>ONLY</i> three reached their target - but the passengers and crew of Flight 93 are just as dead as the others.
__________________
If you want to avoid 95% of internet spelling errors:
"If your ridiculous pants are too loose, you're definitely going to lose them. Tell your two loser friends over there that they're going to lose theirs, too."
It won't hurt your fashion sense, either.

Last edited by yournamehere; 12-04-2003 at 09:13 AM..
yournamehere is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 09:16 AM   #11 (permalink)
Is In Love
 
Averett's Avatar
 
Location: I'm workin' on it
Quote:
Originally posted by erion
Being in the Northeast, traveling by train is very convenient.

I can drive 15 minutes from home, hop a train, and be in Grand Central in under two hours for very little money and hassle.
Yup, quick ride to the train station, down into NYC in about 2 hours. It's nice...


I'm not scared to fly at all. I flew 2 weeks after 9/11 to California and I wasn't worried at all. Can't live your life scared that something bad will happen.
__________________
Absence is to love what wind is to fire. It extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
Averett is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 09:38 AM   #12 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Location: Sydney, Australia
Great, trains can be really romantic but usually aren't these days. I'd love it if rail made a comeback and started incorporating high speeds with the comfort and opulence of an old fashioned steam train. Sort of a Maglev with oak furniture, internet access, cognac and books. Imagine a dining car with a kitchen...and a bar!! Rolling along watching the scenery and sipping a martini. Hell yeah!!

Why do people no longer get the same pleasure out of the journey as they get out of the destination?
Macheath is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 09:56 AM   #13 (permalink)
Insane
 
Location: Kentucky
I rode across country in a train( southern ohio to western montana)... it was great

But it took 36-50 hours. They get delayed FAR worse than any other form of transportation due to any number of things , and are not significantly cheaper than driving in most cases on shorter trips than cross country. My cross country ticket was $180 in 98'... to fly by plane it would have been <$150 by the quotes I recieved.

And overall, it just depends on what you want to do on your trip... If you'd like to see tremendous scenary, then you can go by train and see everything, and get to stop a while in a couple of towns. If you want to spend time at your destination, you are better off flying. That should be your own deciding factor.

And even trains today don't have any of the retarded ( yes, I said retarded, noone can hold up a plane with a pocket knife ) security measures that planes do.
BooRadley is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 10:02 AM   #14 (permalink)
Reclusiarch
 
PredeconInferno's Avatar
 
Location: Unfortunately Houston, TX
I flew home for thanksgiving so I think that settles that.
__________________
Samurai in Training
Knowledge is power. Guard it well.
PredeconInferno is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 10:13 AM   #15 (permalink)
Optimistic Skeptic
 
Location: Midway between a Beehive and Centennial
So, what the article is saying is 9-11 was actually staged by Amtrak executives to increase ridership? Sorry, I guess that belongs in Paranoia.
I've flown twice since 9-11, about the average number of times as before, and never gave a passing thought to a possible terrorist hijacking. Statistically the chances are so small, I'd be better off worrying about getting hit by lightning (which I also don't worry about).
BentNotTwisted is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 10:46 AM   #16 (permalink)
Registered User
 
skysooner's Avatar
 
Location: Oklahoma
It is sometimes faster to take a train or to drive than to have to get to an airport an hour early, go through the security routine, board, get off, etc. If they have really upgraded the service, I could see this being feasible. The only train service we have available is to Ft. Worth. It takes 3 hrs to drive it, roughly 2.5 hours to fly (including the time in the airport/security) and 5 hrs by train (so it isn't really feasible).
skysooner is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 12:29 PM   #17 (permalink)
Human
 
SecretMethod70's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Chicago
Quote:
Originally posted by yournamehere
So I guess that's pretty insignificant, right?
BTW - 4 were hijacked - <i>ONLY</i> three reached their target - but the passengers and crew of Flight 93 are just as dead as the others.
My bad - you're right - it was 4.

But, yes, in terms of the odds that I'd be on a plane that is hijacked, it IS pretty insignificant. We're not talking about whether it was a terrible thing or a tragedy or whether or not we should be upset about it or anything. We're talking about if we're afraid to fly on planes. So, statistically speaking, the fact that 4 planes were hijacked one morning, out of the hundreds of thousands of plane flights every year, is pretty insignificant. Not unimportant by any means, just insignificant if you're looking at whether or not there is a risk to yourself if you fly somewhere.
__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

Last edited by SecretMethod70; 12-04-2003 at 12:31 PM..
SecretMethod70 is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 01:03 PM   #18 (permalink)
Super Agitator
 
Liquor Dealer's Avatar
 
Location: Just SW of Nowhere!!! In the good old US of A
What's a train?

In all seriousness trains serve such a small section of the country that they are irrelevant so far as transportation to or from most parts of the country are concerned. Unless you live on that thin band along the east coast - up that thin band along the west coast, and a couple of routes that connect the two together you probably don't remember the last time you saw a passenger train. Out here in the sticks, you either drive, or you fly. Oops - forgot about walkin'!
__________________
Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it's more like a jar of Jalapenos --- what you say or do today might burn your ass tomorrow!!!
Liquor Dealer is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 01:20 PM   #19 (permalink)
Human
 
SecretMethod70's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Chicago
Actually trains are pretty useful in Illinois if you're going south - but the problem is they're not much faster than taking a car. Why should I pay $40 to take a train for a 2 hour ride from Chicago down to where onodrim goes to school when I could just take a car for a 2.5 hour drive?

