Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee

[haolerider]

The Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee (ACAC) is looking for seven new committee members to fill vacancies of members whose terms expire at the end of August.

The committee is composed of volunteers who represent the diversity of passenger service needs and desires. The ACAC seeks candidates who are Amtrak passengers for all regions of the country. Members attend two national meetings per year as well as regional meeting.

Applications for ACAC must included:

1. a letter of interest explaining how the candidate''s travel customer, educational and work experiences can benefit Amtrak and the committee's work,

2. a resume,

3. a list of the short and long distance Amtrak trips that the candidate has taken during the past twelve months, and

4. planned trips fo the next 12 months.

Completed application packages should be mailed by August 31st to:

Ms. Kate Warr

Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee

900 Second Street NE, Suite 308

Washington, DC 20002

Fax: 202-408-8287

email: [email protected]

(Amtrak and NARP employees and their relatives may not serve.)

Go for it if you think you want to be involved in decisions about customer service.

 

[haolerider]

I am curious why no one has responded or commented on this opportunity. Have any of you been on this committee in the past? As much knowledge and interest as everyone seems to have in Amtrak correcting itself, I am amazed that there seems to be little or no interest in acutally doing something about it.

As we used to say in the 60's..........you're either part of the solution or part of the problem..........better to be part of the solution.....

 

[Steve4031]

Well, you bet I am gonna apply. I live in Chicago, and would enjoy helping Amtrak improve it's service in the midwest.

What are the benefits of doing this?

What re the requirements if accepted?

 

[musher]

Perhaps because the instructions were to contact Ms. Kate Warr. I don't thin they were going to be reading this board to get their applicants.

 

[City of Miami]

I applied last year and they turned me down. I was willing and rearing to go. I wonder what they wanted that I didn't have.

:huh:

 

[Steve4031]

I applied last year and they turned me down. I was willing and rearing to go. I wonder what they wanted that I didn't have.:huh:

I appliead for this year. I listed about 15 train trips that I took on Amtrak this palst year. And I listed 5 planned trips for this year. But . . . who knows what they want. I will let you know if I make it.

 

[saxman]

I hope you get it. That way you can give us some inside scoop on whats going on over there. Yet, I'm sure some things might be confidential.

Chris

 

[Midland Valley]

I hhope several of you get the opportunity to help Amtrak through this committee. However, if I go to one more meeting, my wife will kill me dead!

 

[Trogdor]

A friend of mine is currently on the committee. I'd apply if I wasn't in graduate school, and I had the ability to block off a few days to travel across the country for a mid-semester meeting.

 

[Steve4031]

A friend of mine is currently on the committee. I'd apply if I wasn't in graduate school, and I had the ability to block off a few days to travel across the country for a mid-semester meeting.

Cool

Do they pay for your friends travel, or does he have to do his own expenses?

 

[Trogdor]

If the travel is to go to an ACAC meeting, they will reimburse travel expenses (including sleepers). If you're just traveling for your own personal reasons, you've got to pay for it.

 

[Steve4031]

If the travel is to go to an ACAC meeting, they will reimburse travel expenses (including sleepers). If you're just traveling for your own personal reasons, you've got to pay for it.

Well, I hope I get it then. Hopefully, I can get my Amtrak reward points too.

 

[haolerider]

Glad to see there is interest in this. I hope someone from this board is accepted and gets to provide input.

I have no idea what the requirements are, I simply ran across the inforamtion and thought it would be something the board members would be interested in doing.

 

[Sam Damon]

A contact of mine just got a polite rejection letter concerning his application for the council.

He gave me the impression they didn't want anyone whose primary use of Amtrak was on the intercity trains -- just the NEC and Capitol Corridors.

Oh, well.

 

[Trogdor]

A contact of mine just got a polite rejection letter concerning his application for the council.
He gave me the impression they didn't want anyone whose primary use of Amtrak was on the intercity trains -- just the NEC and Capitol Corridors.

Oh, well.

I can assure you that's not true, considering that a friend of mine was on the council last year (and may still be on it, I'm not sure if the term is for one year or two), and the train he rides the most is the Southwest Chief. It's just that, like pretty much everything else, there are far more applicants than there are positions available. Not everyone gets to go.

