bofc

I was planning a trip to Santa Barbara to visit and play golf with my son. I noticed the Burbank station was a very short walk from the Burbank Airport. I figured I fly in to Burbank as there is great service from BUR to SBA. HOWEVER, they don't appear to handle checked baggage at Burbank. Seems odd that a station basically on property at an airport would have no baggage service - is there any chance I can bring my clubs on as carry on?

fairviewroad

Amtrak's website indicates that golf clubs are only accepted as carry-on baggage on certain Midwest corridor trains. Don't ask me why, of all the places in the Amtrak system, they make it possible to carry on golf clubs in the
Midwest, but at any rate, it would appear that your options are:

1. Try carrying them on anyway. The general rule of "if you can carry it, it's an acceptable carry-on bag" may rule the day. But you might encounter a conductor that's a stickler for the rules, and/or if the train is already crowded you may be turned away.

2. Fly into BUR or another LA area airport and take the train from LAX to SBA, and check the clubs. A $5 fee applies.

3. Fly into SBA and skip Amtrak altogether.

4. Fly in BUR and rent a car and drive to SBA.

If you choose 3 or 4, be sure to drop a note to Amtrak telling them why they lost your business.

paytonc

Amtrak only does checked baggage at stations that are staffed; Burbank is pretty much just a commuter rail stop, so it doesn't get staff or thus baggage.

90% sure you'll be fine with it as carry-on. Amtrak has no reason to care as much as the airlines about baggage size, since its equipment doesn't have to take flight; generally, as long as you can carry it, you can probably bring it aboard. The Surfliner usually runs California Cars, which are some of the most spacious cars in the fleet. (Yes, I know they're the same size as Superliners, but the additional doors and wider aisles make it much easier to move around. Plus, I love the bike racks.)

jackal

It may seem odd, but I'm hard-pressed to think of another Amtrak station with direct access to an airport that offers checked baggage services. Neither BWI nor EWR do.

I hold out hope that someday before I die, through-checked baggage will be possible (i.e. check a bag at PHL and it gets interlined onto my departing airplane out of EWR), but I'm relatively young and I still fear it may never come to pass.

lo2e

And neither does MKA (MKE airport), and as already mentioned, BUR. Odd indeed, unless there just isn't enough foot traffic through those Amtrak stations to warrant staffing for checked baggage?

fairviewroad

In the case of EWR, I'm not sure that there are any trains that stop there which offer checked bags anyhow. The LD trains (as well as the only NER train with checked bags, 66/67) all skip EWR.

Similar story at BWI, where all LD trains skip and 66/67 is the only train with checked bags that stops there.

And at MKA, the only trains that stop there (the Hiawathas) also don't offer checked bags. (The EB does not stop at MKA)

So to argue for checked bags at BWI, EWR and MKA you would have to either make the case that LD trains should stop there, or that current corridor service should offer checked bags.

BUR is a different animal since the corridor in question already offers checked bag service, just not at BUR. I think you could make the case for adding BUR but I would guess Amtrak feels that there is not enough demand there to add a station agent(s).

GoAmtrak

Unlike all those other stations, BUR has no station per se -- it's a pair of concrete platforms and awnings, with a very small parking lot and no other facilities to speak of. Interestingly, as of last year the Coast Starlight stops there now. Between it, the Surfliners, and San Joaquin Thruway buses, BUR has more Amtrak service now than it has historically ever had.

But the airport has a much smaller air service footprint than most others with Amtrak service, and is still in decline at this point. So, while there are long-term plans for a better-integrated airport transportation center, I don't see the quality of station services there improving for a very long time.

3Cforme

Such a service has been available in Switzerland for at least fifteen years.

http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...l-baggage.html

abefroman329

It was planned for AirTrain JFK and EWR - you can see empty ticket counters at the Jamaica and EWR AirTrain stops.

AlanB

That was to allow one to check one's bags onto the flight, after you got off the train. But it was never intended to permit one to check a bag to/from an Amtrak train.

SoCal

Amtrak's Web site says this at http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...1241305472094: Special Items: Ski equipment, snowboards, golf bags and bicycles may generally only be handled as checked baggage on Amtrak trains, and not as carry-ons. Items are permitted onboard when they can be safely stowed in the exterior lockers of Superliner equipment, or onboard equipment that is specifically designed to safely and securely accommodate the storage of the items.

I've used the Burbank Airport train stop (which is at the far edge of the airport property) taking Metrolink from Union Station to the airport. Amtrak's Web site rightly describes it as a "platform with shelter." Even the shelter is limited. I had to take my own bags to the street level and phone for the shuttle bus to the airport (less of a problem going the other way). There is, as I recall, a ramp if your suitcases have wheels, but you will have to get them to the train (you may get help lifting them onto the train). Yes, no checkec baggage service. Anything would have to go with you. Surprised me to see that, according to the Amtrak Web site, even the Glendale station has no checked bag service. Nearest station with checked baggage service seems to be Van Nuys.

Note, one poster suggests you could take the train from LAX. Not the airport, of course, but Union Station; Amtrak uses the code LAX to denote Union Station, even though the latter isn't near the airport. There is a Flyaway bus from the airport to Union Station. FlyAway Web site says: "Sports paraphernalia such as golf clubs, tennis rackets, snow or water skis, surfboards or bicycles will be accepted in fully enclosed containers no more than 92 inches in length." http://www.lawa.org/welcome_lax.aspx?id=292

You have nothing to lose by phoning Amtrak. You could just show up and hope to find an accommodating attendant who allows you to take your clubs, and a suitcase, as carry-on, I don't know if I'd bank on it. Looks like it's leave the clubs at home (suitcase should be doable), or rent a car at the airport (Avis and Hertz are almost next to the terminal; I think all others require a shuttle bus). Or fly into SBA. If you fly into LAX you could take something called the "Santa Barbara Airbus" to SB (don't know about their luggage policies). You have presumably have verified you can take the clubs on your flight.

lexande

For CHF 22 (about USD 23) per bag! I'll pass.