Southwest Chief Room Pricing

Starting December 2, 2012, roomette prices from Albuquerque to Chicago start at $408. That price goes all the way through all open dates in 2013. That is crazy high. December 1st it is only $238. Booking the whole route from LA to Chicago is only $547.

If this is what they are really going to do, then I very well might have been priced out of our yearly vacation. In fact, buying points for the roomette may very well be cheaper than buying the roomette.

I wonder if this pricing has anything to do with the possible reroute. Perhaps trying to empty the train to help justify the reroute or cancellation of the whole train.

Or, I guess it could just be demand is to a point they can charge these prices.

As a comparison, Denver to Chicago on the California Zephyr is priced at $250 next year.

I have been doing some preliminary research for a trip next April or May. Roomette on the SWC from Chicago to either Flagstaff or Williams was $505. I think the CZ from Emeyrville to Chicago was only around $340. I wondered why that one was so much higher as well.

printman2000 said:

Buying points for the roomette may very well be cheaper than buying the roomette.

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I live in AGR' central zone. Our 20,000 point roomette-to-anywhere option is what keeps Amtrak alive for me. When they finally get around to marking that up I'll probably drop Amtrak for most of my trips. I'm currently building miles balances with multiple airlines in order to pick up where I left off several years ago.

printman2000 said:

Or, I guess it could just be demand is to a point they can charge these prices.

Click to expand...

I think this is likely, though perhaps not over the winter.

That said, I'm not sure that $408 is terribly unreasonable for a roomette between ABQ and CHI. Aside from sleeping

accommodations, that gets you 4 meals in the diner (*2 people). Yeah, it's a bit spendy (and ridiculously so if you're

by yourself), but it's not priced so high as to be an obvious waste of money. Evidently Amtrak thinks enough people

are willing to pay that amount.

But yeah, assuming you haven't bought your yearly max of points, it would definitely be worth it to buy points...with

the current 30% bonus you can buy 13,000 points for just $275, which is almost what you need for a roomette

for two people, ABQ-CHI. A fantastic redemption value, assuming you have the other 2000 points in hand.

Lakeshore said:

I have been doing some preliminary research for a trip next April or May. Roomette on the SWC from Chicago to either Flagstaff or Williams was $505. I think the CZ from Emeyrville to Chicago was only around $340. I wondered why that one was so much higher as well.

Click to expand...

Actually, the cheapest that I could find for a roomette on the CZ (5 or 6) between EMY & CHI for that same time frame next year is $384. That is a significant bump up from what I paid both ways for a trip this year in early May ($272).

Looks like the CZ is still somewhat cheaper than the SWC. Wonder what this pricing will do to ridership. Maybe the pricing will actually reduce losses. I don't know how to buy points or how much it costs.

Cristobal said:

Lakeshore said:

I have been doing some preliminary research for a trip next April or May. Roomette on the SWC from Chicago to either Flagstaff or Williams was $505. I think the CZ from Emeyrville to Chicago was only around $340. I wondered why that one was so much higher as well.

Click to expand...

Actually, the cheapest that I could find for a roomette on the CZ (5 or 6) between EMY & CHI for that same time frame next year is $384. That is a significant bump up from what I paid both ways for a trip this year in early May ($272).

Click to expand...

Yeah, that must have been from SAC or Reno. I have been running all kinds of scenarios trying to figure out where to go. Anyway, buying the points looks like the way to go if someone want to ride the SWC (which I was trying to work in).

fairviewroad said:

printman2000 said:

Or, I guess it could just be demand is to a point they can charge these prices.

Click to expand...

That said, I'm not sure that $408 is terribly unreasonable for a roomette between ABQ and CHI. Aside from sleeping

accommodations, that gets you 4 meals in the diner (*2 people). Yeah, it's a bit spendy (and ridiculously so if you're

by yourself), but it's not priced so high as to be an obvious waste of money. Evidently Amtrak thinks enough people

are willing to pay that amount.

Click to expand...

My last trip a couple of years ago on this leg cost only $220. That is an 85% increase. For my family of four to get from Lamy to Chicago round trip would be $1203 (two roomettes). Denver to Chicago would only be $830.

I dunno. Seems fishy to me.

printman2000 said:

My last trip a couple of years ago on this leg cost only $220. That is an 85% increase. For my family of four to get from Lamy to Chicago round trip would be $1203 (two roomettes). Denver to Chicago would only be $830.

