Ground Transport

Amtrak wanted to break even this year on an operating basis. That was a nice goal, but it was all academic. Amtrak is the U.S. national railway, and the government will do what it must to keep it running.

If you are grasping for any signs that the U.S. or global economies have a heartbeat, then consider that Uber's rideshare revenue has been ticking upwards in the past two weeks after plummeting over the past two months. No, this is not the same as China reopening or a promising coronavirus vaccine in the making, but at this point we'll latch onto almost anything.

Reducing plastic waste is just step one. Step two is implementing alternatives to plastic. But how do companies get travelers on board if the alternatives are flawed? Part of the answer lies in forthright communication.

Richard Anderson deserves kudos for having helped to revitalize Amtrak in his three years as CEO. The former Delta Air Lines top boss put the U.S. railway operator on track to its first-ever operating profit while also improving its safety record.

Twice a year, this column looks at who is doing it right. Here are some of the most inspiring innovations in design, service, and guest experience in hospitality and travel. Let the debates begin.

This is yet another casualty of the Uber and Lyft era. Other airport shuttle services will likely be next.

Former Delta CEO Richard Anderson has been spearheading a revamp of the U.S. national railway through boosting safety, driving more profits from its co-branded credit card, and creating a mix of more low-cost and premium services in the U.S. northeastern corridor. Anderson's tricky balance is being ambitious while trimming longstanding losses.

If search for travel looking for door-to door trip options was a massive potential market, then Expedia, Booking Holdings, Ctrip, or Google would have already snapped up these companies, which have been laboring around that premise for years. This stuff is hard to execute, as the relatively modest exit seems to show.

Other global rail companies are speeding ahead of Amtrak in reducing single-use plastics, but Amtrak is trying to make up the time.

For all the small steps being taken in travel to improve sustainability, it will ultimately be institutional investors and other big money groups that help the sector navigate and fund a complicated transition into the future.