This is something we talked about today in training at my airline. Many of us are going to be based at JFK Airport and they talked about getting from Newark or LGA to JFK in case us pilots can't find a flight into JFK. They said they have been working with several bus companies to give discounts to commuting flight crew who need to transfer airports. Then the thought came to me...What about commuting on Amtrak?!? As many of you probably know, many pilots don't live in their base city. They commute to work by "jumpseating" either on their own airline or any other airline. But that can be a hassle in itself, especially if bad weather hits the area. So say if, all the flights to NYC are booked solid and a pilot gets knocked off. It'd be nice to fly into PHL or DCA or even BOS and just take Amtrak into NYC! One problem- Amtrak is not cheap on the NEC!
For me, I'm planning on living in Boston and commuting to JFK. Most of the time, with dozons of flights a day, it would be an easy commute. But what if I'm stuck? I would love to just hop on Acela to take the trip in almost the same amount of time. But one reason I'm not going to that much is simply the cost. Would Amtrak ever let airline employees "jumpseat" on their trains. Or at least give a big discount to those people. Obviously this should be on a standby basis, but it would be great to have. I really can't afford the 80 to 120 it costs to ride between BOS and NYC. I might pay 40 or so. I'm not even sure if its worth it to buy a 10-ride ticket.
So would Amtrak ever let someone do this?? If so, how much trouble would it be to get them to?
For me, I'm planning on living in Boston and commuting to JFK. Most of the time, with dozons of flights a day, it would be an easy commute. But what if I'm stuck? I would love to just hop on Acela to take the trip in almost the same amount of time. But one reason I'm not going to that much is simply the cost. Would Amtrak ever let airline employees "jumpseat" on their trains. Or at least give a big discount to those people. Obviously this should be on a standby basis, but it would be great to have. I really can't afford the 80 to 120 it costs to ride between BOS and NYC. I might pay 40 or so. I'm not even sure if its worth it to buy a 10-ride ticket.
So would Amtrak ever let someone do this?? If so, how much trouble would it be to get them to?