[] Amtrak Vs Flying: The Ultimate Guide From An Experienced Traveler

Cost

Amtrak is generally cheaper for "shorter" trips.

Keep reading and I'll show a hack to make "longer" trips cheaper than flying as well!

I will illustrate with screenshots from the Amtrak and Delta apps. Let's start with a short trip: Portland to Seattle, which by car, would take about 2 hours. We'll select the dates September 5-7, 2025.

For all screenshots, I will do Amtrak first, then Delta.

The coach seat, which would be equivalent to a Delta Main seat, is $34. Keep in mind, this price is only for the Portland to Seattle part. Assuming Seattle to Portland is the same price, this would mean the total price is $68.

Delta's app will show you the final roundtrip price as you book the first trip, assuming the destination and return flight are the same price. We see the price on Delta is $157. For this Portland to Seattle roundtrip, Amtrak is cheaper by $89.

Let's do a longer trip: Detroit to Chicago, which by car, would take about 4.5 hours.

Amtrak's roundtrip price is $152.

Delta's price is $257. Amtrak is cheaper by $105.

For the last example, let's do a pretty long trip: Detroit to Miami, which would take about 20 hours assuming you never stopped.

The price on Amtrak is $222, so we'll say it is $444 roundtrip.

The roundtrip flight is $279. In this scenario, Delta is cheaper by $165.

Why is Amtrak usually cheaper for shorter trips? I'll first illustrate with an image showing all the routes Amtrak goes in the US:

Unlike Europe, most US cities and most of the country are more spaced out. Due to the amount of space, the US was built with the automobile (gag!) in mind than trains.

I really don't like cars, if that wasn't clear.

If you want to use Amtrak for longer trips, it'll involves multiple transfers, or what Amtrak calls "segments", which adds to the cost.

Remember that hack I mentioned earlier? Here it is:

Amtrak does offer something that makes longer trips more affordable: their Multi-Ride and Rail Pass programs.

With Rail Pass, you pay $499 and get ten segments included in that price. If you look back at the screenshot for Amtrak for Detroit to Miami, you'll see a "2" over the arrow. That "2" means two segments.

A roundtrip from Detroit to Miami would then mean you would use four segments. Remember the total price of $444?

If you didn't have Rail Pass, you'd have to pay the $444 again if you wanted to repeat the Detroit-Miami roundtrip. But with Rail Pass, your $499 payment would not only cover the second trip but half of a third trip as well!

Comfort

No contest here. Amtrak blows Delta out of the water when it comes to comfort.

Or should I say... sky? Because it's a plane. Hmm, perhaps not the best joke to make in 2025 given the increased reporting in plane crashes and mishaps!

Anyway...

Legroom is more spacious on Amtrak trains. The distance between the seats in each row is wider so you don't feel as if you're sitting too close to the passenger next to you. The leather seats are a little more comfortable. Reclining your seat on the train isn't disruptive.

Here's a big one: on Amtrak, you can get up from your seat and walk around. You can even walk into different train cars!

Amtrak is much, much quieter than being on a plane!

If you're on a train that has an upper level and you sit on the upper level, there may be a little more sway when the train is in motion, which could make more sensitive passengers woozy.

However, one scenario where a plane wins on comfort is exposure to the weather.

A train route has multiple stops to make and when it stops, the doors open. If you're near a door and traveling to Minneapolis in January or Phoenix in July, you may suddenly get hit with a blast of really cold or hot air.

What about the difference in comfort for the luxury classes on a flight and on an Amtrak train?

It depends!

I've been on some trains where most Business class seats had a table between passengers traveling together and some where no table was available.

With no table, you'll have even more legroom than a coach seat, and the ability to arch your seat back further, if you're inclined. Get it, inclined?

If you're lucky enough to have a seat with a table, then I'd say a Business seat on Amtrak surpasses a first class on Delta. However, without a table, then I'd say a first class Delta seat will be slightly better.

Almost done here, because Amtrak offers something even nicer than a Business class seat: a roomette!

For some trips, you can actually rent a room with a bed on Amtrak. Seriously! I did not know this was even an option until I started riding Amtrak more. Definitely can't do that on Delta!

Travel time

When it comes to travel time, flying has a tremendous advantage over Amtrak. Even if your flight has layovers.

