There is no good way to travel in America

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I think one potentially "good way to travel" would be buses with 2-1 seating. Currently, the seats on buses are the narrowest of any long-distance transportation mode. I have heard they have deluxe buses in Mexico (with less legroom for the single seats than the doubles). But I don't know how the economics work out, and a first-class experience requires more than just being picked up and dumped on the side of then street. Anyone for building new bus terminals?
Check out Vonlane and RedCoach USA (Red coach offers both traditional and first class busses).

Of course, you have a pretty good chance of getting 2 seats to yourself when traveling by Bus so there is that.
 
Check out Vonlane and RedCoach USA (Red coach offers both traditional and first class busses).
Unfortunately, neither bus lines serve my part of the country. The Von Lane website is really poorly designed, as I had to surf around it quite a bit before I finally figured out that the serve Texas, Tennessee and Atlanta, and even with that they don't have a convenient link to routes and schedules.
 
Now that most major airports have usable WiFi, many cellular plans include hot spot data, many airline apps can help you work around IRROPS, and at-seat power plugs are common, many of the airport lounge benefits are less relevant. Contrary to the assumption of a premium experience I almost always find better food and a quieter waiting location in public areas than most airport lounges can offer.
On the whole if it's a "normal" day I agree things are better for the average traveler at airports. Apps certainly help in normal IRROPS situations even when the airline has automatically rebooked you. WiFi is generally pretty good these days at airports, and I agree food is quite a bit better outside of a lounge than in it. I may disagree on power at the airport, but that might be an indicator of my luck more often than not.

While the value proposition isn't what it used to be, I still prefer lounges if I have a really long layover (4+ hours) where I can't get out of the terminal because they're typically quieter and much more comfortable than sitting and walking around an airport. Thankfully they rarely happen these days.

Lounge access shines during peak travel demand or when something's gone off the deep end that apps can't fix. For instance I would have preferred waiting out most of the nine-hour delay at Munich earlier this month inside of a lounge. I do remember a lounge visit at SFO just after they reopened following Asiana flight 214 (before apps were good) and flight ops were all over the place. I had a really good experience working with the lounge agents and it saved me waiting in line at the customer service center inside of the terminal.

Where lounges do not help is the on-board experience which has become commoditized for at least the back half of the plane and generally isn't a pleasant experience any longer.
 
Unfortunately, neither bus lines serve my part of the country. The Von Lane website is really poorly designed, as I had to surf around it quite a bit before I finally figured out that the serve Texas, Tennessee and Atlanta, and even with that they don't have a convenient link to routes and schedules.
"Book your trip" is right on the front page and you simply look at the available cities from the drop-down menu. A route map would be a nice addition to the front page though. Vonlane is a pretty new company and has only recently begun service outside of Texas... but it's a great look at what is possible.
 
I think one potentially "good way to travel" would be buses with 2-1 seating. Currently, the seats on buses are the narrowest of any long-distance transportation mode. I have heard they have deluxe buses in Mexico (with less legroom for the single seats than the doubles). But I don't know how the economics work out, and a first-class experience requires more than just being picked up and dumped on the side of then street. Anyone for building new bus terminals?
I've seen more than one YouTube of "first-class" buses between WAS & NYC over the past couple of years. They were curb pickups. I don't know how well they're doing. This was one of them:
https://thejet.coach/
 
Now that most major airports have usable WiFi, many cellular plans include hot spot data, many airline apps can help you work around IRROPS, and at-seat power plugs are common, many of the airport lounge benefits are less relevant. Contrary to the assumption of a premium experience I almost always find better food and a quieter waiting location in public areas than most airport lounges can offer.
One airport I have used, that shines in that regard, is Anchorage. Maybe because of its geographic location, they have an unusually high number of 'wee hours' flights. To accommodate travelers that have long connections, but at inconvenient times for getting a hotel room, they have a nice quiet balcony in the terminal, with a bunch of La Z Boy type recliner's, that are offered first come, first served.
 
