Amtrak Metropolitan Lounges

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MarkInAustin said:
Metro Lounge in DC has "modern" seats that are not so comfortable. There were very good attendants on my most recent journey.

Last time I was in LA Metro Lounge the TV was set to something unwatchable. I asked the attendant if I could change the channel and she said she would change it. I asked her to stop when she reached PBS. I asked the several folks near me if that was OK and they agreed. So we pegged it on PBS and got a light round of applause around the room.
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Its LA,Car Chases and " Reality" Shows rule in Lotus Land!
 
Question: I plan to purchase Amtrak business-class tickets for my wife and two of her friends for a girl's night out. I'm not traveling with them. I was hoping to get them access to the Metropolitan Lounge at NY Penn Moynihan Hall. I have Select Plus Guest Rewards status. However, Amtrak said they would not be able to gain entry due to me not traveling with them. Is there a Lounge Day Pass that can be purchased for a situation like this? Thanks.
 
NYP2NFL01 said:
Question: I plan to purchase Amtrak business-class tickets for my wife and two of her friends for a girl's night out. I'm not traveling with them. I was hoping to get them access to the Metropolitan Lounge at NY Penn Moynihan Hall. I have Select Plus Guest Rewards status. However, Amtrak said they would not be able to gain entry due to me not traveling with them. Is there a Lounge Day Pass that can be purchased for a situation like this? Thanks.
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You can purchase a One Day Lounge Pass for $50 per Person,( or 1,500 Points) which is Pricey if there are several Passengers traveling together.

You could also buy a package of Passes from AGR with Points which might be a better deal.

Call AGR!
 
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dlagrua said:
The shame is that there are not more first class lounges in the major city stations. There are a few that are unmanned like at New Orleans and and Minneapolis/St Paul. There you have private waiting rooms and depending on the location, you may find coffee or minimal snacks. Last we were there a while ago, New Orleans had the "lounge" in the corner of the station and you needed an access code to open the lock. There was coffee there but rest rooms are outside, but not much else. There were a couple of concession stands in the station but this was pre-covid.
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Sidney said:
LA’s Metro Lounge is quite small and sometimes it is filled to beyond capacity. On one such occasion I moved to the ticketed seating area. Shame there are no such lounges in cities that could really use them like Seattle and Sacramento. Passengers transferring to the Starlight from the Zephyr have a ten hour wait(if on time) Lots to do near the station but after dark a lounge would be nice for sleeper passengers waiting on the Midnight Starlight arrival, Seattle is a major station serving the Starlight and the Builder. Guess the City of Seattle has no interest in a first class lounge.
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I recently took the EB, east by coach on the Portland leg, from Portland Union Station to Spokane, transferring to a sleeper there on the Seattle section when and went on to points east. Portland has a nice Metro Lounge. I much appreciated being given access to the lounge in Portland due to my Sleeper ticket down the line. Spokane did not seem to have a separate metro lounge, but the station is roomy and they have a choice of seating, not just the classic wooden train station seats. That was nice considering the Seattle section was late departing. I appreciated when the conductor got me to the train and the SCA had the bed ready.

I had an interesting return trip. I took two legs on the CZ back west, Omaha to Denver, to visit family in the Front Range, then a few days later, Denver to Sacramento, all coach, as the Zephyr was full and I was not successful in any upgrade bids to sleeper. Although the first segment is quite doable in coach, the second can be a bit draining, even considering the always spectacular scenery.

My SCA on the EB was also my coach attendant on the trip to Sacramento. That was a pleasant surprise. A very efficient and courteous Amtrak employee.

BTW, I have been through the Sacramento train station a handful of times and twice was in the Sacramento lounge. Although it is small, still softer to bide away the hours and the lounge is conducive to conversation.

This time, I did not have the longer wait for the CS, as I discovered an overnight bus heads back to Oregon, and you can walk from the train station to the bus stop in "Old Town" Sac, to board the bus. Not necessarily for the faint-hearted I have been told by a friendly local. Apparently the tigers come at night, as 'Les Miz' asserts. The only ones I came close to were still kittens.

