(Bloomberg News circulated the following article on August 12.)
WASHINGTON — Amtrak said Friday that bookings rose 26 percent Thursday as travelers weighed alternatives to flying after British authorities said they foiled a terrorist plot to blow up planes.
Calls to Amtrak’s customer-service centers increased 14 percent, to 50,000, spokesman Clifford Black said. The passenger railroad didn’t give a total for the bookings.
“Some of the inquiries were based on the reported security delays at airports,” Black said.
Terror alerts have been raised and security rules were tightened, delaying flights and snarling airports.
The increase in Amtrak reservations might not result in a matching gain in sales, because the railroad typically gives customers several days to buy tickets or cancel their plans. Reservations can be made as long as 400 days in advance.
Amtrak, in contrast to airports, doesn’t do extensive screening of luggage or require passengers to arrive before the scheduled departure time. The railroad said on its Web site that it deployed more police and is conducting additional on-board verifications of identification in the wake of the arrests in Britain.