My $0.02 Trains carry people but railroad dollars are, overall, mostly freight dollars. The cargo component of what drives market prices for people in the air is often overlooked. South American and Carribean markets are especially lucrative for cargo, often because of thinness of service. So a railroad conductor is in most cases (except possibly the NE corridor where rail service is frequent and the fares high relative to air) a freight hauler. Freight haulers likely add more value per ton hauled (or flown) than commuter pilots, who can't put too much in the bellies of those ERJ/CRJs. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam