I really wish Southern California airports had trains directly servicing the terminals.[/quote]
Careful what you wish for, JFK in New York has trains, I just used their fancy new trains three weeks ago, the Airtrain. It costs $6 each way, so that’s $12 per person RT, $36 total for three people, it’s probably 4 miles. From there the Long Island RR or the Subway to get to the city, I forget the cost but it felt better because at least you went further. I’m guessing it’s 20 or 30 miles between the airport and the city and the journey will take you 1-3 hours (On a Saturday with track maintenance, it took us 3 hours). So it costs more than parking at the airport here, takes longer, has more variables and you get to haul your luggage up stairs, through turnstiles, through crowds, and a lot farther than any parking lot at our airports, oh joy. The worst part is that it’s like being on an elevator for hours, nobody talks to each other. You are supposed to sit silently and avoid eye contact. I was always so relieved when someone had a touristy accent, like midwesterners, Italians or Brits because at least they talked. We actually met some really nice Italians on holiday waiting 30 minutes for the airtrain to take us four miles. I met countless friendly New Yorkers, in fact it was one of the friendliest places I’ve ever been, shattering my stereotypes and experiences from 20 years ago, it’t just so weird how they all lock up during any form of mass transit. The tube in london is the same, takes too long to the airport and the ettiquette is unfriendly and contradicts the customs above ground. But I guess we do the same thing in elevators and urinals, face front, no talking, it’s just that it’s a shorter experience.
It’s Funny, because it was just three weeks ago when I said the exact opposite as we arrived at our home airport “thank god we don’t have trains to the airport.”
