WASHINGTON -- Amtrak and Continental Airlines are launching a
partnership that will allow travelers in four Northeastern cities to
book train and air trips with one call, reports a wire
service.
Beginning in mid-March, travelers between Newark
International Airport and four cities -- Philadelphia; Wilmington,
Del.; and Stamford and New Haven, Conn. -- can book train travel to
and from the airport as part of their flight
reservation.
Continental will assign its airline designator
code to trips on Amtrak's Acela Regional and Keystone trains, making
them part of a traveler's integrated itinerary.
Amtrak, which
last fall began serving a new station at Newark Airport, and
Continental, which operates a hub at the airport, say the
code-sharing arrangement will treat the public to “seamless”
travel.
“Travelers will be able to use Amtrak's frequent
Northeast Corridor rail service and Continental's coast-to-coast air
service to easily reach the destination of their choice,” said
Amtrak president George Warrington.
The companies say the
four year air-rail arrangement is the nation's
first.
Continental President Larry Kellner predicted that up
to 500 travelers each day will use Amtrak to reach flights out of
Newark. Continental offers nearly 300 departures each day from
Newark.
Continental last fall eliminated its short connector
flights from Philadelphia to Newark. Travelers now can choose among
17 trains connecting Philadelphia and Newark Airport each
weekday.
Code-share tickets can be purchased through
Continental or from a travel agent.
Also under the agreement,
members of Continental's frequent-flier program, OnePass, can earn
miles when traveling on Amtrak's premier Metroliner and Acela
Express trains between New York and either Boston or
Washington.
Members of the OnePass program and Amtrak's Guest
Rewards program will be able to exchange points and
miles.
This won't be the first time Amtrak and Continental
have worked together. Under a long-standing agreement, Amtrak
automatically accommodates Continental passengers who are stuck at
the Newark airport because of bad weather or other
circumstances.
The agreement comes at an uneasy time for
Amtrak, the nation's sole provider of intercity passenger train
service, which has lost money each year for its three-decade
existence.
A federal oversight panel voted last week to
recommend that Congress open the nation's intercity rail system to
competition. Supporters of Amtrak say the federal government has
overlooked and underfunded passenger rail.
Warrington said
the new agreement with Continental shows there is opportunity to
grow passenger rail.
“We're in this for the long haul, and
business goes on,”he said.