Hmmm... standing only seats. For shorter flights, that might not be totally awful. I fly NYC to Tampa all the time, and that flight is a little under 3 hours. If it would bring the price down considerably (and only if the price goes down!), I'm for it.

I'd rather see improved high-speed rail systems with more room. /pipe dream

Yeah, give me a train anyday. Romantic, comfortable and environmentally friendlier.

Cuddle puddle jumper party milehigh revelation solution. Am I right, people?

Trains are quite romantic, indeed. I have the above ground N/W tracks running 2 blocks east of my apartment, and the Amtrak/LIRR half a block south. Once I get laid off, I'm considering sitting on my back porch all day playing the harmonica.

And instead of cocktails, fill the cabins with nitrous.

I've been on a train twice. First time was slow, uneventful, and took longer than driving (but was far easier on my elderly grandparents).
The second was over Christmas. Just as cramped as a plane, full of screaming people, only now they can wander around and really spread out for full "shouting across the cabin" action since they're not constrained by assigned seats. I didn't get food since I had NO IDEA it would be so much.

Oh, and the train was delayed seven hours because another on the same tracks just ahead of us hit and killed three people on my way home.

After that I did break down and get myself a $7 beer.

Needless to say, when I go visit my parents again in June, my boyfriend is driving.

Trains sound romantic. Overnight trains, not so romantic. That graphic? Looks like an overnight train. I'm having flashbacks to metal bunks shuddering with some strange man's snores...

I took the train from Toronto to NYC once. The trip down was ok, but on the way back, my lady-friend and I were slow getting to the train when boarding was called because an old dude in our line fell down, so by the time we got there, there were no adjacent seats available.

My seat-partner wouldn't trade her for a window seat, and her seat partner would trade me for an asile seat!

Fortunately, even though they told only people going all the way to Canada to get on that particular car, my seat partner got off a few stations outside of NYC, and the rest of the trip could be conducted with smooches.

When mr g and I lived in New York and Baltimore respectively, we traveled by train nearly every weekend (sometimes i drove up to Manhattan, but it wasn't good for my blood pressure). Short train trips are sweet. Anything under 5 or so hours ends up being quicker than flying because you don't have to get there so goddamn early for security etc. plus, train stations are in the middle of town.

I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons of getting the train up to Montreal this summer (pros: cheap! -$50- cons: takes longer...)

Those standing-row seats are OK for a roller coaster, not so good for a plane ride.

I'd rather have those standing-row seats than those ultra-close economy-class seats. If I'm standing, then at least the guy in front of me can't crush my knees.