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Flying from Topeka to Albuquerque or Chicago can be pricy.  But if one is willing to drive to Kansas City, which is approximately 62 miles from Topeka, he or she can fly for a lot less.The refundable round trip airfare for two on Southwest Airlines, for example, from KC to Albuquerque is $1,084.  But the Wanna Get Away fare is $396.  The quickest flying time is 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Southwest has 7 flights a day from KC to Albuquerque and six return flights.  Two of the westbound flights are non-stops; three of the eastbound flights are non-stops. The refundable round trip airfare for two on Southwest to Chicago is $263.  The Wanna Get Away fare is $196.  It flies between KC and the windy city 12 times a day each way.  All the flights are non-stop and take about an hour and 20 minutes.  Southwest flies to Midway, which makes getting downtown Chicago relatively easy.  The round trip train fare - coach - for two from Topeka to Albuquerque is $372, assuming one of the passengers qualifies for an AAA discount.  The train to Albuquerque - Southwest Chief - departs Topeka at 1:09 a.m., which means getting to bed late or getting up very early.  It arrives in Albuquerque at 3:55 p.m.  On the return trip the train arrives in Topeka at 5:20 a.m., which would certainly give one an early start on the day.  If one chooses to travel in a roomette, the return fare for two would be $695, which is better than Southwest's full fare but not as good as the Wanna Get Away fare.  Meals are embedded in the cost of the first class fare.The round trip train fare - coach - for two from Topeka to Chicago is $232.  The train departs Topeka at 5:20 a.m. and arrives in Chicago at 3:20 p.m.  Westbound the train leaves Chicago at 3:15 and arrives in Topeka at 1:09 a.m. Factoring in the cost of meals gets a bit dicey.  Assuming one eats three meals a day, which most of us do, there might be some incremental meal cost on the train that would not be incurred by flying.  If one took the train, he would have two meals on it plus one meal after arrival.  If he flew, he might have one meal at home, one at the airport, and one at a restaurant upon arrival.  If our flyer eats at home or has a McDonalds at the airport, his incremental meal costs on the train could be greater.Only the Southwest Chief serves Topeka.  If passengers holding tickets on it miss the train, they are stuck for there for 24 hours.Getting up in the middle of the night to catch a train does not appeal to most people.  By flying out of KC, a person could get up at a reasonable hour, drive to KC, catch SW's 12:40 departure, and still be in Chicago an hour and 15 minutes before the Chief arrived.  This is why people prefer flying to taking a train, unless the train can compete with the plane on time, price and convenience.
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