Amtrak routes fill up as flight cancellations continue during holiday travel

TRAVEL Amine 29 Dec , 2022 0

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL — The impact of this week’s travel meltdown extends far beyond airports. Passengers are taking matters into their own hands and getting them where they need to be, in the best possible way.

“Driving didn’t work. Flying didn’t work,” an Amtrak passenger told WPTV Wednesday before boarding the 19-hour train. “It’s a long train ride.”

Another passenger said, “I was still looking for the plane until this morning.”

Travelers wait to pick up their bags at a Southwest Airlines baggage counter after a flight is canceled at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.

On Wednesday afternoon, January 3rd was the next available seat on the Amtrak train bound for New York.

As passengers and airlines grapple with nationwide airline cancellations, travelers in South Florida are shuffling between airports and clinging to the hope of being able to secure a seat on the plane.

A Southwest Airlines passenger told WPTV, “I just paid Uber $208 so I could go to the airport and talk to the guy behind the counter to buy a ticket.”

Rick Versace Owner of A1A Airport and Limousine Service — Rick Versace, owner of A1A Airport and Limousine Service, explains how routes have grown significantly.

Rick Versace owns A1A Airport and Limousine Service. He said that normally he runs 200 routes a day, but that he has more than doubled in a week.

“In 35 years, this is the most cancellations I’ve ever had,” he said. So they came to West Palm Beach and I have to pick them up in West Palm Beach and drive them to Fort Lauderdale, where their car is parked. whatever it takes to bring them home.”

Some airlines offer refunds for additional costs due to cancellation, such as meals, hotels, and other transportation.