Acela first class vs business class

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

pooh2

Guest
What is the difference between First class and business class on the Acela express? (Looking to go Boston to NY and back for a day or weekend trip.)

There is a big price difference.

I've been business class on the Northeast Regional.

Is that the same type seating on the Acela?
 
First class has 2-1 seating on acela. There is an attendant who provides at seat meal/drink service. All alcoholic drinks are included. You can check out the menu at Amtrak.com (posting from my phone so can't grab link for you).

Is it worth it? It's about $80 or $100 IIRC for the upgrade from NYP-BOS. As a FC passenger you can wait in the club acela in NYP and BOS.
 
The price difference can be pretty high, IME. Business on the Acela is generally considered to be better than NER business.
 
Concur.

Acela First is where it's at. Good meal and free booze? Yes, please!
I took Acela First Class once on a free upgrade. While the seats, included booze and meals were nice, I decided that unless someone else was paying for it, or I have a free upgrade to burn off, or I hit the jackpot & had more money than I knew what to do with, I would not bother traveling Acela First Class again. But everyone has to make their own judgement on whether the extra $$$ is worth it to them.
 
Concur.

Acela First is where it's at. Good meal and free booze? Yes, please!
I took Acela First Class once on a free upgrade. While the seats, included booze and meals were nice, I decided that unless someone else was paying for it, or I have a free upgrade to burn off, or I hit the jackpot & had more money than I knew what to do with, I would not bother traveling Acela First Class again. But everyone has to make their own judgement on whether the extra $$$ is worth it to them.
And that is what many First Class passengers are doing. Taking advantage of free guest rewards upgrades. Or some company or client bought them the ticket.
 
I've never actually paid for first class on the Acela, haha. I've used upgrade coupons every time.

I'm definitely not a fan of the lunch/dinner options in Acela First class. It's not that the meals are bad, it's just that they've reduced the selection, and the main option is often a vegetarian option (I'm sure as a result of food service cuts). You definitely can't get a steak on the Acela anymore, haha.

I do find it interesting that NER business class passengers get free non-alcoholic drinks and newspapers, while Acela business class passengers get the same included amenities as coach pax on other trains (nothing at all).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
On a NER (and on many other trains) you have a choice of coach or business class. On AE you have a choice of Business Class or First Class. (There is no "coach".) So BC on AE could be considered coach.
 
Actually, Amtrak is dumb branding it as business. There are plenty of company travel expense departments who would reject it on that basis.
 
Amtrak really can't get a consistent definition of Business Class for the whole system. There is a description of Business Class on the website that pertains to all lines, but noted are the non-published exceptions and variations. First Class is defined for Acela. Sleeper Class is defined. Coach is defined.

Business Class is a hodgepodge mess in the world of Amtrak.
 
How I rank Amtrak's business class:

Coach car with "BusinessClass" stuck to the outside (that's happened, apparently) < Ex-Metroliner coach cars that are now business class cars < Acela Express Business class < Club-dinette business class.
 
Amtrak really can't get a consistent definition of Business Class for the whole system. There is a description of Business Class on the website that pertains to all lines, but noted are the non-published exceptions and variations. First Class is defined for Acela. Sleeper Class is defined. Coach is defined.

Business Class is a hodgepodge mess in the world of Amtrak.
BC is a hodgepodge of perks and features, in large part, because Amtrak has a hodgepodge of equipment with different seating and different corridor services. They have the Acela, Amfleet Is BC class cars with 2x2 seating, Amfleet I cafe cars with 2x1 seating, Surfliners & CA cars, Talgos, Horizons, Superliners used for corridor services. Some states are willing to support BC seating, some are not.

The Midwest should become consistent with the delivery of the corridor bi-level cars, although a state such as WI, if they get bi-levels, may pass on BC cars. The eastern routes will remain messy for BC as long as the Acela is defined as only BC and FC. Amtrak needs to label the Acela (non-FC) seats as BC in order to justify selling the Acela seats at a premium. Given the amount of revenue the Acela generates for Amtrak, can't say that the strategy is not working.
 
So, and I've thought I've seen this in the past, they should be clear: Acela Business Class needs to be separate from Business Class.

That's the importance of branding. Someone in Marketing in DC needs to wake up.
 
Thanks for the replies. We are not drinkers so not sure the meal would be worth it or not.. Kind of leaning toward the business class after reading this thread.
 
So, and I've thought I've seen this in the past, they should be clear: Acela Business Class needs to be separate from Business Class.That's the importance of branding. Someone in Marketing in DC needs to wake up.
Actually they are, even though it's not overtly obvious. On a NER it's business class (small letters), while on Acela it's Business Class (capital letters).
 