I dunno. Seems fishy to me.

Click to expand...

Well, what's it cost for a family of four to fly from ABQ to CHI round-trip? A whole lot more than $1200, I'll bet. Obviously

that's not an apples-to-apples comparison (flying is much faster, obviously...but less comfortable and far fewer amenities

then you get with a sleeper). But while $1200 sounds like a big number it's still probably on par if not cheaper than

(coach) airfare on the same route.

As far as there being a big difference ABQ-CHI versus DEN-CHI, that just sounds like supply-and-demand pricing to me.

Airline flights are charged per market, not by the distance traveled. Why shouldn't LD trains be the same?

Edit to add: I don't mean to sound insensitive. I know it isn't pleasant to be greeted with a big price increase, and I hope your

family can find a way to travel by train.

I have always believed in supply and demand and have said here before that Amtrak should charge as much as they can while still filling up their trains. I still say that but man, when it is my train, it can be painful.

I am still suspicious that this could be some plan of Amtrak to hurt this train. Not saying it is, just suspicious.

printman2000 said:

fairviewroad said:

printman2000 said:

Or, I guess it could just be demand is to a point they can charge these prices.

Click to expand...

That said, I'm not sure that $408 is terribly unreasonable for a roomette between ABQ and CHI. Aside from sleeping

accommodations, that gets you 4 meals in the diner (*2 people). Yeah, it's a bit spendy (and ridiculously so if you're

by yourself), but it's not priced so high as to be an obvious waste of money. Evidently Amtrak thinks enough people

are willing to pay that amount.

Click to expand...

My last trip a couple of years ago on this leg cost only $220. That is an 85% increase. For my family of four to get from Lamy to Chicago round trip would be $1203 (two roomettes). Denver to Chicago would only be $830.

I dunno. Seems fishy to me.

Click to expand...

My understanding is that Amtrak has looked at adding a sleeper on the SWC and really lacks the equipment for it at the present time (the same is true of the EB as well); in the case of DEN-CHI, they seem to have partly solved the short-term jam there by often running a dedicated DEN-CHI sleeper. Thus, the SWC is subject to greater ridership pressures.

one more sleeper, por favor!!!

johnny.menhennet said:

one more sleeper, por favor!!!

Click to expand...

S'il vous plaît

printman2000 said:

Starting December 2, 2012, roomette prices from Albuquerque to Chicago start at $408. That price goes all the way through all open dates in 2013. That is crazy high. December 1st it is only $238. Booking the whole route from LA to Chicago is only $547.

If this is what they are really going to do, then I very well might have been priced out of our yearly vacation. In fact, buying points for the roomette may very well be cheaper than buying the roomette.

I wonder if this pricing has anything to do with the possible reroute. Perhaps trying to empty the train to help justify the reroute or cancellation of the whole train.

Or, I guess it could just be demand is to a point they can charge these prices.

Click to expand...

Even going LAX-CHI is $547 for a roomette on 2 December.

EDit: Duh, I see you posted that after I posted the $547. Coffee has not kicked in yet this morning.

Anderson said:

My understanding is that Amtrak has looked at adding a sleeper on the SWC and really lacks the equipment for it at the present time (the same is true of the EB as well); in the case of DEN-CHI, they seem to have partly solved the short-term jam there by often running a dedicated DEN-CHI sleeper. Thus, the SWC is subject to greater ridership pressures.

Click to expand...

They use to run an extra sleeper Chicago-Denver but apparently, because of Denver's station construction, they cannot drop the car in Denver and run the extra sleeper for the whole route. So they somehow came up with extra equipment to do that.

Here is another eye opener. I just chose November 21st, day before Thanksgiving, roomettes are $238.

printman2000 said:

My last trip a couple of years ago on this leg cost only $220. That is an 85% increase. For my family of four to get from Lamy to Chicago round trip would be $1203 (two roomettes). Denver to Chicago would only be $830.

Click to expand...

I was incorrect in the price of $1203 for a round trip. That is ONE WAY. Round trip would be $2406. Now that is a crazy high price.

