Blumie

No question the train has its advantages. In fact, I will often take the train when I could use the three-and-a-half hours of uniterrupted time to get some work done. (Unfortunately, the cell service along the route is not at all reliable, but the time is great for catching up on some reading.) But it's quite a stretch to claim, as USFlyerUS does, that, as a result of these advantages, that "NOTHING beats Amtrak," particularly when, from a speed perspective, flying beats Amtrak more than 90% of the time.

wmbarker

I've read everything "official" from JetBlue and nowhere do I see plans for a SHUTTLE. I think they are simply going to have a few flights a day between the cities at a good price, and there are certainly people who need this. Because of AirTrain, JFK is extremely convenient for people on Long Island or near Penn Station in Manhattan, via Jamaica. Next Monday, they are going to close the parking lot in front of T8 and 9 and expect these people to park in the garages in front of T1 or T4 or T7 which is going to make parking hard for everyone. They will do the exact same thing before JetBlue opens T5, so AirTrain is the way to go.

Blumie

The Boston Globe atributes the following quote to B6 CEO David Neeleman: ''Clearly, we want high frequency," he said. ''But it's too early to say how many and what frequency."

USFlyerUS

There's more to travel than speed. The hassles of dealing with flying these days makes Amtrak so much more appealing. Plus, if you're going downtown to downtown, Amtrak saves a lot of time. Cabs to the airport, sitting in traffic, etc. is horrible during rush hour in any of the Shuttle cities. And, btw, like the Shuttle really is anymore reliable ontime-wise than Acela. Half the Shuttle flights I take are routinely 30-45 mins late at a minimum. Or, we're sitting at LGA for an hour, circling over PA, etc., all in a cramped seat. And, let's remember DCA-LGA you cannot stand up for any reason.

Blumie

First of all, your post was that NOTHING (your emphasis) beats Amtrak. My less hyperbolic statement is that while Amtrak has its advanges, it is not quicker than flying and is plagued by its own problems, namely that Amtrak trains rarely operate on time. The Acela between Boston and NY habitually runs 15 minutes late, and the regional trains are even worse.

Second, it looks as though we are analyzing the shuttle vs. Amtrak on different route. My primary route is BOS-LGA, and it looks like your is DCA-LGA, which does make the time analysis different (although I think flying still is quicker).

Third, the shuttle is exponentially more reliable than the Acela. If half the shuttles you take are 30-45 minutes late, you have incredibly bad luck. I have already flown 25 shuttle segments this year (mostly on US, some on DL), and my on-time percentage easily exceeds 90% (and this is wintertime travel!).

Finally, in my analysis, I factor in travel time to and from the airport or the train station, as the case may be. The shuttle still beats the train for me by at least an hour. Yes, the train runs downtown to downtown, but you still need to factor in time to get to and from the train station.

jginnyc

The difference is that if you are trying to schedule a days worth of meetings in DC or BOS, the train is not an option for your morning journey. You cannot make a meeting in either city before 11:00 if you plan to take the train. Alternatively, you can make a 9:00 meeting in BOS or DC if you are on the 7:00 shuttle or even 7:30 on some days. If you take the 6:30 shuttle, you can make an 8:00 breakfast meeting.

I always fly from LGA to either city and have a return booked, though will switch over to the train if the weather is inclement or the airlines are showing delays.

jiacono

I think a $100 return trip would not fail. Current
shuttle fares without a Saturday night stay are much higher.
However, service is fantastic, like nothing else domestically.

I think it would create a lot of new passengers. At
this price point is cheaper to fly back and forth every day
than to get a hotel at the other end, and I would probably do
just that.

JFK has a few advatages over LGA. Public transit there
is cheap, fast, and confortable, for LGA it is terrible.
This does not matter for the $500 traveller, but for
the $100 one it sure does. Keep in mind that there are
many people (i.e. millions, more than the population of
Boston) that live closer to JFK than to LGA or ISP.

The only current decent option from JFK is on AA. Crappy
little planes, and a horrible terminal experience, often involving
a bus at BOS. Pricing is terrible also.