3 ms·

I have travelled through Europe quite extensively. IMO cheap flights like Ryanair and Wizz beat train hands down - pricewise especially if you are carrying ligh

I have travelled through Europe quite extensively. IMO cheap flights like Ryanair and Wizz beat train hands down - pricewise especially if you are carrying light luggage and also because most airports are now connected from city center by train in Europe (something which is a huge issue in US making you rely on your own transport or taxi.)

TacticalCoder 3y ago
> I have travelled through Europe quite extensively. IMO cheap flights like Ryanair and Wizz beat train hands down Europe is fighting hard short haul flights, many of which are now just plain down illegal. Several countries, including France, have already banned short haul flights of less than 2h30. I see this "high speed trains" push as related to the attack by the EU on short haul flights. So no matter if we find that cheap flights do beat trains hands down or not, in a near future there may not be any choice: and the choice seems like it's going to be train.
- switch007 3y ago
  > Europe is fighting hard short haul flights, many of which are now just plain down illegal “Many” is a complete misrepresentation. Three routes within France and 2 within Austria. This is an absolutely minuscule percentage of EU flights. (Austria’s latest “ban” of Vienna-Salzburg was part of a bailout deal so probably was to do with cost cutting too.)
mariusor 3y ago
I recently flew for 2 hours between two capitals in Europe. I had a one hour train ride to get to the departure airport, one hour train ride from the destination to my accommodation. I had to be at the airport one and a half hours before the flight departure, because I had to go through all the demeaning practices that make a flight "safe". At the destination the airline lost my luggage so it was another 2 hours to submit a claim. Tell me how riding a sleeping train for 10 hours is worse than that. Even though my example is a little exaggerated for drama purposes, I still would prefer a night train to the 5-6 hour middle of the day disruption and stress that flying is. I'm pretty sure that there are many like me.
Dayshine 3y ago
Flights are such a waste of time though. When I take a train I can use my laptop or read a book comfortably the entire time. With a flight there is 2 hours of standing queueing or waiting in a "gate", then another 30 minutes of dead time at takeoff and landing where you can't do anything either.

TacticalCoder 3y ago

> I have travelled through Europe quite extensively. IMO cheap flights like Ryanair and Wizz beat train hands down Europe is fighting hard short haul flights, many of which are now just plain down illegal. Several countries, including France, have already banned short haul flights of less than 2h30. I see this "high speed trains" push as related to the attack by the EU on short haul flights. So no matter if we find that cheap flights do beat trains hands down or not, in a near future there may not be any choice: and the choice seems like it's going to be train.

switch007 3y ago
> Europe is fighting hard short haul flights, many of which are now just plain down illegal “Many” is a complete misrepresentation. Three routes within France and 2 within Austria. This is an absolutely minuscule percentage of EU flights. (Austria’s latest “ban” of Vienna-Salzburg was part of a bailout deal so probably was to do with cost cutting too.)

mariusor 3y ago

I recently flew for 2 hours between two capitals in Europe. I had a one hour train ride to get to the departure airport, one hour train ride from the destination to my accommodation. I had to be at the airport one and a half hours before the flight departure, because I had to go through all the demeaning practices that make a flight "safe". At the destination the airline lost my luggage so it was another 2 hours to submit a claim. Tell me how riding a sleeping train for 10 hours is worse than that. Even though my example is a little exaggerated for drama purposes, I still would prefer a night train to the 5-6 hour middle of the day disruption and stress that flying is. I'm pretty sure that there are many like me.

Dayshine 3y ago

Flights are such a waste of time though. When I take a train I can use my laptop or read a book comfortably the entire time. With a flight there is 2 hours of standing queueing or waiting in a "gate", then another 30 minutes of dead time at takeoff and landing where you can't do anything either.