HSR Interest By Region

[DET63]

Rail, including HSR, could be a tremendous asset to the airlines, allowing them to drop some low margin puddle hopping and instead draw customers from much farther away into larger, more efficient planes.

Yeah, but SWC (the airline in question) is basically a puddle-hopper that uses only small B737 jets. IIRC, they don't even feed their passengers (except for a bag of peanuts) because most of their flights are so short.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Rail, including HSR, could be a tremendous asset to the airlines, allowing them to drop some low margin puddle hopping and instead draw customers from much farther away into larger, more efficient planes.

Yeah, but SWC (the airline in question) is basically a puddle-hopper that uses only small B737 jets. IIRC, they don't even feed their passengers (except for a bag of peanuts) because most of their flights are so short.

I assume you're talking about Southwest Airlines (as if station codes in the place of real place names aren't bad enough). I've actually flown on Southwest a number of times in the past few years, Chicago to Las Vegas (hardly a puddle jump) and Albany, N.Y, (maybe a puddle and a half), and have found them to be a rather well-run organization. They offer complimentary soft drinks and hand out some snacks during the trip, and really, isn't that enough on an airplane trip? I have had some terrible airline "dinners." Contracting out the operation of a high speed rail service to Southwest may not be a bad idea. At least they wouldn't lobby against it and they have some pretty passenger friendly policies. Not to mention that they are efficient. They'd have to find some "railroad guys" to actually run the trains, but as far as ticket sales and on-board operations. they might do pretty well.

 

[user 1215]

Rail, including HSR, could be a tremendous asset to the airlines, allowing them to drop some low margin puddle hopping and instead draw customers from much farther away into larger, more efficient planes.

Yeah, but SWC (the airline in question) is basically a puddle-hopper that uses only small B737 jets. IIRC, they don't even feed their passengers (except for a bag of peanuts) because most of their flights are so short.

I assume you're talking about Southwest Airlines (as if station codes in the place of real place names aren't bad enough). I've actually flown on Southwest a number of times in the past few years, Chicago to Las Vegas (hardly a puddle jump) and Albany, N.Y, (maybe a puddle and a half), and have found them to be a rather well-run organization. They offer complimentary soft drinks and hand out some snacks during the trip, and really, isn't that enough on an airplane trip? I have had some terrible airline "dinners." Contracting out the operation of a high speed rail service to Southwest may not be a bad idea. At least they wouldn't lobby against it and they have some pretty passenger friendly policies. Not to mention that they are efficient. They'd have to find some "railroad guys" to actually run the trains, but as far as ticket sales and on-board operations. they might do pretty well.

That's about the best idea I've heard in this forum in a very long time. Southwest Airlines is the sort of company that can figure out how to make a 110 mph train run on a shortline railbed (that's a stretch for comparative purposes; no flaming required). So they haven't ever tucked anyone in bed... They have unions, but they're a totally different breed. Their flight attendants get paid for the flight leg, not the hours worked, and in fact (this may have changed since then, but...) they used to clean the cabin themselves between flights which was unpaid.

I've always considererd the operation of Southwest airlines to be a "railroad in the sky" of sorts in the way that a single aircraft can make several "stops" unloading and loading passengers as necessary.

 

[jis]

Southwest is an airline which thrives on running a tight ship based on a single aircraft type using a fixed business model and they are very good at it. Whatever makes y'all think that they would even be interested in running trains is beyond me. They don't even consider the possibility of inducting a second aircraft type in their fleet and you expect them to help run a completely different mode of transport?

 

[user 1215]

Southwest is an airline which thrives on running a tight ship based on a single aircraft type using a fixed business model and they are very good at it. Whatever makes y'all think that they would even be interested in running trains is beyond me. They don't even consider the possibility of inducting a second aircraft type in their fleet and you expect them to help run a completely different mode of transport?

Frankly, we're not in a position in this forum to make ANY decisions other than with our pocketbook. That being said, we can all rally in here demanding Southwest Airlines takes over Amtrak and it will get absolutely nowhere.

To discuss the concepts and the what ifs is all this forum is about. Obviously SWA won't ever take over Amtrak. But we can wish. More practically, however, we can dream that some of the management philosophies can be absorbed by whomever runs HSR or even Amtrak.

 

[DET63]

Yeah, but SWC (the airline in question) is basically a puddle-hopper that uses only small B737 jets. IIRC, they don't even feed their passengers (except for a bag of peanuts) because most of their flights are so short.

I assume you're talking about Southwest Airlines (as if station codes in the place of real place names aren't bad enough).

Yeah, I meant SWA, i.e., Southwest Airlines, not SWC. But, as others have pointed out above, it's not likely the airline will ever be running the Southwest Chief or any other rail service in the foreseeable future.

 

[user 1215]

Which is interesting, because at the end of two centuries ago, I think they did...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Which is interesting, because at the end of two centuries ago, I think they did...

Lots of what Ops have said about Southwest Airlines is true!Their biz model kept them from going broke when everyone else did,its a great short hop airline,@ one time they advertised "the company plane @ affordable prices!" They are sort of lone wolfs,dont share coding with others,have,like the Op said different Union rules but they are efficient,convient and ON TIME!their ticketing system is something Amtrak might look into,it works pretty darn well,

Im not saying its First Class Asian Airline service but IMHO theyd do a first rate job of running ANY transportation system of a short/medium type! (PS- Ive used Southwest as much as the traveler does Amtrak!!!)

 

[rrdude]

Which is interesting, because at the end of two centuries ago, I think they did...

Lots of what Ops have said about Southwest Airlines is true!Their biz model kept them from going broke when everyone else did,its a great short hop airline,@ one time they advertised "the company plane @ affordable prices!" They are sort of lone wolfs,dont share coding with others,have,like the Op said different Union rules but they are efficient,convient and ON TIME!their ticketing system is something Amtrak might look into,it works pretty darn well,

Im not saying its First Class Asian Airline service but IMHO theyd do a first rate job of running ANY transportation system of a short/medium type! (PS- Ive used Southwest as much as the traveler does Amtrak!!!)

What a dream, having HSR or even Amtrak run by the like of a Herb Kelleher at the helm. It'd be the best dang thing since Claytor. Now, if we can just minimize the politics a bit.......... Ahhh to dream.........

 

[volkris]

To be clear, I wouldn't suggest that Southwest or any other airline run any rail system. Instead, I'd emphasize the mutually beneficial aspects of connecting rail and air, and in that way have airlines bring both financial investment and passengers to new rail operations, while getting them to tone down their objections to and [apparently] outright sabotage of expanded rail services.