I Canceled My Flight for a 20-Hour Amtrak Ride Amid TSA Airport Chaos | Invesloan.com

The flight between New York and Chicago takes about two hours on average, so it’s pretty short and doesn’t take up my entire day. It typically costs around $100 one way or $200 round-trip.

I usually book the earliest flight out of the airport I’m flying from to avoid the mid-morning rush, and on average, I usually spend less than 10 minutes going through security, a record I’m very proud of.

It means I usually arrive at the airport within an hour of the flight’s scheduled boarding time.

While on some occasions I have felt time pressure at security lines, I’ve become somewhat of a believer in the so-called “airport theory,” which posits that no matter how close to boarding time you arrive at the airport, you will probably make your flight.

I stick to a safer arrival window than the social-media-endorsed 15 minutes before departure, but I’m often surprised by how much spare time I have once I get to the airport, even when I arrive relatively close to departure.

I like to stay on the move when traveling, rather than idling at the transition ports. That’s one of the reasons I’m not the biggest fan of airport lounges … or security lines.

When I saw just how dire TSA lines and wait times were getting at some airports, I started looking for alternative forms of travel to skip the airport chaos.

While not as bad as some wait times at airports like Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport, Chicago O’Hare is one of the world’s busiest airports, and passengers faced possible impacts of TSA staff shortages and flight disruptions.

I just couldn’t face it.

Last summer, I took a round-trip on Amtrak from Miami to Tampa, Florida. While the five-hour trip wasn’t nearly as long as the route between Chicago and New York, which spans five states and takes 20 hours, it was enough to familiarize me with the train’s layout and overall experience.

My previous Amtrak experience was positive, so I figured I could be up for the challenge of a new experience, even if it took up a whole day of travel. At least I’d be on the move the whole time.

A one-way rideshare to the airport in either city usually costs me over $50 on average, which is, at times, nearly half of what I pay for a one-way plane ticket.

The other option for getting to the airport is taking public transport, which, depending on which airport I am flying in or out of, can take up to 2.5 hours, even longer than the flight itself.

So I was thrilled to find that the Amtrak stations in both Chicago and New York are located in the heart of the city, and that I could easily take public transit or opt for a rideshare without paying exorbitant prices.

I arrived at the station about 45 minutes before my train’s departure, and I had enough time to explore the historic building before the call to board was announced.

Once they announced we’d be boarding, the passengers lined up and quickly began making our way down to the train.

The whole process took about 20 minutes from finding where the train platform was to taking my seat, and it felt far from the complicated airport screening and boarding processes.

Instead, you simply walk onto the train, and a few minutes after departing, an attendant asks to scan your ticket.

I was surprised by how different the security screening was between airports and trains: TSA uses tools like metal detectors and facial scans, while Amtrak has virtually no pre-boarding screening.

Instead, the Amtrak network relies on the Amtrak Police Department, a national police force that works inside train stations and aboard the trains to ensure passenger safety.

“The security framework that works in the airport setting is not easily transferable to the rail station system,” Amtrak says about its safety measures in public documentation.

My late departure time meant I had a full day in Chicago and time to have dinner before boarding the train.

It also meant it wouldn’t be long before I could sleep on the train. I liked that the overnight section fell during the first half of the journey, so I woke up the next morning knowing I was already halfway to my destination.

Compared to the crammed, basic-economy-class flights I usually take, the Amtrak seats and their ample legroom felt luxurious.

I could stretch my legs, recline farther back than on any airplane seat, and enjoy the luxury of not having a neighbor next to me.

Within an hour of being on the train, I had already fallen into a deep sleep that would last well over 8 hours.

Aside from a couple of intermittent wake-ups during the first few hours of my trip, I pretty much slept completely uninterrupted the whole night, which I have never been able to say about flights, where I can usually only nap for about 30 minutes at a time.

I woke up feeling surprisingly rested and refreshed, and I was excited to see that the sun was up and that I could enjoy the views of Pennsylvania at that point in the trip.

On the train, I slept, read, worked, ate, and got to see beautiful landscapes along Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, all from the comfort of my seat, which reclined nearly flat, had ample legroom, and an outlet to charge my devices.

My 20 hours aboard the train felt much more productive and peaceful than spending one or two hours standing in a security line at a crowded airport before facing further potential waits at the gate, and the possibility of not having WiFi aboard the flight.

While the snacks I packed kept me satisfied during my trek, some of the food options on the Amtrak menu were enticing.

Sadly, by the time I was ready for some real food later in the afternoon, the cafe car had left my train and split onto the Boston-bound route that traveled along with mine up until Albany, New York.

Something I thought about while peacefully lounging in my spacious seat, only about 30 minutes after arriving at the train terminal, is just how much passenger time gets wasted during air travel.

Beyond security screening lines — long or short — going to the airport and getting on a plane feels like a whole thing, from getting to the often-remote airports to navigating complicated layouts to find a gate and then waiting for group-by-group boarding.

Even with my lax approach to air travel, it still takes several hours of planning and moving from one place to another before you even get on the plane.

The train felt much more relaxed. I didn’t have to pre-plan, stress, or feel rushed nearly as much as when I travel by air.

I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed the trip.

From spending hours looking out the window at breathtaking landscapes that didn’t quite translate on camera to simply being able to lie down and enjoy a good night’s sleep while staying on the move, I felt like the trip’s perks outweighed how long it took.

In a way, I’m glad the airport madness pushed me to experience a form of travel I hadn’t considered otherwise.

Now I’m considering whether a 50-hour Amtrak trip should make it onto my bucket list.