Sleeper Discounts

Do you think Amtrak should offer deep discounts on sleepers when they are available and are only needed for part of a night and the following day?. For example I board a train at 4 am (or more likely at 7 am with delays) and get off approximately 7 pm. If a room is available why not give a cut rate price that is just above the full cost of meals? Right now it is about $250. I would consider it for $100. Isn't making any profit better that nothing?

Do you think too many people would just wait and try to get deeply discounted rooms to make it impractical?

There is the outbound marketing desk which does this on a selected, case-by-case basis, if there are available rooms and no takers near the travel date. I wonder which criteria they use to determine who to call and who not to.

Anthony said:

There is the outbound marketing desk which does this on a selected, case-by-case basis, if there are available rooms and no takers near the travel date. I wonder which criteria they use to determine who to call and who not to.

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I was called to upgrade to a sleeper from Albuquerque to Fullerton, CA for only $100 - that's $61 less than the best booking price I found. I don't know why they called me instead of another passenger. Perhaps because I'm a Guest Rewards member? Perhaps because I've taken this route before... I don't know, but I took it! And, it wasn't that hard. I was called on a Saturday night and initially turned it down. I called back the number on my caller id and was able to book it the following Monday.

I really don't think they would have a significant drop in sleeper demand if they cut costs for unoccupied rooms. When I travel Amtrak overnight, I will get a sleeper regardless of price because I cannot do coach anymore as a single traveler. At times, attendants were considerate and tried to put people together such as two women. Now anything goes and I have woken up in the middle of the night to have people sleeping on my lap, snoring, kicking, drunkeness you name it. Also, the rooms sell out much much earlier than before. I booked my December travel in early September for the Capitol Limited and they wanted over $700 for a roomette. Incredible. In early January I was trying to book the Empire for end of May and roomettes for my dates were gone. Unlike airlines, I can't swich to another carrier to get me there on the rails, so I do what it takes to make my reservations as early as possible. If there are sleepers that are available for discount rates when I board, then cheers to the folks who get them at the discount rate. Just knowing I will have a bed for the night is worth the dent in my wallet.

I too was called by outbound marketing for a ride from New York to Orlando on the Silver Star last September. They offered me a roomette at $125 each way. The going rate on the sleeper at that time was $259 each way, and my cleint just paid $309 for mmy sleeper to Ft. Lauderdale in March. I was called two to three weeks before my trip.

I initially turned them down but called back a few days later to find that the deal was still available. I too was a new AGR member traveling alone. This was one of my first rides as an AGR member and my first long distane train ride in nine or ten years.

The other thing that I noticed is that the bedrooms were booked but the roomettes were fairly empty. There were only three or four other occupied rooms on both trains.

Rick

Guest said:

When I travel Amtrak overnight, I will get a sleeper regardless of price because I cannot do coach anymore as a single traveler. At times, attendants were considerate and tried to put people together such as two women. Now anything goes and I have woken up in the middle of the night to have people sleeping on my lap, snoring, kicking, drunkeness you name it.

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Have you or anybody else on this board ever purchased two seats? Would this guarantee an empty seat next to you? Does Amtrak permit you to do this? Anybody ever done this?

With confiscatory rates for sleepers and the concerns mentioned above, would this be a cost effective way to deal with the issue of sleeping next to an abject stranger?

Rick

rmgreenesq said:

Have you or anybody else on this board ever purchased two seats? Would this guarantee an empty seat next to you? Does Amtrak permit you to do this? Anybody ever done this?
With confiscatory rates for sleepers and the concerns mentioned above, would this be a cost effective way to deal with the issue of sleeping next to an abject stranger?

Rick

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Amtrak's Terms Of Transportation states:

Each passenger paying a fare will be entitled to a seat, to the extent coach seats are available.

Passengers are entitled to one seat per fare, to ensure other paying passengers are not excluded.

So- it would seem if you have 2 tickets, 2 seats.

But what if there are no two seats together? Then are you entitled to one seat in one car and another seat in another?

Buy 72 seats and have the car to yourself!

PRR 60 said:

Buy 72 seats and have the car to yourself!

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I'm sure that the car attendant would love that. It would make their job very easy. :lol:

does anyone know how to get the outbound people to call you? Is anyone willing to share the phone number.

Anthony said:

But what if there are no two seats together? Then are you entitled to one seat in one car and another seat in another?

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Typically, you get reserved seating, but that doesn't mean your seat is reserved. It just means that you are guaranteed a spot on the train. I've been on LD trains that you can pick any open seat, and I've been on others where I've been told (sometimes quite rudely as on the Silver Star) where to sit.

Me thinks that you could buy and resonably expect to have two seats for one person.

