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Liveblogging Air Travel Misery: My Night at Chicago Midway
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Please indulge me for a moment to share an anecdote that embodies everything that’s wrong with domestic air travel in America today and the powerlessness that can overcome even the most seasoned traveler when things go wrong.
Tonight I was scheduled to fly from Reagan National (DCA) to Chicago Midway (MDW) on ATA Airlines (as a Southwest Airlines codeshare), connecting to a Southwest flight to Los Angeles International (LAX) for the Thanksgiving holiday. I arrived at DCA two-and-a-half hours in advance of my flight, and was told even at that time that my 7:05 PM flight would be at least 40 minutes late due to fog and rain in Chicago. The late inbound flight ultimately made us an hour-and-a-half late.
I was supposed to have an hourlong connection at MDW (arriving 8 PM for a 9 PM flight). ATA gate agents claimed to have been coordinating with Southwest here in Chicago, and the lead flight attendant insisted that the cascade effect of delays would make my flight late as well and that Southwest would take care of us.
Such assurances do not mean much in the current airline regulatory environment. By the time we got to MDW at 9:39 PM, the flight for LAX had already pushed back at 9:16 PM. A helpful Southwest gate agent rebooked me on the first flight tomorrow morning, at 6:55 AM, but let me know that I would not be due hotel or meal vouchers or any other form of compensation. That’s because the official reason for my flight’s delay was weather, and, according to US Department of Transportation regulations, passengers affected by weather delays are entitled only to onward passage but nothing else.
So I’ll be spending the night on a cot, provided to weather-delayed passengers courtesy of the City of Chicago. (I even get a pillow and a blanket!)
Due to the incompatability of the reservations systems of ATA and Southwest, the Southwest agent here could not print my boarding pass for the morning, but said I could go to the ticket counter to attempt to do so. All I had was a card summarizing my reservation and the events of my misconnect. The ticket agent also could not check me in, meaning I will still have to obtain my boarding pass in the morning.
But the agent also could not guarantee I would be allowed back through the security checkpoint to get to the cots, since I was not in possession of a boarding pass nor an authorizing security document (which she was unable to print as well). She personally escorted me to the checkpoint, where the screener checking boarding passes and IDs called for a supervisor. Several minutes later, I was cleared to go back into the sterile area. But for training purposes, the screeners nearby wanted to study my Southwest-issued “misconnect rap sheet!” Of course I obliged in the name of national security.
I must extend major kudos to the Southwest and Transportation Security Administration employees who did everything in their capacity to make me a little more comfortable tonight.
Now I sit, alone in the din of piped-in holiday carols singing to no one in particular, cleaning crews meticulously erasing the detritus from a busy travel day, and other stranded passengers staking out places to camp.
If anything, this episode makes me extremely grateful for the shelter that awaits at home.
It also illustrates the dysfunction that can plague any transportation system during irregular operations, especially when the standard contingency plan is Fend for Yourself. This situation would be an even worse burden for a family than for a single passenger. All I know is that I won’t have to go through this particular episode again: ATA is pulling out of DCA altogether, abandoning the Washington, DC market the very day I fly back next week.
I also know I’d much rather endure a long delay from the comfort of an Amtrak train or in accommodations that Amtrak reliably provides in the event a guaranteed connection is missed. Wouldn’t you?
Goodnight from Midway, and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Stay safe out there.
—Matthew Melzer
NARP Communications Associate
Posted by NARP
Tags: air travel, airlines, usdot,Good Week for Trains
Thursday, October 02, 2008
On Monday, the Senate voted 69-17 to cut off debate, clearing the way for the long-sought up-or-down vote on the Rail Passenger Investment Act (now named for and including the rail safety provisions). On Wednesday evening, the Senate gave final approval to the bill 74-24 (actually, one vote stronger than the financial overhaul bill that followed, which passed 74-25).
The roll call of how senators voted Wednesday night will be of great interest. It can be viewed here.
The members-only section of our web site has a more user-friendly version of the roll call, alphabetical by state, and side-by-side with other Senate votes of interest to us. (Update: It also has a stand-alone chart for the Senate vote on H.R. 2095.)
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters traveled to Richmond on the train with Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman to announce the $30 million in grants to 13 states, the first-ever such set of grants. She also emphasized strong ridership growth on trains and transit, and the decline in driving. Details, including list of the grants, are available here.
—Ross Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak reauthorization, fra, safety, usdot,Some early reflections on the election
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
There’s no question that, by all indications, including their Senate records, Obama/Biden hold the greatest promise for improving America’s passenger train system. And the environment in which they are operating is more supportive of trains than was the case in the 1990s, when close ties between the Clinton White House and the Amtrak Board prevented Amtrak from even requesting the full amounts authorized for it.
At the same time, the number of other urgent issues crowding the national agenda is greater—greater even than it was a few months ago. So we have to remember the words of FDR to his supporters: “You’ve elected me, now organize a movement to make me do what you want.”
Having supporters in the White House and Congress is no guarantee of success. Those supporters still have the same budget numbers and the same set of rules that were in place prior to the election. And, right now at least, lower gasoline prices are cited as a major reason for defeat of a Kansas City light rail ballot measure. Longer-term, the declines in energy investment now happening in response to those lower prices, could set the stage for another dramatic price rise—and still more pressure for passenger trains.
Right now, the task is to keep that pressure on in spite of low gas prices. Some of the strongest potential supporters may be Democratic legislators who initially were not thought to have a serious chance of winning and who, as a result, may not have been vetted (or “re-grooved”) by highway interests to the same extent as “strong” candidates were, and who therefore may come into office with more sympathy for our cause.
For the nation as a whole, it may be a good thing that Democrats did not achieve the 60 votes they need to cut off debate without Republican help. This lessens the temptation for Democrats to run roughshod over their colleagues, at the risk of paying dearly in future elections. But for passenger trains, it is not good that Capitol Hill Republicans as a group likely will be even less supportive in the next Congress than in the current one. It is a reminder that the new law contains many report requirements, most of which look like they were designed by people who don’t like passenger trains (or at least long-distance passenger trains). By the way, there will be many changes in key Republican positions…there will be a big shuffle as a result of the defeat of Rep. Joe Knollenberg (MI), top Republican on the House appropriations subcommittee. The same is true on the Senate side if Ted Stevens (AK), top Republican on the appropriations defense subcommittee, is not elected or does not continue to serve.
When David Gunn headed Amtrak, he used to nod towards Capitol Hill and say, “Those folks aren’t going to kill the trains. It’s the railroads growing inability to handle all their traffic.” Well, the railroads have made great progress in dealing with capacity and with dispatching passenger trains, thanks in part to the on-time performance ruckus NARP raised two years ago, and to the way Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Boardman and indeed Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters picked up that issue and ran with it.
Today, the greatest threat to the long-distance trains may be the age of the equipment, most dramatically illustrated by Amtrak’s inability or unwillingness to put full dining cars on the Lake Shore Limited. The real test for the national network will be whether Amtrak continues to push hard for new equipment for the long-distance trains and whether that push produces results.
For now, be sure to congratulate your new legislators on their victories and work hard to get our agenda in front of them, including full funding of the new law, and acquisition of the equipment needed to expand and update the long-distance trains. And press appointment of transportation officials who recognize the value of a more balanced transportation policy—one with a broader role for passenger trains, to improve overall record of U.S. transportation regarding safety, energy efficiency, and provision of good choices to citizens.
—Ross Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, congress, oil, presidential election, price of oil, usdot,©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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