[Anonymous]

[tolotaxi]

We are travelling from Washington (staying near Dupont Circle) to New York (staying in the middle east side of Manhattan, near Grand Central) on april 3rd this year and have considered flying. Firstly should we fly and secondly should we go IAD-LGA or DCA-JFK.

[tolotaxi]

Flights from DCA-LGA are far too expensive and also Delta or American Eagle?

[VintageKrug]

I’d recommend the Acela Express.

It’s one of the few routes in the US where there is a credible rail service, and particularly if you’re travelling city centre to city centre it can be both faster and less hassle than getting on a plane:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245664867

[MartynSinclair]

I wish people would use correct grammar!

A “plane” is a tool used by certain tradesmen.

A “plane” is not an item someone would get on to. I presume the poster was refering to an aeroplane.

Otherwise the post is factually correct. It can take less than 3 hours city centre to city centre.

[VintageKrug]

I was consciously indulging what appeared to be an American OP; though I draw the line at mis-spelling centre… 😉

Either way, I prefer the term “aircraft”. Aeroplane sounds slightly…Gallic.

[RichHI1]

tolotaxi AE do not fly DCA-LGA, that would be Delta or US Air.

Martyn, with the greatest respect The OED lists plane as an acceptable abbreviation for aeroplane in British English and airplane in US English. I believe in the 1950’s it might be written ‘plane but this is no longer common usage.

VK, on the money. The Acela Express eliminates TSA hassle and will probably be quicker City Center to City Center. If the cost is a factor there are slower services too. Unfortunately Amtrak services use Penn Station in NYC not Grand Central so a short cab ride is probably required as the subway connection is not ideal. I also like the word aircraft though this is slightly more generic as it would include fixed wing, rotary and inflatables.

[MartynSinclair]

As a student pilot, I was fined a pint of lager each time I refered to an aeroplane as a plane! Still sticks with me today……

For the purspose of this thread, train beats aeroplane or aircraft on this occasion.

A quick look also shows the most expensive part of the journey would probably be the taxi fare from JFK to downtown!

[tolotaxi]

By the ‘Delta or Ameican Eagle?’ post I meant which is the better one to fly with; they have the same flight prices on similar flight times. Thanks for the train recommendation, I will look at it.

[RichHI1]

Martyn, tangential, would your erstwhile instructors refer to airports or aerodromes? (Not allowed to use airfield as get out).

[MartynSinclair]

Rich, I learnt to fly from a field with a 1253′ grass runway but it had an ICAO code & therefore qualified to be called an airport. Calling it a grass strip would incur the wrath of the CFI, who incidentally was a formidable female. This was in the late 70’s!

[VintageKrug]

Which option did you end up taking?

[tolotaxi]

Train, but not Acela. Acela seemed very expensive as opposed to a ‘Northeast Corridor’ train and the time saving wasn’t great. The three of us sat in one of the rare 2 opposite 2 sections with no table and little legroom. Union station was odd, boarding gates?!

[RichHI1]

Acela is nice but it is more expensive. Much like turning left or right when you get on board. Acela is the one service in US which compares to some European services. (much better than the regular US trains)

[tolotaxi]

It was something like 300 USD more than a normal service for the three of us, so out of the question!

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