I have been on some pretty packed-to-the-gills reserved LD trains where the conductors were filling up every last seat with oversold pax. I doubt that second reserved ticket would hold much water with an overworked AC at 2AM trying to find room for the irate family of six :lol:

denmarks said:

Do you think Amtrak should offer deep discounts on sleepers when they are available and are only needed for part of a night and the following day?. For example I board a train at 4 am (or more likely at 7 am with delays) and get off approximately 7 pm. If a room is available why not give a cut rate price that is just above the full cost of meals? Right now it is about $250. I would consider it for $100. Isn't making any profit better that nothing?
Do you think too many people would just wait and try to get deeply discounted rooms to make it impractical?

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Accommodation charges are based on distance and not times of day, although varying buckets can be utilized to vary these fares.

Amtrak probably is willing to take a chance that someone will purchase the room for the entire journey of the train rather than let someone buy it cheap for a few hours. Of course, their willingness to hold out for higher fares probably varies depending on the market, equipment allocations, season, etc.

My problem is I am traveling from Bellingham , Wa to Minneapolis, Mn with a hearing service dog and I would love to get a huge discount on a sleeper, to avoid children and passengers bothering us, but I don't have a phone, and don't hear the PA system overhead and to know where we are at each stop..

I can afford to buy one ticket each way, that is all. I don't have fancy award membership or whatever..

:huh:

Thanks!

Guest_Lille_* said:

My problem is I am traveling from Bellingham , Wa to Minneapolis, Mn with a hearing service dog and I would love to get a huge discount on a sleeper, to avoid children and passengers bothering us, but I don't have a phone, and don't hear the PA system overhead and to know where we are at each stop..I can afford to buy one ticket each way, that is all. I don't have fancy award membership or whatever..

:huh:

Thanks!

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Amtrak has a TDD/TTY phone number - do you have one of these devices? It's 1-800-523-6590. Amtrak should also provide you with an accommodation for your disability, namely, the conductor will come get you when it's time for you to disembark. (The attendants are supposed to do this anyway. Tell them when you book the ticket that you want this, and they can enter a special service request into the train's manifest, the list of all passengers and train events that the crew receives a copy of.)

Also, note the following (I think the discount is 15%):

Details About Discounts
Amtrak offers a rail fare discount to passengers with disabilities. To receive the discount you must book your reservation by telephone or at a ticket counter. Sorry, discounts are not available when you book online.

You must also provide written documentation of disability at the ticket counter and when boarding the train.

Acceptable documentation includes:

*

Transit system ID card

*

Membership card from a disabilities organization

*

Letter from a physician

You may not combine this discount with other discount programs. Please ask your reservations sales agent for further details about restrictions.

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I have no idea what

1) Transit Sysytem ID card is ( or where to get one ( have used my car for all my travels)

2) Membership card from a disabilites organization ( for I belong to none)

3) I don't have a Doctor in this area, I could ask my old doctor.. hopefully..

But thank you for such great information and reply! So generous!

Bigval109 said:

does anyone know how to get the outbound people to call you? Is anyone willing to share the phone number.

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You can not "get" them to call you, nor can you call them. Amtrak uses this tactic to sell rooms in certain markets when business is slow.

The only way to guarantee yourself a room is to buy it in advance.

I'm hearing-impaired and had to call the reservation system, including TDD, in order to get 15% discount. Calling with TDD is hit and miss. So, I would call the regular reservation number via relay and tell the relay representative to ask for "Live Agent" within Amtrak reservation system.

I've rode on Amtrak for the past few years and the conductors on train never asked for my disability ID when checking the tickets. So I wouldn't worry about the ID.

The attendant will tell you when the arrival station is approaching. To be safe, have a chat with your attendant to allow you to be familiar with the train.

Since you'll be bringing your service dog along, it would be safe to bring proof of documentation along to show prove that your dog is a service dog.

To start with checking for price on sleeper, start working with online Amtrak reservation system to give you the price. Also check on "Hot Deals" on its homepage to check for any discount. If the 15% discount for the handicapped is the cheapest you can find, then call the reservation system to purchase.

Guest said:

Accommodation charges are based on distance and not times of day, although varying buckets can be utilized to vary these fares.

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I don't think that is correct. If you try and book a Viewliner roomette on #19 from Gainesville, GA to New Orleans, Amtrak is going to charge you $223 (and up) for it. However, to book from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans and from any stop in between the two, the roomette is only $91. These rates are consistent, which leads one to think that the rates are simply based upon demand. Train 19 leaves Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrives at New Orleans at 7:23 PM - no darkness, therefore not a strong demand for sleepers. Train 19 arrives Gainesville a few minutes before 7 AM, so I'm guessing that many sleeper car passengers detrain between Clemson, SC and Atlanta, thus causing the low rates for rooms after Atlanta.

