The attendants at PHL are wonderful. They miss the baggage closets, too (removed, I believe, for “security” when they redid the lounge), but they have held my bag at the desk if I wanted to go down and get a snack or magazine. (The rule may be stricter, now—it’s been a while.)
The PHL lounge is especially good for people like me who have no sense of direction or, more important, for people who have not taken an LD train before and are afraid. (Some really
are!)
I have seen the attendant explain the procedure calmly and patiently to passengers on the verge of a panic attack because it is new and frightening to them.
And between the attendant walking through and calling out that they will be boarding at elevator 3 for train 97 and walking through again to make sure they have everyone, and the red cap appearing and saying “train 97!” and everyone else for train 97 lining up at gate 3 and saying to each other “ is 97, right?”—honestly, even I couldn’t get on the wrong train if I wanted 97!
After the red cap takes you down on the elevator, you get deposited on the platform and the red cap stays with you til the train comes in, explaining exactly where to stand if you are sleeper or coach.
It really is the smoothest and most helpful boarding procedure I’ve been through.
