Re: Towards a better Passenger Service [WAS:Wonderful, Customer-Responsive GSR]

[jdennis@acslink.net.au (John Dennis)]

>> I guess the point I was making was air travel is for most people who actually
>> have to pay their own fare unnafordable in this country.
>> I only fly when my employer bankrolls the fare,and indeed whilst airlines
>> withing Australia carry lots of people,they are usually all public servants or
>> people on business related trips.
>
>This is true. Rail isn't terribly affordable either. In fact, it's
>more expensive than air travel for a private (non-concession) fare
>if you take into account the amount of money people have to spend
>on food and drinks when they are sitting on a train for 14 hours
>from Brisbane to Sydney.

I cannot agree with this at all.  I travel, admittedly on business, at
least weekly by air.  The number of tourists flying continually
surprises me, and at holiday times (such as now) the planes are still
full, even though many business folk are on leave.  My (extended)
family would not dream of travelling interstate on either a bus or a
train - not after doing it once, anyway - and again, I am surprised at
how cheap air fares can be if you book the right sort of tickets.

I would love to be able recommend to my Mum, sister or niece a train
trip, but it simply doesn't compare with air.  

Cheers...JD
==========================================================
John Dennis                         jdennis@acslink.net.au
Melbourne                                  denjo02@cai.com
Australia               http://www.acslink.net.au/~jdennis
                Dutton Bay Tramway pages updated 1 January
DBT URL:       http://www.acslink.net.au/~jdennis/dbt.html