Originally Posted by
physioprof
Go read any of the airline-specific Flyertalk forums, and you will see that a very dissatisfied perception of highly variable onboard service is also the norm on airlines.
Yes, but Amtrak takes "variable onboard service" to a whole new level.
I do a one-way 600-mile trip every 2 weeks, usually first class on American, but sometimes in a sleeping car on Amtrak, and overall AA staff is nicer and more service-oriented than Amtrak staff, and there is more consistency on AA.
On AA, the big variable is (1) "will there be pre-departure drinks or not?" and (2) "how many rounds of drinks will I get". On most flights, it's (1) yes and (2) at least 2 rounds.
On Amtrak, (1) maybe I'll be permitted to go to the cafe car and maybe not, (2) maybe I'll get dinner (included in my fare) or not, (3) the equipment that is broken varies and (4) what I will get fussed at by the staff about varies. At this point, I'm so trained to expect to be fussed at by the cafe car staff about something that I'll jump off the train at a long station stop and get food, and I don't even bother trying to get breakfast onboard (although it's included in my fare).