To accommodate travelers that have long connections, but at inconvenient times for getting a hotel room, they have a nice quiet balcony in the terminal, with a bunch of La Z Boy type recliner's, that are offered first come, first served.
are you kidding me!? I slept on standard bench seating in the Anchorage airport cause I was too cheap to get a hotel for the few hours I'd be there before departing on the Alaska Railroad! haha. Oh well.. good to know for next time! haha.
 
are you kidding me!? I slept on standard bench seating in the Anchorage airport cause I was too cheap to get a hotel for the few hours I'd be there before departing on the Alaska Railroad! haha. Oh well.. good to know for next time! haha.
Yeah, you have to look for it, it is not on the main concourse level, but there are signs directing you to it, although I have forgotten just what they call that area...
Some people may think that it is a pay type lounge, and look no further, but I had half a day to lay over there, so explored every nook and cranny. ;)
 
Yeah, you have to look for it, it is not on the main concourse level, but there are signs directing you to it, although I have forgotten just what they call that area...
Some people may think that it is a pay type lounge, and look no further, but I had half a day to lay over there, so explored every nook and cranny. ;)
Dated information ?

Google -

Anchorage Airport Diagram:

Can you stay in the Anchorage airport overnight?
Believe it or not, the Anchorage airport has a sleep and rest center, probably because it has so many middle of the night connections: Sleep / Rest Center: The Right Touch Massage & Rest Center is located behind security in the C Concourse of the South Terminal. It is open from Noon to 2:30 a.m. during the winter (Sep.Mar 9, 2012

Airport sleeping - Alaska Forum - Tripadvisor
tripadvisor.com
https://www.tripadvisor.com › ShowTopic-g28923-i349-...
Search for: Can you stay in the Anchorage airport overnight?

Can I sleep at the airport to wait for my flight?
Valid booking: Many airports are perfectly fine with passengers sleeping before flights, but they don't want strangers using their space. Having a boarding pass or valid flight booking to show staff can help if you are confronted.Sep 29, 2023
 
Dated information ?

Google -

Anchorage Airport Diagram:

Can you stay in the Anchorage airport overnight?
Believe it or not, the Anchorage airport has a sleep and rest center, probably because it has so many middle of the night connections: Sleep / Rest Center: The Right Touch Massage & Rest Center is located behind security in the C Concourse of the South Terminal. It is open from Noon to 2:30 a.m. during the winter (Sep.Mar 9, 2012

Airport sleeping - Alaska Forum - Tripadvisor
tripadvisor.com
Tripadvisor: Over a billion reviews & contributions for Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, and more › ShowTopic-g28923-i349-...
Search for: Can you stay in the Anchorage airport overnight?

Can I sleep at the airport to wait for my flight?
Valid booking: Many airports are perfectly fine with passengers sleeping before flights, but they don't want strangers using their space. Having a boarding pass or valid flight booking to show staff can help if you are confronted.Sep 29, 2023
I was there last, in April of 2018. IIRC, the place I am referring to was within the secure side of the terminal, so everyone within was 'ticketed'.
This looks like it...just don't recall that name...
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sle...nge-anchorage-2?select=yw6a-Viuqiu0pcadVyF1rw
 
Last edited:
There used to be a web site for which airports are good for sleeping. Maybe it's this one: The Guide to Sleeping in Airports

Wanderu is good at showing bus and train routes, but doesn't have Vonlane it seems: https://www.wanderu.com/en-us/carrier/?cur=USD then click "more" in the US section.

Check out the stations on this intercity bus network, US and Mexico: Tornado terminals. And that's not all the stops. It serves Little Rock ARK, for example. Wanderu says it includes Tornado, but on the searches I tried, Tornado didn't show up.
 
I was there last, in April of 2018. IIRC, the place I am referring to was within the secure side of the terminal, so everyone within was 'ticketed'.
This looks like it...just don't recall that name...
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sle...nge-anchorage-2?select=yw6a-Viuqiu0pcadVyF1rw
That sleeping lady lounge is on a 2nd level (mezzanine) looking down at the entrance to the "C"
concourse - probably near the "B" concourse (Alaska airlines). This is in the south terminal -
domestic travel. Google Wikipedia have loads of information - - -
 
There used to be a web site for which airports are good for sleeping. Maybe it's this one: The Guide to Sleeping in Airports

Wanderu is good at showing bus and train routes, but doesn't have Vonlane it seems: https://www.wanderu.com/en-us/carrier/?cur=USD then click "more" in the US section.