I am also sorry to hear that Seattle does not have a Metro. Too bad! Think I will consider doing more coach segments with hotels strategically located for night respites, perhap?. Although there are perhaps more value than rooming in Seattle for a night.
 
I wonder if prohibiting business class passengers in the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago has to do with the fact the new business class cars are about to be open to be booked. Once the venture business class cars open up for bookings there's going to be a lot more business capacity per train so I'd assume the lounge wouldn't be able to keep up.
 
I think the part none of us have really explored is how the revenue is split on the state supported trains in terms of how much goes to Amtrak to support these passengers receiving lounge access. Particularly if they were to upgrade the offerings.
 
IAlam said:
I wonder if prohibiting business class passengers in the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago has to do with the fact the new business class cars are about to be open to be booked. Once the venture business class cars open up for bookings there's going to be a lot more business capacity per train so I'd assume the lounge wouldn't be able to keep up.
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For the hubby and me, Business Class not having access to the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge wouldn't be that much of a hardship, as we'd probably only ride Business Class (in the old or new cars) on the Lincoln Service to Chicago to connect with sleeping car reservations on a LD train.
 
I know that overcrowding wasn't the only issue for why Pacific Surfliner tickets no longer get access to the Metropolitan Lounge.

LOSSAN, the joint powers authority that operates the Surfliner, paid Amtrak for Surfliner Buissiness Class customers to access the Metropolitan Lounge and the Surfliner right now is in a bad financial place from all the lost revenue and additional costs of the surfliner corridor being closed for so many months. It's also why so many ticket offices have been closed.
 
NYP2NFL01 said:
Question: I plan to purchase Amtrak business-class tickets for my wife and two of her friends for a girl's night out. I'm not traveling with them. I was hoping to get them access to the Metropolitan Lounge at NY Penn Moynihan Hall. I have Select Plus Guest Rewards status. However, Amtrak said they would not be able to gain entry due to me not traveling with them. Is there a Lounge Day Pass that can be purchased for a situation like this? Thanks.
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Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I was able to purchase two (2) Lounge Day Passes for 3,000 Points. They are good for one (1) year from date of purchase. Since the holder of a pass can bring one (1) guest, two were plenty so all three can enter the lounge.
 
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I was recently at the LA Metropolitan Lounge. I just got off the Texas Eagle and was transferring to the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. They ended up sending me to the wrong track, wrong train and I missed my train. Fortunately for me, I was able to catch the train 1 hour later. The conductor was nice enough to let me on even though my ticket wouldn’t scan. It was partially my fault for trusting the driver to take me to the right train.
 
uncleboots said:
I was recently at the LA Metropolitan Lounge. I just got off the Texas Eagle and was transferring to the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. They ended up sending me to the wrong track, wrong train and I missed my train. Fortunately for me, I was able to catch the train 1 hour later. The conductor was nice enough to let me on even though my ticket wouldn’t scan. It was partially my fault for trusting the driver to take me to the right train.
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Thats a first for me,in all my 50+ years of riding Amtrak, Ive never had a Redcap take me to the wrong Platform to board my Train.😱
 
Bob Dylan said:
Thats a first for me,in all my 50+ years of riding Amtrak, Ive never had a Redcap take me to the wrong Platform to board my Train.😱
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What happened was there was a lady going Northbound. I didn’t realize it but they told the driver we were both going to the same destination. Next time I will remind the redcap where Iam going.
 
LongHauler said:
Lol - this is all we ever talk about when we mention the LA lounge.
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I have to update, having spent a couple of hours in the LA Metropolitan Lounge on an ABQ-SJC since this entry. The lounge attendant at work during this visit, Keith, was extremely skilled at handling the demands of so many in a tight space.

He recognized returning passengers with specific details of previous times through the lounge, he balanced the needs of passengers wanting to view the violent news of the day with those traveling with children. He made sure all were as comfortable as could be in the small space with a passenger who was clearly in need of support for health reasons but who also had a steady cough going that made some seats unattractive to most. And he skillfully conveyed with humor and clarity a bit of Amtrak policy that was not exactly what a passenger wanted to hear.

It's a tough room to work, and he did it extremely well.
 

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