Gas Prices, Flight Cancellations Show We Need Better Rail Options

Over the last several months, Hotel News Now has run several stories about U.S. hoteliers’ high expectations for summer travel demand in all guest segments.

Those predictions do seem to be coming true, but there’s a bit of a caveat here. High gas prices are playing into travel decisions, both for road trips as well as flights. Further complicating air travel are the ongoing, and sometimes last-minute, flight cancellations.

What we’re seeing here is the problem the U.S. government and state governments created by not diversifying their transportation options. I’m talking of course about a better public rail system connecting major markets across the country.

People have two options for traveling across a state — depending on its size — or across the country. They could bite the bullet and pay for an expensive plane ticket that will get them to their destination faster, or take a road trip, paying to refill their gas tanks and possibly staying at a hotel or two along the way.

Yes, we have Amtrak, but let’s not pretend it’s a super reliable or reasonable option everywhere across the U.S.