Why not do ABQ~FUL~SAN (instead of ABQ~LAX~SAN) ?

I awoke in the middle of the night (not unusual for me) with a "great idea".

Why not do my May trip ABQ-FUL-SAN instead of going all the way to L.A.?

I looked, and FUL has checked baggage on most trains so I can check luggage all the way through.

But when I tried (repeatedly) to check the fare, etc. I kept getting an error message :

"Problem with Your Itinerary: Sorry, we are unable to price the itinerary you selected.

Please modify your selection and try again. [Error ID: 720S]"

Sometimes it would say one train departs prior to one's arrival;

or I'd just get the error code #720S.

Any ideas? I'm thinking I need to just take this "idea" to my local station and have them book it,

although I would like to know any cost savings. (It'll save me time too.)

Thanks

This is what I had chosen:

P.S. Is there a website that lists and explains AMTRAK error messages ?

It can be booked that way using the multi-city booking tab. And I don't know if you saw my reply in your other thread, you can book this yourself. Unless you want to go to the station.

the_traveler said:

It can be booked that way using the multi-city booking tab. And I don't know if you saw my reply in your other thread, you can book this yourself. Unless you want to go to the station.

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That is how I tried booking it - using the multi-city tab.

I did book last December's trip online, but went to go to the station to get my ticket.

Maybe they'd mail it, but I don't like that option.

Now with e-tickets, there are no longer any tickets to mail. Your "tickets" are the bar code that the conductor scans. This can be printed out on your computer, or if you have a smart cell phone the conductor can just scan the bar code right off your cell phone screen!

Even if you go to the station to purchase your tickets, you will receive this SAME bar code as your ticket!

There's a pretty long layover required for connections from long-distance trains, due to how often they're late. If you pick the 10:14am or later Surfliner, the reservation will go through.

Coach Surfliner tickets are unreserved, so you can get on any one of them with a ticket. I'm not sure about switching business class seats; someone else will have to comment on that.

Business class seat on Pacific Surfliner is reserved. So you'll have to ride on certain train on certain date and time. You can exchange the ticket at the ticket counter.

What folks have already mentioned is true. I don't get why Amtrak.com requires a 3 1/2 hour layover to guarantee a connection between the SWC and the PacSurf at FUL. If you are not in Business Class, the seats are unreserved and you can take the very next train that comes through the station. Once onboard, you can upgrade to business class if it is available.

Now, that's for YOU. No telling when your baggage would arrive. It could be put on the 7:49 PacSurf even though you can't book it. OR it could be put on the train that you're booked and arrive two and a half hours later than you, should you be able to catch the 7:49.

The nice thing about booking to LAX is that on the return trip, you can board at the beginning of the run and will likely have a better selection of seats to choose from.

When I rode in the past, I had tickets to LAX but then boarded my return in FUL. That used to be OK with the paper tickets, but in today's eTicket world, your ticket could become void if you don't board at your ticketed station.

VentureForth said:

When I rode in the past, I had tickets to LAX but then boarded my return in FUL. That used to be OK with the paper tickets, but in today's eTicket world, your ticket could become void if you don't board at your ticketed station.

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Well, now that's something to think about.

Maybe I'll just do the ABQ-LAX-SAN. Saving a few bucks isn't that big a deal for me.

I was looking more at saving time. But if that free time is spent sitting in Fullerton a few hours, it's not worth it.

Can a red cap get me from the SWC to the Pacific Surfliner, without my needing to stand in line for a long time?

Yeah - for some reason Amtrak automatically books connections from the SWC through LAX instead of FUL - perhaps because switching checked baggage over at FUL would add extra delays. I've heard of people just getting off at Fullerton to make the connection - which if you're on time means you make an earlier train.

However, I'm not sure whether this can be done with e-tickets now in place. Does anyone know if they will allow you on a southbound Surfliner at FUL with a LAX-SAN ticket? I'm making this very connection in a few weeks, and if I can do it at Fullerton I'd like to do that if it means getting back to SAN a couple hours early (I live a few blocks from there, so picking up checked bags later isn't a problem). I definitely don't want to change my itinerary because I have a low-bucket sleeper on the SWC that would cost much more now

thully said:

However, I'm not sure whether this can be done with e-tickets now in place. Does anyone know if they will allow you on a southbound Surfliner at FUL with a LAX-SAN ticket?

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When did e-tickets go into effect?

Last December, I got off in Fullerton and boarded the Pacific Surfliner to SAN (with a few other travelers who urged me to join them in doing so).

I had reservations for Business class, and my ticket was readily accepted.

My luggage went on to LAX and then onto SAN.

I had booked my trip online, and printed out a bar code.

I took that to the ABQ station and using "that machine there" obtained four tickets.

ABQ-LAX

LAX-SAN

SAN-LAX

LAX-ABQ

Coming back to ABQ I did go into LAX, which was over packed and a zoo, numerous homeless types, etc.

A red cap got me to the lobby, and later to the SWC @ $5 tip each ride.

Old man vagabond said:

When did e-tickets go into effect?

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July 30th, 2012.