Even if I get two AGR rooms, I will be spending like $1500 round trip. I think Amtrak has successfully priced me out of a trip next year. Hopefully they will go down.

printman2000 said:

Anderson said:

My understanding is that Amtrak has looked at adding a sleeper on the SWC and really lacks the equipment for it at the present time (the same is true of the EB as well); in the case of DEN-CHI, they seem to have partly solved the short-term jam there by often running a dedicated DEN-CHI sleeper. Thus, the SWC is subject to greater ridership pressures.

Click to expand...

They use to run an extra sleeper Chicago-Denver but apparently, because of Denver's station construction, they cannot drop the car in Denver and run the extra sleeper for the whole route. So they somehow came up with extra equipment to do that.

Click to expand...

Phrasing clarification request: Did they just add the sleeper for the whole trip, or were they forced to scrap the idea because of space issues? I'm not 100% clear on what you just said, and while I would assume that you said they're just adding the sleeper for the whole trip...I'm not quite certain.

Anderson said:

Phrasing clarification request: Did they just add the sleeper for the whole trip, or were they forced to scrap the idea because of space issues? I'm not 100% clear on what you just said, and while I would assume that you said they're just adding the sleeper for the whole trip...I'm not quite certain.

Click to expand...

They are adding the sleeper for the whole trip.

printman2000 said:

Anderson said:

Phrasing clarification request: Did they just add the sleeper for the whole trip, or were they forced to scrap the idea because of space issues? I'm not 100% clear on what you just said, and while I would assume that you said they're just adding the sleeper for the whole trip...I'm not quite certain.

Click to expand...

They are adding the sleeper for the whole trip.

Click to expand...

If they are adding a sleeper for the whole entire thing because Denver doesn't have the capability to drop/add cars, the extra car should be dropped at SLC. This way you can serve all CHI-DEN needs and also any extra sleeper riders on the congested Denver-western CO market. This would save (I think) three sleepers from where they aren't as necessary as any other segment on the national route system. Heck, even the AT could use two of those sleepers more than SLC-EMY.

It would be operationally inefficient to have set-out cars at ABQ because they would sit unused for 20 hours. The SWC should just a get more sleepers all the way through. The market is strong on both ends, from LA and Chicago, and Flagstaff/ABQ are good intermediate markets. On the CZ, the market is strong at both ends, but after RNO it drops off steeply. There is never a significant drop-off in pax loads on the SWC, is what I guess I was trying to say.

You could always try a drop at FLG instead of ABQ, but I tend to agree...the SWC is far more likely to be "endpoint heavy" than a lot of other routes.

One thing I do wish they could do is run through cars STL-KCY-LAX via the MORR.

printman2000 said:

Anderson said:

Phrasing clarification request: Did they just add the sleeper for the whole trip, or were they forced to scrap the idea because of space issues? I'm not 100% clear on what you just said, and while I would assume that you said they're just adding the sleeper for the whole trip...I'm not quite certain.

Click to expand...

They are adding the sleeper for the whole trip.

Click to expand...

I recently booked GBB to DEN and then DEN to EMY. For both segments I'm in car 533, which would have to be the third sleeper.

printman2000 said:

I have always believed in supply and demand and have said here before that Amtrak should charge as much as they can while still filling up their trains. I still say that but man, when it is my train, it can be painful.

I am still suspicious that this could be some plan of Amtrak to hurt this train. Not saying it is, just suspicious.

Click to expand...

I priced some roundtrips for two adults between Chicago and Flagstaff in a bedroom in October. For most dates, the fares range between approximately $2600 to over $3000! It's hard to comprehend that someone would pay that amount. For the same money, a couple could go on a two-week cruise on a very nice ship. In other words, you're paying as much for two nights in an Amtrak bedroom as you would for two weeks on a cruise ship. I think even the most ardent rail fans would have a breaking point on how much they're willing to pay. The majority of people don't have unlimited flexibility to travel on dates with the best pricing. At some point, Amtrak could price it's long-distance trains out of existence.

PaulM said:

printman2000 said:

Anderson said:

Phrasing clarification request: Did they just add the sleeper for the whole trip, or were they forced to scrap the idea because of space issues? I'm not 100% clear on what you just said, and while I would assume that you said they're just adding the sleeper for the whole trip...I'm not quite certain.

Click to expand...

They are adding the sleeper for the whole trip.

Click to expand...

I recently booked GBB to DEN and then DEN to EMY. For both segments I'm in car 533, which would have to be the third sleeper.

Click to expand...

Well, couldn't it also be the Transdorm?