A one-time cheerleader for the airline industry, former Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson wants to remind everyone how awful air travel really is.
As CEO-in waiting at national rail operator Amtrak, Anderson has been touting the train as a much more civilized option for domestic journeys.
"The coach on Amtrak is better than the first-class product on any domestic airplane," Anderson said as Amtrak launched a new marketing campaign aimed at boosting ridership.
The ‘Break the Travel Quo’ ad campaign highlights the differences of riding the rails, from free Wi-Fi, no dreaded middle seat and checked bags for free.
The idea for the campaign predates Anderson’s arrival at Amtrak, although he called it ‘spot on’ as an alternative to the hassles of air travel.
The campaign also takes a swipe at car travel.
Anderson joined Amtrak earlier this year after standing down as Delta CEO in 2016.
He takes over officially as Amtrak CEO at the end of this year when co-CEO Wick Moorman steps down.
Anderson says Amtrak provides an ‘essential service’ and retaining government subsidies is vital, despite calling a very different tune when boss of Delta, vehemently opposing so-called state subsidies for Middle Eastern carriers.
Operating a rail company ‘is a lot more complicated than an airline,’ Anderson said.
