I'm a bit of a travel snob. I do it almost every week…plane after plane after plane! I have always avoided trains in the USA. When I travel in the UK, I consider them a necessary evil, but always a reliable way to get from city to city.
Last weekend I was to be in London, but due to the ever-increasing pain that air travel has become, I instead spent 72 hours trying to get back to my home in Pennsylvania. Cancellations, mechanical difficulties, you name it…I could NOT get to London. When it came time to travel from Newark to Johnstown, I weighed all my options. Do I pay $419 to fly to Pittsburgh and then train to Johnstown? No…instead I paid a total of $102 and took the train straight home. What a delight! I traveled regular coach class, but the seats were more comfortable than first class airplane seats. I had a wonderful gourmet cheese and cracker tray for only $4! I had two electrical outlets at my seat which allowed me to work all 7 hours on the train (well..I did watch some Law and Order episodes). The coach was clean, quiet and the staff on the train seemed to want to do their job! How refreshing!
When you are selling your venue, think bout developing a strategic alliance with AMTRAK. They can literally connect you to tons of possible business.