Trains serve most larger cities from what I can tell (although I do remember noticing a few obvious places missing service last time I looked at a map of Amtrack's service), but the speed is just not worth it at all. They're way too slow considering what technology is capable of.
__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
SecretMethod70 is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 01:25 PM   #20 (permalink)
Drifting
 
amonkie's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Windy City
I've never ridden passenger trains in the U.S., but when I was in Europe this summer, that's how EVERYBODY got around. Their network is just amazing, and the expenses are not that bad when you consider you're able to get fastpasses and pay for the day and switch around. If they had more train service in Az, I would think about using it.
__________________
Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna
amonkie is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 02:37 PM   #21 (permalink)
Psycho
 
I can tell you, the flying industry is not healthy. I have a few friends who are aeronautical engineers, who cannot get jobs anywhere. Demand is being made artificially by taking planes out of service, etc.
TheBrit is offline  
Old 12-04-2003, 03:03 PM   #22 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Location: Florida
You've gotta be kidding me.

Some friends of mine looked into traveling from Pennsylvania to Florida. They both cost almost the exact same amount. Flying would take about 5 hours (including layover), as opposed to nearly 2 days for Amtrak--6 hours of which would be on a bus.

I really can't understand why anyone would want to combine the slowness of driving with the expense and discomfort of flying.
irseg is offline  
Old 12-05-2003, 01:23 PM   #23 (permalink)
I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot!
 
raeanna74's Avatar
 
Location: Upper Michigan
I've flown 10 times as much since 9-11 as I did before. Just a change in my life has caused that. I haven't had any qualms about flying. I figure when my life is ready to end then that will be it. Until then I'm not putting my life on hold just because I'm afraid of what someone else MIGHT do to end my life. I may take precautions and be more aware of my surroundings but I'm not avoiding something just because someone else got killed that way. If that were the case I'd never drive a car or any number of other things where people are killed every day. I'm not short-changing my life simply because of fear.
__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.
raeanna74 is offline  
Old 12-05-2003, 04:32 PM   #24 (permalink)
beauty in the breakdown
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
I never understood the whole "scared to fly" syndrome that everyone seemed to be bandying about post 9/11. Flying is still much safer than driving. If anything, I have flown more--for one thing because I am older, but it is also a bit cheaper.
__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato
sailor is offline  
Old 12-05-2003, 04:51 PM   #25 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Trains are neat. More so than planes.

And who says people are scared? Maybe they're just sick of dealing with the hastle that is traveling by plane in America.
sadatx is offline  
Old 12-05-2003, 09:24 PM   #26 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Seaver's Avatar
 
Location: Fort Worth, TX
I dont know a single person who is afraid to fly post-9/11.

No terrorist would DARE pull what they did on that day. Not only do we have Air Marshalls back up (gun-weilding anti-terrorist agents who ride the airlines undercover), but the instant any terrorist tried to use a boxcutter 80 people would be all over him.

The reason I imagine that train rides are going up is because airline tickets are so damn expensive and they get treated like shit the entire time. Dont get me wronge, I LOVE to fly, I'm currently in the US Navy flight program, but I refuse to pay $400 to be treated like shit to board a plane which is garanteed to both show up, leave, and arrive late.
Seaver is offline  
Old 12-06-2003, 08:42 AM   #27 (permalink)
Insane
 
Location: New Jersey, USA
All the added security at the airports (a good thing) has made air travel a major headache for lots of people. Whereas all you have to do, if you are close enough, is board a train and go. For long distances (coast-to-coast) air travel is cheaper and faster, but for shorter distances, rail has many advantages.
cliv is offline  
Old 12-06-2003, 01:16 PM   #28 (permalink)
Watcher
 
billege's Avatar
 
Location: Ohio
On my honeymoon this just past September we chose to take a train to Chicago from Kalamazoo, MI. We did that just becuase driving would cost as much, with gas and parking, likely more. So, we tried the train for the first time.

I love travelling by train now. I wish to god our country had a developed rail system like Europe does. The train is zero hassle. Go to station, pick up tickets purchased on line. Get on train. Set bags down. Pick seats. Sit, enjoy ride.

That's IT! No ass reaming search by a two bit asshole, no hours on the runway, no waiting to land. Screw all that mess.

The train was roomy, and the seats were comfortable. We could get and move around. The dining car was no more overpriced than expected, and the lounge in there was a comfortable place to sit and have a cup of coffee.

On trains you can even bring your own food and alchohol. The only rule to that is that you must eat what you brought at your seat, no taking it to the dining car.

The train ride arrived, departed, etc. when it was scheduled to. On the return trip, we arrived 15 minutes early! That was after waiting twice for freight trains to move out of our way.

I'll be taking the train again.
__________________
I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence:
"My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."
billege is offline  
Old 12-11-2003, 10:26 AM   #29 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Location: Florida
First time I ever flew was about a month after 9/11, and about 6 times since then. I don't know what the big deal about security is. Longest it ever took me to get through was 15 minutes, and the most extra scrutiny my luggage ever got was when the screener pulled an alarm clock out of my carry-on bag and looked it over. I don't know what security was like before, but I certainly don't think it's a tremendous hassle now. Then again, I typically fly out of smaller airports that are more laid back and not as crowded.
irseg is offline  
 

Tags
fly, numbers, people, ridership, scared, train


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:07 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360