Hi, Cath:
Not to be contrarian, but I’ve had better food on Amtrak than on planes.
Aloha,
Kaleo
But you paid dearly for it, didn’t you?
I solved that one years ago – as soon as they set the tray down, I split the roll in half (tear or cut, depends on my mood and the utensils) and lay the halves on top of the hotter-than-lava entree. By the time I’ve eaten the salad, the bread is usually at least room temperature, and sometimes warm and soft.
It’s definitely a contrast to the sodden kitchen sponge that they call a croissant with what they call breakfast on Europe-bound flights – scalding hot in its clear plastic sarcophagus, a funky yellow, and a texture that doesn’t resemble any food I’ve ever made.
matches the tepid dirty dishwater they call coffee perfectly.
I frequently eat just the banana (sometimes the yoghurt), drink the juice, and that kicks up my blood sugar enough to get through immigration and find a decent cup of coffee.
2 Likes
No US airport that I’ve visited has anything that merits a purchase (and I’ve traveled a little bit). However, if they start adding supermarkets (as IST, VIE, FRA, MUC, and SIN among others, have done), then that would do.
That roll idea is great! I’m not a bread eater particularly but Bob is. Thanks for the tip.
Regarding coffee, I’m so damn happy to have it I’m not particular 
That’s because I drank to excess (WAY to excess) the night before
There is no arguing about taste. After all, there are some people who even think Starbucks is great coffee!
That said, while I cannot think of a U.S. airport that I would go to specifically to eat lunch or dinner (even if the restaurants were located “pre-security,” which – of course – they are not), there are some airports that I will have no problem sitting down to lunch or dinner if/when I arrive early, or am dealing with a flight delay. (Of course there are others where, if I suffer a delay, I might as well just shoot myself!)
Among these – for me and my palate – are SFO (fortunately, my home airport), ORD, JFK (depending upon which terminal you’re in), and SEA. I’ve also had some pretty good barbecue at DFW. And wherever there’s either a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class lounge or a American Express Centurion lounge . . .
Starbucks is not great coffee, but it’s far better than the coffee at most airport news-stands, McDonalds, or generic donut stops, so I’m always glad to see it. But if there’s a Peets, I’ll be much happier.
On trains or buses (at least in my experience), you only buy the food if you want the food. Whereas on a flight, you pay for the food whether you want it or not - it’s part of the price of your ticket. If airlines knocked off $20 (or whatever) for brown-baggers, I bet the complaints would vanish. Or at least grow fainter.
1 Like
No, I think certain people would continue to complain. The flying public sometimes seems like a bunch of babies 
And don’t get me started on the abuse of carryon rules.
Point taken. Some people aren’t happy unless they aren’t happy. But I’d complain less. And my carry-on fits under the seat in front of me and holds enough for two weeks of travel, because I am excellent at packing and hate checking bags.
1 Like
I worked in the industry several lifetimes ago and fly several times a year, at least one being international. I don’t know if it’s the lack of control they feel or what but I definitely see/hear behavior that I doubt I’d see on the ground. (BTW, when I’m Czarina of the Universe, all overhead bins will be removed and it will either go under the seat or be checked!!! You may be my assistant.)
Overhead bins are evidence of the commons problem: in economics, individuals acting on pure self-interest deplete a community resource, even to the point of extinction; behaviorally, free riders (non-participants) in a collective private endeavor undermine it success by treating the endeavor as an unlimited public resource.
3 Likes
Agreed. Much happier when there is a Peet’s – or, hopefully, an even better alternative.
1 Like
Stuffing one’s life into overhead compartments is primarily, a US-issue.
To witness the other end of the spectrum - both with that and with airport security - visit Japan.
OMG- my cheapskate father in law! We bought him a ticket to come visit but he had to pay for his baggage. He packed his carry on super full so he didn’t have to check a bag!
I’ve not found that to be so at all. Going to and from Brazil pretty much every year and last year’s trip to SE Asia told me that everyone is guilty. Oh, and Brazil allows two free bags up to 70# each!
Nah, still don’t agree with your assessment, and likely never will. From having lived in East Asia, I can’t ever “packing your life with you” a thing. The four biggest US carriers - in tandem with the tsa - don’t enforce carry-on baggage size limits enough either.
You mentioned going to and fro Brazil…is that, to and from the US as well?
Also, do you notice how much slower it is to disembark in the US?
There’s not one complimentary thing I can utter about aviation in the US, except that it’s pretty damn safe.
Austrian Air has great food, as does Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, JAL, ANA, Singapore Airlines, and Asiana. The key is don’t get stuck in steerage class and you’ll have a better time.
Hi, Cath:
Not sure of your meaning. Distance Amtrak fares aren’t cheap, but the experiences I’ve had are worth it. The shared table arrangement in the dining cars can be wonderful. I had a great dinner with a newly-retired US Army General that I could never have had on a plane.
If you mean a gustatory price, I think that Amtrak does an OK job in the dining cars. It approximates restaurant cooking, which I cannot say about reheated airplane galley fare.
When you’re spending more time in Seattle, I suggest you look into the special fares and deals subsidized by the McMenamin’s resort/resto chain. RT fares from Seattle to Centralia (Google “Olympic Club” ) are cheaper than gas for your car. Good antique shopping, too. It might change your mind about Amtrak.
Aloha,
Kaleo
1 Like
Not scientific at all, but the most jaw-droppingly enormous suitcases (in stunning quantity) I see in European and American airports are being dragged along by folks who appear to be visiting from eastern Asia.
One of the most memorable was a suitcase bigger than I have ever seen in a store, shrinkwrapped and being dragged along by a tiny bird of a woman who could have comfortably curled up inside the beast she’d saddled herself with.
