While I'm not promissing that Amtrak will indeed lift its restrictions early and let people move at no cost, again the examples above are not the same. Typically most airlines lift the restrictions when the hurricane forcast is reasonably firm, that usually means no more than 2 or 3 days before the hurricane actually hits. We're still a week away from the expected crest of the river, and once again there is no guarantee that it will actually crest that high.Excellent analogy. In the southeast, when there is a hurricane warning, airlines typically waive all restrictions and financial costs to change airline reservations. They don't wait until the hurricane hits to relax the rules. Here there is a flood warning. They are waiting until the flood hits to allow at par rerouting.Airline First Class passengers still get meals (and free drinks), and that is the proper comparison for Amtrak Sleeping Car Service passengers. Amtrak coach passengers get the same as airline coach passengers - the option to buy on board or carry on....Actually, I can't remember the last time I flew on a domestic airline and got a meal, period.
Typically what airlines do if conditions suggest future weather problems is issue an advisory for the affected airports. Those advisories are usually issued once the forecast becomes reasonably firm. Passengers with reservations into and out of those airports can change reservations to another day or sometimes to another destination with no penalties or repricing. That certainly could be something Amtrak could offer - allow passengers on routes where forecasts strongly suggest a risk of disruption to rebook the same trip and the same accommodation to a later date with no change of fare.
If you think about it, that plan makes sense for everyone. Passengers can get ahead of the storm and avoid last minute disruptions and aggravation, and the carrier has fewer passengers to have to rebook or reroute at the last minute.
You've been wanting Amtrak to allow rebooking more than a week and a half before a potential problem. That doesn't compare to airlines allowing 2 or 3 days.