Acela Seeks To Lure Passengers From Airlines

Amtrak has attracted some famous customers in the last couple of weeks. First, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, on their way to Washington to be inaugurated, followed by Richard Parsons, the new chairman of Citigroup, on his way to meet with President Obama.

It is unknown if those well-known travelers were influenced by a campaign Amtrak is running to promote its Acela Express service in the Northeast corridor. But to quote the slogan of another campaign, for the New York Lottery, hey, you never know.

The Acela campaign seeks to lure passengers from airlines with enticements that begin, "You have the right." The rights include legroom, outlets to plug in electronic devices, arrivals in city centers, food service when you want it and, perhaps most tellingly, as a commercial puts it, "taking off your shoes -- only if you feel like it."

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