The average speed of a commercial plane ranges from 547-575 miles per hour. The average speed of an Amtrak train ranges from 110 to 145 miles per hour.

An Amtrak ride from Boston to Seattle would take a few days factoring in all the stops and transfers whereas flying Boston to Seattle, even with layovers, would take less than 24 hours.

In particular, Delta offers a lot of nonstop flights. Where flying lacks in comfort it'll make up in spades for travel time, especially for longer distances!

Potential for delays

It is tougher to assess whether Amtrak or Delta has the advantage when discussing potential for delays. It depends on the type of the delay.

The most common reason for both flight and train delays is bad weather. If we isolate weather delays, then Amtrak has the advantage here. Thunderstorms and snowstorms are less likely to delay a train.

However, when we direct our attention over to whether Amtrak or Delta has more on-time arrivals, then Delta boasts the advantage.

From the 2023 Air Travel Consumer Report issued by the Department of Transportation, 82.1% of Delta's domestic flights arrived on time.

With Amtrak and on-time arrivals, the issue gets a little more complicated. On their website, Amtrak provides its customers a report card for the year 2021. You can view it here

According to the Federal Railroad Administration "Metrics and Standards" rule, 80% of Amtrak customers must arrive "on-time". I intentionally put quotes around the phrase 'on-time' because, according to the Bureau of Transportation, Amtrak considers a train on-time if it arrives within a range of minutes after the scheduled endtime.

For instance, if your trip is 250 miles or less, Amtrak will consider the train to have arrived on-time if it shows up no later than 10 minutes after the scheduled endtime. So if you're scheduled to arrive somewhere at 2:36 p.m, you arriving at 2:45 p.m. is considered "on-time" according to Amtrak.

Going back to the report card, even though a law dictates that 80% of Amtrak's train must be timely, most routes fall below the 80% threshold.

The most common reason for Amtrak delays are waiting for freight trains. Even though, by law, Amtrak is supposed to have preference, many freight trains ignore the law.

Luggage storage

Regarding the amount of bags you can check for free, Amtrak allows you to check two bags for free whereas Delta lets you check only one for free.

Amtrak allows you two carry on items whereas Delta only allows one.

The fees for excess baggage on Amtrak are lower than on Delta. A $20 fee is charged to each of the additional two bags on Amtrak. Delta's fee for the second checked bag is $40. The third? $150. Fourth and higher? $200.

Amtrak limits each passenger to four checked bags. Delta allows up to 10 (in most cases). However, if I hear you are bringing this much luggage on a plane, I will be very inclined to say that, unless you're moving, you are packing wayyyyy too much!

Finally, what about baggage size and weight?

Size matters (haha). On Delta, your baggage cannot exceed 62 inches (five feet and two inches) when you add together the bag's length, width, and height. (find personal item)

On Amtrak, your carry-on luggage cannot exceed 64 inches (five feet and four inches) when you add together the bag's length, width, and height.

Weight restrictions on carry-on luggage are the same for both Delta and Amtrak: the maximum weight allowed is 50 lbs.

Rewards programs

Only the smart travelers are reading this section!

For every one dollar spent on Amtrak, you get 2 points, whereas on Delta, you get 5 points. But yet, Amtrak's reward points are better. How is this possible if Delta gives you more?

When you divide your cost in points by the cost in dollars, the smaller quotient means you'll be able to use your points sooner. Let's illustrate.

We'll book a trip from New York City to Boston using the same dates as earlier. Here is the cost on Amtrak in dollars:

See that $72? Now, let's see it in points:

With points, it's 2700. 2700 divided by 72 is 37.5. Now, for Delta:

We see $247. Now, in points...

My apologies on my credit card giving a small discount, but even with the 15% discount, we see that 16,900 divided by $247 yields roughly 68.

The discount you saw on the previous screenshot was actually serendipitous, as it's a perfect segue into travel credit cards. To accelerate the amount of points you earn, you should absolutely get a travel credit card through Delta and/or Amtrak.

When you get the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard, you will get 20,000 bonus points if you spend only $1000 within the first three "billing cycles". The duration of a billing cycle is usually a month.

You can also two points per $1 spent on select dining. You'll receive 1 point per $1 spent for all other purchases. For instance, paying your monthly Netlix subscription with this card would give you points toward Amtrak!