Check out the stations on this intercity bus network, US and Mexico: Tornado terminals. And that's not all the stops. It serves Little Rock ARK, for example. Wanderu says it includes Tornado, but on the searches I tried, Tornado didn't show up.
The sleeping area at Incheon is wonderful. I've slept there between connections at least a half dozen times.
 
I think one potentially "good way to travel" would be buses with 2-1 seating. Currently, the seats on buses are the narrowest of any long-distance transportation mode. I have heard they have deluxe buses in Mexico (with less legroom for the single seats than the doubles). But I don't know how the economics work out, and a first-class experience requires more than just being picked up and dumped on the side of then street. Anyone for building new bus terminals?

In Chile, I took an overnight "semicama" bus, with 2-1 seating, and with a chair that reclined far enough back to almost be a bed. (Thus, "semicama" and not "cama".). It included meal service (basic dinner and breakfast with drinks) served by a steward. It cost about 50 dollars for a 12 hour, overnight trip.
Part of the reason it can work is slightly lower labor costs in Latin America. But also, it is a "chicken and egg" problem. If people think of bus travel as a normal, comfortable way to travel, they will build up the economies of scales that make having lots of buses and stations an easy thing. But culturally, people in the US consider bus travel to be the last option, so the idea that a bus can be comfortable isn't considered---even though, intrinsically, it is a lot easier to make a bus comfortable than an airplane.
 
even though, intrinsically, it is a lot easier to make a bus comfortable than an airplane.
I don't see how...airplanes can be made much larger than buses, due to much tighter road limits than airport limits. And unless there is severe turbulence in the air, the airplane ride is going to be much smoother than a bus riding on even a newly built highway. Buses also have to deal with erratic traffic around them, while airplanes are guided in protected airspace. The one advantage the bus may have, is not having to deal with pressurization issues.
 
I don't see how...airplanes can be made much larger than buses, due to much tighter road limits than airport limits. And unless there is severe turbulence in the air, the airplane ride is going to be much smoother than a bus riding on even a newly built highway. Buses also have to deal with erratic traffic around them, while airplanes are guided in protected airspace. The one advantage the bus may have, is not having to deal with pressurization issues.
I guess my problem here was using the word "intrinsically" because theoretically, just about anything can be made comfortable. I guess what I meant is that within what is realistically economically possible, it is a lot easier to put a reclining seat on a bus than it is to put one on a plane. The economics of air travel are such that every ounce of weight and every square inch of space has to be accounted for. There isn't a way to sell a reclining seat with a 2-1 configuration for 60-100 dollars on an airplane.
 
In Chile, I took an overnight "semicama" bus, with 2-1 seating, and with a chair that reclined far enough back to almost be a bed. (Thus, "semicama" and not "cama".). It included meal service (basic dinner and breakfast with drinks) served by a steward. It cost about 50 dollars for a 12 hour, overnight trip.
Part of the reason it can work is slightly lower labor costs in Latin America. But also, it is a "chicken and egg" problem. If people think of bus travel as a normal, comfortable way to travel, they will build up the economies of scales that make having lots of buses and stations an easy thing. But culturally, people in the US consider bus travel to be the last option, so the idea that a bus can be comfortable isn't considered---even though, intrinsically, it is a lot easier to make a bus comfortable than an airplane.
We took the night buses in Kenya when traveling to or from Nairobi. At the time (early '90's), most people relied on public transport. Some buses were great, some less so. Forget buildings that one could wait in, we just all gathered at the outdoor staging area.

Buses were actually much more comfortable than the Peugot speed taxis or Nissan minivans that also plied the routes. They were usually safer too.

At the bottom rung of the ladder were "matatus". Some were the size of box trucks but most were covered beds of pickup trucks. Think small camper with barely enough room to sit up. One such vehicle was my wedding "limo".

I remember fondly the ride I got in the creamery's milk truck when they let the mazungu (me - white lady) sit in the cab versus stand in the back with all the milk cans they were picking up.

There's a reason I don't complain that the roomettes are too small.

Most Americans don't realize how good we have it here.
 
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