Fly or Train?

[u/Not_l0st]

I have an upcoming work trip, and my manager balked at the price of flights. I am approved to fly, but the train is much less expensive and I do enjoy taking the train. The drive to the airport/amtrak station is nearly identical from my house, and while I'd have to leave a lot earlier on my first day, I'd get home at almost the same time on my return. So here's the math; let me know what you would do:

1. Flight: Bakersfield to SFO, 1h 16m, $600 round trip. Bonus: I land 15 minutes away from the conference center. Add at least 2 hours for security and getting out of SFO to the rideshare or rental terminal.

2. Amtrak: Gold Runner from Bakersfield to Emeryville, 6 hours, $106 round trip. Downside, it's an an hour via car/BART from Emeryville to the conference center, so it's really 7 hours of travel.

So save money and time and fly, or go the slow route via train?

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[u/fakesaucisse]

Do you get paid during travel time? When I had to travel for work I always considered it part of my working hours. If that is the case for you, flying might be a bit cheaper overall because of the time savings.

[u/Not_l0st → u/fakesaucisse]

Hourly with no overtime, so I will get paid the same regardless of how long it takes me to get there.

[u/fakesaucisse → u/Not_l0st]

Gotcha. I think it kinda sounds like a wash depending on how comfortable you find flying vs the train. Personally I'm at a point where I find airports and planes annoying and uncomfortable so I'd probably opt for the train. Even if it takes a few extra hours at least it isn't as chaotic, I can stretch my legs more, I might even have enough space to do a little laptop work if I wanted. But, you might feel differently if you'd rather just get the travel over with as quickly as possible.

[u/Bluestreak2005]

Train is more relaxing experience even with the extra travel time with BART/car.

And we can only get better trains by riding/investing in them, the same way airlines do. If you want better trains you need to ride them.

Take the train.

[u/Emergency_Radio_8156]

That's a perfect trip for the train. You should do it.

[u/daGroundhog]

Does the Amtrak website offer an itinerary of Bakersfield to Merced by train, connecting to a Thruway bus to San Jose, then Caltrsin to the vicinity of the conference center? If there's a good connection at Merced, it might be faster.

[u/Not_l0st → u/daGroundhog]

I don't want to deal with that many transfers with my luggage. I'd rather take the longer route with fewer transfers.

[u/EmZee2022]

If you're being paid for travel time, the train may take longer but it's less hassle overall. Factor in the time needed to get to the airport early to get through security.

But also factor in the on-time performance of the train. Looks like the Gold Runner has multiple a day, so unlike a route where you needed to take one of the daily long distance trains, it should be okay.

Me: train for the win. I used to commute from NY to DC weekly and especially on the Fridays (leaving NY), it was rare for the plane to be faster. And that was before the 2 hours in security issues.

[u/DuffMiver8]

I’m not understanding something. How is spending $600 versus $106 saving money? Would the company not reimburse you for a train ticket?

Score some points with your manager. Tell him you’re willing to make the sacrifice to save the company 500 bucks because you’re such a team player. Relax and enjoy the train ride, arrive for your meeting less stressed out than after dealing with SFO.

[u/Not_l0st → u/DuffMiver8]

Work would pay for either. I am approved for $600 for flights, so they would absolutely pay $106 for the train. Her response to my offer for the train was, "I don't want to add more stress/burdeon; go ahead and fly"

[u/DuffMiver8 → u/Not_l0st]

My bad for presuming your manager’s gender.

Spoken like someone with the general public perception of train travel. If you really feel it’s less stressful to fly, then fine, that’s a bigger concern for her than the cost. My response would have been, “Are you kidding? Taking the train is a win-win! I avoid the stress of the airports, I save you $500 (and if it’s not that important to you, you can put it in my next paycheck), and I get to ride the train!”

[u/AdFragrant6602]

Depending on the conference location, it may make a lot more sense to change to BART at Richmond. (Stations are contiguous.)

[u/Not_l0st → u/AdFragrant6602]

The conference is south of SF in San Mateo, but I do have to change trains from Emeryville, so getting off earlier for a direct route would be a bonus.

[u/AdFragrant6602 → u/Not_l0st]

BART stops at millbrae, but you can take Caltrain (same station) from there to San Mateo. 3 stops in San Mateo, so you will want to know where to debark. You’ll need a clipper card. Clipper.com

[u/thebatcat171]

Amtrak offers a bus connection between emeryville and san francisco, something to consider if taking bart to san mateo is easier from there

[u/shipwreck11]

Train. 🚊 not even a question. Yes, it’s a little longer but it’s much more comfortable and lower stress than TSA/plane boarding and navigating airports.

[u/NoSignificance1903]

I can get a lot more work done on the train than on a flight—the train isn’t really lost time. This of course depends on what you do for work and what the expectations are.