Delta has a similar offer with their Delta Skymiles® American Express credit card. At the time of this writing, you can earn 50,000 bonus miles if you spend $3,000 within the first six months.

Dining at most restaurants and shopping at the supermarket will earn two miles per $1 spent; everything else will earn you one mile per $1 spent.

Cancellation policy

Amtrak's cancellation policy is far more lenient than Delta, and really, any airline I've ever flown.

To start, here is where both Amtrak and Delta are the same: if you cancel within 24 hours of booking, you are entitled to a full refund.

Where Amtrak and Delta differ depends on the type of ticket purchased.

For Amtrak, in most cases when you book a trip, you will be asked whether you'd like the fare to be "Value" or "Flex". For Value fare, you still will be refunded 75% if you cancel before departure. Flex gives you a 100% refund.

A Business class ticket and anything higher are eligible for a 100% refund before departure.

With Delta, you either purchase a non-refundable ticket or a refundable ticket. As per the name, a non-refundable ticket refunds you none of your money back if you cancel after 24 hours of purchase.

However, Delta will give you a 100% e-credit for cancelling a non-refundable ticket after 24 hours of purchase, which you can only use for Delta-related purchases, like booking a future flight, upgrading your seat on another flight, etc.

If you enroll in your airline's frequent flier program and have high status with them, you may be eligible for a full refund even for cancelling a non-refundable ticket. But of course, this will require you to have spent lots of money with that airline in the past.

One layer of protection you can employ to get a refund on a non-refundable ticket is to purchase travel insurance, such as Alianz. That being said, you'll have to check which conditions are eligible for a full refund.

Last, for Delta, the cancellation policy on a non-refundable ticket is true whether you have a first-class ticket or something lower.

As for a refundable ticket, it's pretty straightforward: cancel it anytime before departure and you get a 100% refund.

Food & drink served onboard

Regarding the refreshments served on Amtrak versus Delta, the food & drink served on Amtrak is better than Delta.

Especially today, airlines are infamous for providing the bare bones when it comes to refreshments. A tiny little cup and tiny snack portions, so it's not like Amtrak had to try that hard to beat it.

Except for only a few routes, all Amtrak customers are provided a fair variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, alcohol, and non-alcoholic options through Amtrak's Café service. If there is any drawback, you do have to pay for these refreshments.

At least Delta's minimal non-alcoholic refreshments are free. Which, for the love of Christ, you'd hope they'd be.

Wifi onboard

I have found both modes of transportation to have rather spotty wifi.

That being said, I find the wifi on Amtrak to be more reliable than on Delta. Which, makes sense!

Number of train stations vs. number of airports

The number of airports in the US is a little over 5,000 whereas Amtrak has about 500 train stations. However, of those 5,000 airports, only 150 of them are international airports.

Security & boarding

Amtrak has no security checkpoint, so you can say it automatically wins here.

To minimize the waittime at security when you fly, get both TSA PreCheck® and CLEAR Plus. For CLEAR, paying extra for CLEAR Concierage Express can get you through even faster.

Of course, all these extra programs to get you through airport security quicker cost money, so Amtrak clearly wins on security & boarding.

Views from the window

Especially if you take the train throughout California or through the mountain states like Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, I feel the views from the window on Amtrak surpass the aerial views from an airplane window.

As mentioned earlier too, you aren't limited to just seeing the views from your seat. You can stand up and admire the incredible scenery as you pass by. On an airplane, you wouldn't be able to enjoy the views from the sky unless you pick a window seat.

Safety

Your odds of dying in a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million. Your odds of dying in a train accident are 1 in 431,800.

Compare both these odds to dying in an automobile crash: about 1 in 100. Another reason why I despite driving.

As I mentioned earlier with flying, passengers have to get through a security checkpoint, providing an additional layer of security. So, for safety, Delta would win, even though both modes of transportation are extremely safe.

Environmental impact

In 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on the greenhouse gases emitted in the transportation sector. Airlines contributed to only 8% of the greenhouse gases emitted and rail was even less-- at 2%.

Conclusion

It may have surprised you, as it surely did me, how many advantages train travel has over air travel.

In the showdown of Amtrak vs Flying, Amtrak wins on more metrics, but where flying excels, it really does shine.

Have I convinced you to start using Amtrak more? Feel more to let me know if I have!