Travel
Amtrak Wants to Remind You How Bad Flying Is
The rail system’s new president used to run Delta Air Lines. He feels your pain.
A passenger enters the cafe car of an Amtrak Northeast Regional train at Union Station in Washington.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Richard Anderson knows exactly why so many people hate air travel. And as the former chief executive of Delta Air Lines Inc., he appears ready to exploit each of those pain points in his new role—as president and co-CEO of Amtrak. The railroad has launched a new advertising campaign focused heavily on why so many airlines have been despised by so many for so very long.
From free Wi-Fi to the absence of middle seats to the two bags you may check for free, Amtrak is pitching itself as a more comfortable, civilized travel alternative to an airline—albeit not as fast, but you can’t have everything.