BobWeaver said:

Guest said:

Accommodation charges are based on distance and not times of day, although varying buckets can be utilized to vary these fares.

Click to expand...

I don't think that is correct. If you try and book a Viewliner roomette on #19 from Gainesville, GA to New Orleans, Amtrak is going to charge you $223 (and up) for it. However, to book from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans and from any stop in between the two, the roomette is only $91. These rates are consistent, which leads one to think that the rates are simply based upon demand. Train 19 leaves Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrives at New Orleans at 7:23 PM - no darkness, therefore not a strong demand for sleepers. Train 19 arrives Gainesville a few minutes before 7 AM, so I'm guessing that many sleeper car passengers detrain between Clemson, SC and Atlanta, thus causing the low rates for rooms after Atlanta.

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Actually, the train pretty much empties out in Atlanta, therefore the sleepers are low priced from Atlanta to New Orleans. The same holds true for the Silver Service trains that empty out in Jacksonville and Orlando. There is a special day rate for sleepers south of Orlando. Generally if there is a daylight schedule at the end of the run, sleepers are lower priced for those legs. Accommodation charges are, in fact, based on time of day and booking trends, not always specifically on distance.

BobWeaver said:

Guest said:

Accommodation charges are based on distance and not times of day, although varying buckets can be utilized to vary these fares.

Click to expand...

I don't think that is correct. If you try and book a Viewliner roomette on #19 from Gainesville, GA to New Orleans, Amtrak is going to charge you $223 (and up) for it. However, to book from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans and from any stop in between the two, the roomette is only $91. These rates are consistent, which leads one to think that the rates are simply based upon demand. Train 19 leaves Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrives at New Orleans at 7:23 PM - no darkness, therefore not a strong demand for sleepers. Train 19 arrives Gainesville a few minutes before 7 AM, so I'm guessing that many sleeper car passengers detrain between Clemson, SC and Atlanta, thus causing the low rates for rooms after Atlanta.

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There is, of course a minimum fare to discourage someone reserving a room for a short, one stop ride, and again, it can fluctuate as buckets are opened and closed (due to demand). On the Crescent, demand is higher north of Altanta, so for passengers riding only between Atlanta and NOL, lower fares will be available. There are 5 buckets/fares for acommodations and they can be opened and closed to change fares. If demand is extremely low between ATL and NOL, you might see the lowest fares available most of the time, but that $91 will probably not be available on the last room available.

Fares are based on distance traveled AND demand.

BobWeaver said:

Guest said:

Accommodation charges are based on distance and not times of day, although varying buckets can be utilized to vary these fares.

Click to expand...

I don't think that is correct. If you try and book a Viewliner roomette on #19 from Gainesville, GA to New Orleans, Amtrak is going to charge you $223 (and up) for it. However, to book from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans and from any stop in between the two, the roomette is only $91. These rates are consistent, which leads one to think that the rates are simply based upon demand. Train 19 leaves Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrives at New Orleans at 7:23 PM - no darkness, therefore not a strong demand for sleepers. Train 19 arrives Gainesville a few minutes before 7 AM, so I'm guessing that many sleeper car passengers detrain between Clemson, SC and Atlanta, thus causing the low rates for rooms after Atlanta.

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A couple of years ago we were able to ride the Crescent in an acessible room which included three meals for three passengers. The room fare was only $39.95 but that seemed to be someone's way of trying to fill the car between Atlanta and New Orleans (it's a daylight run in both directions) notwithstanding that everyone had steaks that wiped out the room fare. Now it is much more expensive. And no more steaks...

So your saying i can ride in a coach from Gainesville Ga then move to a sleeper once the Crescent

arrives in Atlanta and get a cheap fare on a sleeper roomette?I guess would be required to have 2

tickets 1 from GNS to ATl then another ticket for my sleeper from ATL to NOL. I might try that some

time just to see if it would work.

denmarks said:

Do you think Amtrak should offer deep discounts on sleepers when they are available and are only needed for part of a night and the following day?. For example I board a train at 4 am (or more likely at 7 am with delays) and get off approximately 7 pm. If a room is available why not give a cut rate price that is just above the full cost of meals? Right now it is about $250. I would consider it for $100. Isn't making any profit better that nothing?
Do you think too many people would just wait and try to get deeply discounted rooms to make it impractical?

Click to expand...

Just a heads-up in case you didn't make it past the AAA companion fare 50% off headline to the small print on the Amtrak website which also allows for a 25% discount on sleepers through mid-March on many routes. You have to call for reservations to use the discount code posted on the website, however.

Joseph

Erie, PA