"She told me that she couldn't release the airline's contingency plan until the strike actually happens, because of the union and the labor laws," Rest said. "All other flights were either booked, or too expensive. Now we're looking into taking Amtrak; we don't need to make [train] reservations until the last minute."

According to a press release issued by Amtrak yesterday, the railroad plans to honor the US Airways tickets of all passengers who may be left stranded should the airline shut down on Saturday.

Additionally, Amtrak will also run more trains, increasing available seats by up to 1,500, or 10 percent more than it usually offers on its weekday trains that operate between Boston, New York and Washington.

But for Rest and his roommates, an Amtrak trip will take 33 hours.

"If we do take the train down, we're going to gamble that we'll be able to fly back," he said.

According to Rick Weintraub, press spokesperson for US Airways, the carrier hasn't made contingency plans a priority. "Right now, our energies are totally focused on getting an agreement, in which case there is no need for a contingency plan."

Instead, Weintraub suggested that concerned students call their travel agent or contact the US Airways reservation office. "The key point is that everybody's situation can be a little different so it's hard to give just one solution," he said.