troffey wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:32 pm
I believe someone has specified before that only T&E crews fulfill those requirements, and that OBS do not have/don't count towards safety requirements, FRA regulations, etc.
This seems like a union-turf answer, rather than, say, that the FRA has determined that OBS are somehow unsuitable for training in safety, or that the FDA has determined that T&E staff can't touch food.
For answering questions...better information & apps*
For boarding & alighting...Avelia has doors that are both wider & automatic**
For fare collection...electronic seat-reservation at every seat***
For big luggage...interesting question of whether T&E, OBS, or platform attendants**** are the solution
*JetBlue has truly mind-blowingly-awesome text support. FAST, smart, responsive. I complained, via text, about a broken tray table, they noted the exact plane & seat, and credited me $10, versus nobody on-board or at the gate knowing what to do about a broken tray table (I tested all 3 despite having already gotten a response via text...next time I could text from my seat in flight). They also can rebook or book reservations.
**and does Avelia have more or fewer doors per seat than on today's Acela?
***could paper seat checks be eliminated by the at-seat display? Its been a while, but I seem to recall SNCF/DB/SBB conductors interacting with the at-seat display
****Acela, in calling only at big stations, is there platform staff always there? And I suspect traffic skews (moreso than routes served by Amfleets) towards less luggage per train, even if it has more passengers.