flight info

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

18 minutes ago, KevinAu said:

Are we being general or are we being unique?

Anyways, you’re obfuscating different things in your head.  You are mixing up in your mind a connection with a diversion. If you divert to Newark because of weather, there is no reason to ‘wait for a connecting’ flight. That makes no sense, Matthew. You are already sitting on your plane that is supposed to go to where you are going. There is no connecting flight.

HAHA not worth it Kevin for a walk 

[KevinAu 441]

1 minute ago, Matthew Kane said:

HAHA not worth it Kevin for a walk 

Bye bye. 

[birdguy 3,943]

Heh-heh-heh---

Great examples of why I never fly commercial anymore.  For the past 20 years I go Amtrack all the time.  I think I've covered every transcontinental route during that time.  Word of caution though.  If you are a clock watcher realize Amtrack is notoriously late.  I never book same day connections when I have to change trans in Chicago.

Noel

[Captain Kevin 586]

19 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Word of caution though.  If you are a clock watcher realize Amtrack is notoriously late. 

Yeah, the problem is there's only a single track for most places, and the freight trains seem to get priority for some reason.

[birdguy 3,943]

Freight trains get priority because they own the track.  The rule is they allow Amtrak priority as long as Amtrak is on schedule.  Once an Amtrak train falls behind schedule freights have the right of way.

It's worse n the northern corridor especially in North Dakota.  The oil trains are so long they wont fit on the sidings so Amtrak has to make way for them.  My wife and I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago two summers ago and were 7 hours late arriving in Chicago.  It doesn't bother me because I never schedule same day connections and I like riding on the train anyway.

I prefer the train to be running late when I travel from Albuquerque to Los Angeles.  If it is on time it rolls down Cajon Pass (great scenery) early in the morning when it is still dark.  If it is late I get to see the route.

Noel

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Just now, birdguy said:

Freight trains get priority because they own the track.  The rule is they allow Amtrak priority as long as Amtrak is on schedule.  Once an Amtrak train falls behind schedule freights have the right of way.

It's worse n the northern corridor especially in North Dakota.  The oil trains are so long they wont fit on the sidings so Amtrak has to make way for them.  My wife and I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago two summers ago and were 7 hours late arriving in Chicago.  It doesn't bother me because I never schedule same day connections and I like riding on the train anyway.

I prefer the train to be running late when I travel from Albuquerque to Los Angeles.  If it is on time it rolls down Cajon Pass (great scenery) early in the morning when it is still dark.  If it is late I get to see the route.

Noel

What is really sad is Amtrak pulled out of Phoenix, a major US City, years ago.  You have to drive an hour south to Maricopa in the middle of nowhere to catch an Amtrak train.  In Europe I loved the train system.  Trains were generally ontime +/- one minute everywhere, especially in Switzerland.  I cannot understand why the US has not caught up to Europe but likely it is due to our love affair with car and air travel.  We are just in too much of a hurry and don't want to take the time to enjoy the scenery and people and flower and cattle watch.  Still whenever I fly commercial or fly one of my rare Light Sport flights, I feel this odd benevolence as I look down at the world down there, even when I sim, as if Sherwin Williams covers the earth.  I feel a peace I cannot describe.  I used to listen to music nonstop on my flights which in my prime were once every 5-6 days but then I just fell in love with the hum of the turbofans, or rush of the turboprops, or chop chops of the helicopters I have flown on, and the sweet sound of piston aircraft hearing the disharmonized purr of the engines.

John

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Would have been great to see a St. Louis to Chicago to Minnesota line that cuts through Milwaukee using high speed rail, this area could easily support it but unfortunate those political types never agree and no funding for it. America is the land of the car