How I rank Amtrak's business class:

Coach car with "BusinessClass" stuck to the outside (that's happened, apparently) < Ex-Metroliner coach cars that are now business class cars < Acela Express Business class < Club-dinette business class.
The Northeast Regional Business Class cars have more legroom than coach class cars. 60 seats in Business Class. 72 seats in coach class. Busness Class also has two of the table four seaters. They have footrests at the seats and curtains on the window. So it is more than just Busness Class stuck on the outside. I think they are more comfortable than Acela Express Busness Class.
 
Last Saturday I rode the Acela Express for the first time (in First Class). It was the best train ride I've ever had in my life. Early boarding at Boston South Station, and had a glass of orange juice (I'm not a drinker, but I was surprised at the number of people getting alcoholic drinks at 8 am) at my seat just as we were departing. My order for breakfast was taken, I believe after leaving Back Bay station. Ordered the french toast which was about half the portion size you would expect on a long distance train. Attendant was extremely attentive, and always came around making sure we were all right. By the time I got my french toast, we were going 150 mph through Mansfield, MA. Of course you can go 150 mph on the same train in business class, but I thought the overall experience up to now made the first class cost worth it. Snacks (I believe trail mix) were served about 1/2 hour before arriving New York. Seconds were offered to anyone who wanted. Then just before arriving New York, the attendant handed out a warm moist towelette. I was extremely impressed.

I don't think I would do business class in the Acela, unless I really cared about the small time savings. I'd much rather do business class on a Regional. Seats are slightly less comfortable than Acela First Class, but much more comfortable than the standard Amfleet coach seats/

If you've never done the Acela before, do First Class just for the experience.
 
For Acela First Class (or even Northeast Regional Business), always buy an upgraded accommodation up front, from the beginning. From PVD-NYP the accommodation charge is $79 for First Class on the Acela, and $30 for Business on the Regional.

However, if you're deciding to upgrade after already booking a ticket, especially if you're doing it last-minute, a First Class accommodation could end up costing you as much as $152 to upgrade, or as much as $105 to upgrade from Coach to Business on the Regional. That's because you have the pay the current rail fare at the time of the upgrade in addition to the accommodation charge...

Also, be mindful that some discounts require advance purchase, such as AAA or Veteran's Advantage. These both require 3-day minimum advanced purchase, and if you find yourself wanting to upgrade to Business or First Class the day of your trip, you'll be paying the difference between the discounted fare you paid and the current full fare in addition to the accommodation charge.

Always do it up front, from the beginning.

-Nick
 
I would personally spring the extra few bucks and book from RTE if your getting on at PVD. One gets the select city pair points from RTE and not from PVD.

As for the comfort of seats. NER BC compared to Coach. I think that the seats in Coach are more plush then BC. But I've preferred the plushness for a while.
 
Amtrak really can't get a consistent definition of Business Class for the whole system. There is a description of Business Class on the website that pertains to all lines, but noted are the non-published exceptions and variations. First Class is defined for Acela. Sleeper Class is defined. Coach is defined. Business Class is a hodgepodge mess in the world of Amtrak.
Exactly. How difficult could it be to identify a unified set of amenities that are meaningful enough to provide a genuine incentive for coach passengers to buy up and then sell them as Business Class systemwide? Something that anyone who rides Amtrak could anticipate and book with confidence. Instead I tend to avoid “business class” on Amtrak because I have no idea what it means and the only thing I can truly count on is that it costs more. Other than that I have no idea what I’m getting and Amtrak’s sales pitch is borderline useless.

Frankly I can drink $80 worth of booze alone in that trip time.
At Amtrak prices $80 would buy you roughly 600ml. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone drink that much. Are you still in college?
 
I'd advise Amtrak (were I asked) that business class should have a standard seat pitch and a standard layout (2-2, probably, unfortunately). The coaches with 2-1 seating should probably get some other name ("custom class" or whatever).
 
Amtrak really can't get a consistent definition of Business Class for the whole system. There is a description of Business Class on the website that pertains to all lines, but noted are the non-published exceptions and variations. First Class is defined for Acela. Sleeper Class is defined. Coach is defined. Business Class is a hodgepodge mess in the world of Amtrak.
Exactly. How difficult could it be to identify a unified set of amenities that are meaningful enough to provide a genuine incentive for coach passengers to buy up and then sell them as Business Class systemwide? Something that anyone who rides Amtrak could anticipate and book with confidence. Instead I tend to avoid “business class” on Amtrak because I have no idea what it means and the only thing I can truly count on is that it costs more. Other than that I have no idea what I’m getting and Amtrak’s sales pitch is borderline useless.
Part of the issue here is the fact that most of the BC off of the NEC is not 100% controlled by Amtrak. The State's sponsoring the service get a say in what BC looks like and what gets offered to a BC passenger.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top