Prior to boarding my Coast Starlight train for Portland, my wife and I spent about 30 minutes in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station. You’ll find the lounge on the second floor of the station, near...
Introduction: An Astounding Amtrak Adventure
I am switching gears for my next trip report, pivoting away from flying and writing about a wonderful train trip I enjoyed with my wife in 2016 from Los Angeles to Glacier National Park in Montana. Whenever I publish...
Trump Budget: Higher Passenger Fees
U.S. President Donald Trump’s first budget proposal includes a number of travel-related items including increased TSA fees, privatizing the air traffic control system, and cutting Amtrak and Essential Air Service funding. Let’s not forget that Trump said this during...
My Incredible Amtrak Guest Rewards Redemption
Amtrak is devaluing its Guest Rewards program tomorrow, so if you are sitting on any sizable quantity of Amtrak points and thinking about a long-distance journey in the next year, you need to call Guest Rewards at 1-800-307-5000 before midnight ET...
Final Hours to Transfer Chase Points to Amtrak
In just a few hours, the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Amtrak Guest Rewards will no longer be possible. If you are considering an Amtrak redemption in the coming months, now is the final call to...
Amtrak Train Derails in Philadelphia – 240 Onboard, 50 injured
On May 13th, 2015, an Amtrak train derail appears to have taken place on a track near Philadelphia and several injuries resulted. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t...
Amtrak ClubAcela Lounge Access for United Club Members + Premium Passengers
I live just a flew blocks from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station when I am in Philadelphia and conveniently for me, United Airlines has codeshare service with Amtrak out of ZVF to Newark Airport, allowing me to easily make my...
Escaping the Cold – Back to California
The last couple days have been cold, and I mean cold. As a California native who has spent a handful of winters on the East Coast (and Germany), I honestly cannot recall weather this cold before. It was 13ºF...
Megabus Wins Again
A quick update on my perpetual struggle of choosing between the value of Megabus or the comfort and convenience of Amtrak to get between Philadelphia and Washington. Yesterday, I found I needed to get to Washington as soon as...
The Megabus Saga Continues…
First off, sorry I’ve been blogging about Megabus and Amtrak lately–it just so happens that traveling between Washington and Philadelphia has become a regular ritual and I still cannot make up my mind about which is the better option...
Sorry Megabus, I’ve Switched to Amtrak
For months I have been threatening to switch from Megbus to Amtrak for my frequent trips from Philadelphia to Washington. In the end, I always ended up booking with Megabus because tickets were always significantly cheaper. But after my...
Was it the Way I Looked? Part III
Part I Part II Back in the United Club, I sat down to plot out how I would get back to Philadelphia. Flights were full–very full. Premium cabins were zeroed out ex-SFO through all legacy Untied hubs as well...
Last Day to Transfer Continental Miles to Amtrak
In early November, I blogged about Amtrak-Continental partnership changes set to take effect tomorrow, 01 January 2012. As a friendly reminder, today is your last day to transfer Continental OnePass miles to Amtrak Guest Rewards and vice-versa. Elite status...
Amtrak Guest Rewards – United Airlines MileagePlus Partnership Changes
Not surprisingly, the Amtrak-Continental Airlines partnership will soon be scaled back. From 01 January 2012, you will no longer be able to transfer points between the two programs. Thankfully, it appears the train codeshares will remain and even after...
Amtrak Throws Out the TSA
Watch and weep: Yes, that’s the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) performing security checks at the Amtrak station in Savannah, Georgia. Never mind the fact that they were screening passengers as they got off a train. Never mind the fact...
Stuck in Newark because Continental decided to overbook the pilot!
To be fair, I am on Continental Express, operated by ExpressJet. But unlike UA, who usually blames it "on the contract carrier," the CO staff have not tried to cast blame on others–at least not yet. I’m sitting in...