 

[haolerider]

I think there are more applicants who are in NEC or in the corridors than those that are in Long Distance Train regions. I am sure there is no bias against long distance trains.

 

[Sam Damon]

I can assure you that's not true, considering that a friend of mine was on the council last year (and may still be on it, I'm not sure if the term is for one year or two), and the train he rides the most is the Southwest Chief.  It's just that, like pretty much everything else, there are far more applicants than there are positions available.  Not everyone gets to go.

Hey, no biggie.

I'm just sharing with the board what his *perception* was. Like you said, undoubtably there are more applications than positions available.

 

[Clint]

Sam:

After learning about the Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee in this forum, I applied and was accepted as a new member to the committee this month. (thanks Gene Poon, wherever you are!). With that said I can tell you that of the seven committee slots open and filled this month four where filled by candidates outside of the NEC and Capitol Corridors. Committee openings are based on vacancies on the ACAC’s Regional Service Committees and its Disabled & Senior Task Force. These committees evenly represent Long Distance Servies East & West and Short Distance Servies East & West and are populated as such. As a member I will also share the revelant conerns voiced in this forum with the committe.

Clint

 

[Sam Damon]

Clint,

Thanks for sharing. I'm sure you'll have an interesting experience, especially in these times!

 

[WICT106]

I might put my resume in. WHo knows? I might actually get paid while attending Grad School

 

[haolerider]

I'm glad that someone who will post on this board has gotten accepted to the committee. I look forward to hearing the issues discussed and the reacions of the Amtrak representatives. Too many times, the voices that are heard are concerned with issues in the big cities across the country and not the smaller markets.

 

[GG-1]

Sam:
After learning about the Amtrak Customer Advisory Committee in this forum, I applied and was accepted as a new member to the committee this month.

<Snip>

These committees evenly represent Long Distance Servies East & West and Short Distance Servies East & West and are populated as such.   As a member I will also share the revelant conerns voiced in this forum with the committe.

Clint

Aloha

I would like to be a member as there are several things I would like to contribute.

However because I am so remote from the Amtrack system, I can not participate.

Since you offered could you relay my biggest concern? That is to develope a package deal that includes air fare from the Hawaiian Islands. Each time I need to go to something on the mainland, I run into routing dificulity, as the air and rail cannot be combined into a round trip package.

For example (this was some time ago) when booking a trip to Las Vegas I was unable to include the train so I had to book three one way trips at a price penalty, and then Amtrak admits the LA-LV was a bus. Next year I want to book a trip that would me getting and leaving the mainland from 2 different cities. P price panalty of anout 40 percent.

Thank if you have any ability to get this before the board.

 

[haolerider]

GG-1: Why can't you book your airfare and rail tickets separately? Where does the penalty come in? You fly from HNL to LAX and then begin your trip in LAX to wherever you are going. You then return from your trip and book your airfare out of the west coast. If you shop the internet sites, you can almost always find inexpensive fares out of the west coast to Hawaii. - one ways or round trips. If you are being penalized for not booking round trip, why don't you book the rountrip into the west coast and then arrange your Amtrak portion to return to the same origin city? There are plenty of ways to make that work. Years ago, I booked a trip from HNL to LAX - took the Coast Starlight to Seattle - laid over two days and took the Builder to Chicago - visited family and then took the City to New Orleans for a few days and then the Sunset to Arizona - visited the Grand Canyon, rented a car and drove back to LAX and flew home. Great trip and I got to show my children the size and beauty of the mainland.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

So far this is the way I have booked the trips.

But 4 years ago It would have been an advantage to Fly to Seattle EB to Chicago, SWC to LA and come home. the fare for this route, then 1625.00.

What I did was RT to LAX 400.00 CS to Seattle EB to Chicago, SWC to LA 860.00

Plus an extra day in Seattle.

My Travel Agent compred the cost difference Said as part of a pakage the Honolulu La portion would have been 150 cheaper. Also only one company to make the arangements and payments would be nice.

And if Amtrak Vacations comes back we residents of the state of Hawaii should have the access as the other 49.