July has been a very busy month because we travelled from Australia to the USA and Canada via QANTAS and via train during our month long stay overseas. Our trip started early in the morning as we took a taxi from our home in Canberra to pick up a flight to Sydney so that we could connect to a flight to NYC via Los Angeles. All was not smooth at the beginning of the trip because we were on standby and did not make it onto our planned flight which would take us direct to NYC via Los Angeles. After missing that flight we had to re-list in time for the next flight and then wait… and wait… and wait. Several other QANTAS staff members were waiting to board the same flight, and those of us who missed out the first time made it onto the second flight. We waited and watched as people were boarding the flight. We waited and hoped that we had made it on to the Airbus flight. At the very last minute we were called… and it was just before doors closed that we got a boarding pass. We had to go as fast as possible through the immigration and bag checks and along the corridor to the correct gate for our flight. It was hard work, but there was a reward in store because we had first class tickets to Los Angeles in our hands. Flying first class on the A-380 is like a dream come true. The first class passengers have individual pods and the chair lays flat to make a bed. The service was very good. After arriving in Los Angeles we had to wait overnight before catching the connecting flight to NYC. We knew we had the upgrade to business class but just before boarding we were called and voila – we had first class tickets across the USA.

We had experience with both AMTRAK and VIA rail during our trip. There were some very glaring differences, especially in the standard of the overall service that was provided. AMTRAK should be offering more in the way of either first class or business class travel. People are still willing to pay for a better quality of service. Overall, I believe that VIA rail offered the better quality service because even the vintage train carriages seemed to be of a higher standard. It is the little things that make a difference when it comes to individual experiences. In my case, one of the things that mattered happened to be the ability to get a meal without the addition of tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and cucumbers since these items make me throw up. On the east coast of the USA AMTRAK offered a menu that did not include these food items, and that gave me a reasonable meal choice. However, on the west coast Starlighter train the menu was extremely limited and it was not satisfactory that the staff could not comprehend that I did not want the salad on my plate. The VIA rail train between Toronto and Vancouver was modest yet it was a comfortable trip and yes, I did manage to sleep on the train. The west coast train from Seattle to Los Angeles was another matter because the roomette was very small and the bed was hard and uncomfortable.