Amtrak not showing Chief for NYP-LAX

[Maglev]

I was trying to do a comparison of American Airline's Transcontinental First Class ($5K JFK-LAX) with Amtrak, but the reservation system doesn't show the most direct routing via the Southwest Chief. I don't know what those five segment routes involving buses and a 2:15 am arrival are... I checked CHI-LAX the same date, and the Chief is available.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Click on details and it will show you the trains/buses. It’s using the CZ. I have no idea why it’s not showing the SWC unless someone failed to put that routing into the system.

 

[GAT]

Are you sure the Chief is running on your day of travel? Or that it is not sold out? (Both scenarious unlikely?)

 

[Maglev]

I checked CHI-LAX the same date, and the Chief is available.

Edit: I checked the next date (the train which connects to the date selected)

Are you sure the Chief is running on your day of travel? Or that it is not sold out? (Both scenarious unlikely?)

 

[GiantsFan]

What is the third option? Where is says multiple trains

 

[AmtrakBlue]

What is the third option? Where is says multiple trains

I think that one uses the Texas Eagle

 

[Maglev]

What is the third option? Where is says multiple trains

That's for the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight. I checked on a day that connects with the Eagle, and that routing shows (as well as the train and bus via the Zephyr), but no Chief.

 

[Maglev]

I tried different dates--no dice. Tried from Croton Harmon or Albany to LAX--no dice. Tried NYP to Flagstaff or Lamar--no connections available.

edit: WAS to LAX only shows the five-legs with bus and 2:15 am arrival.

 

[Rasputin]

I just tried to use the Amtrak booking site to price a trip on various dates in August and Sept. from Boston to Spokane but the site indicated that there was no Amtrak service between these two points. If you don't want to sell service, then deny that it exists.

 

[west point]

So why hasn;'t someone called reservations and told them. Record the call and if it is not fixed within a few days call the STB.

 

[jis]

Amtrak's borked combination of IT and Sales strikes again. This BTW is nothing new. This has happened in the past several times when someone forgot to enter all the allowed routes. Possibly a new inexperienced crew who do not know how to set things up yet.

 

[Rasputin]

So why hasn;'t someone called reservations and told them. Record the call and if it is not fixed within a few days call the STB.

I was on hold for over an hour with Amtrak reservations yesterday trying to make a different reservation. When I finally got an agent she had trouble applying my companion coupon so I was then transferred to guest rewards and was on hold for about 80 minutes with guest rewards before I finally got an agent and was able to complete my reservation. I will let someone else notify Amtrak that they no longer have service from Boston to Spokane.

In both instances the agents, once they came on the phone, were very helpful and efficient but the wait was a killer. If I hadn't had vouchers which were expiring and had to be used I would have given up.

 

[Maglev]

It's been fixed!

You can now book NYP-LAX via the Chief as a guaranteed connection!

Maybe my email to Amtrak (which might have exposed a diabolical plot) made a difference, maybe it was just a transient bug.

 

[Todd]

They have reservation issues!

Today, every date that I try the Buffalo to Seattle route, the only option that comes up is 3 segments; Buffalo to Chicago, Chicago to Portland and then Portland to Seattle.

At the same time, if you try Chicago to Seattle it gives you a direct route.

Messed up.

 

[Rasputin]

Glad to hear that NYP to LAX has been solved.

Still no service from Boston to Spokane.

 

[Maglev]

edit: @Todd and I posted at the same time.

I was checking on @Rasputin 's issue, and found some sort of bug that routes you through Portland to get from Boston to Seattle. There's probably all kinds of stuff like this in the system!



Just to show that the Empire Builder directly to Seattle is available:

 

[PaulM]

Are you sure the Chief is running on your day of travel? Or that it is not sold out? (Both scenarious unlikely?)

At least as of now, the SWC runs daily.

A sold out condition shows "sold out". It doesn't just disappear.

 

[Rasputin]

As a follow-up, I tried the Amtrak booking site today to check out prices for a possible Boston - Spokane Amtrak trip in September. The site continues to deny that there is Amtrak service between these points.

So I tried Boston to Portland, OR. Amtrak will allow me to book this trip as long as I go west of Chicago on the Southwest Chief to LA or on the CZ to Sacramento and then north from those points on the Starlight.

This seems rather ominous as far as the Empire Builder is concerned. Perhaps Amtrak is telling me that the Builder won't be around in September.

 

[jis]

For now I would suggest the adage "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence". But who knows? We do live in pear shaped times.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

As a follow-up, I tried the Amtrak booking site today to check out prices for a possible Boston - Spokane Amtrak trip in September. The site continues to deny that there is Amtrak service between these points.

So I tried Boston to Portland, OR. Amtrak will allow me to book this trip as long as I go west of Chicago on the Southwest Chief to LA or on the CZ to Sacramento and then north from those points on the Starlight.

This seems rather ominous as far as the Empire Builder is concerned. Perhaps Amtrak is telling me that the Builder won't be around in September.

Have you contacted Amtrak and asked them about this? It’s probably just a case of the city pair, via the EB was not put in the system. Letting them know will hopefully get them to update the system.

 

[zephyr17]

The connection pairs are always messed up for weeks after a scheduled change.

I'm with jis, it is probably just more incompetence from Amtrak's IT clown car.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The connection pairs are always messed up for weeks after a scheduled change.

I'm with jis, it is probably just more incompetence from Amtrak's IT clown car.

If it's a case of someone not inputting the city pair, then it's a GIGO issue, not an IT issue.

 

[jis]

As a follow-up, I tried the Amtrak booking site today to check out prices for a possible Boston - Spokane Amtrak trip in September. The site continues to deny that there is Amtrak service between these points.

So I tried Boston to Portland, OR. Amtrak will allow me to book this trip as long as I go west of Chicago on the Southwest Chief to LA or on the CZ to Sacramento and then north from those points on the Starlight.

This seems rather ominous as far as the Empire Builder is concerned. Perhaps Amtrak is telling me that the Builder won't be around in September.

Since the site has no qualms about offering the Empire Builder for CHI to SPK or CHI to Portland I don't think the EB is in any danger. It is more likely that the job of the person who is supposed to do the care and feeding of the reservation system data that may be more in danger.

Actually I am able to book BOS - CHI - SPK using multiple segment option of the web site, so there is no reason to believe that any train is disappearing.

 

[Rasputin]

Have you contacted Amtrak and asked them about this? It’s probably just a case of the city pair, via the EB was not put in the system. Letting them know will hopefully get them to update the system.

That is a good suggestion but see my earlier message (#12 in this thread). I am a bit exhausted from being almost three hours on hold last Saturday while trying to contact Amtrak by phone for an April reservation (unrelated to my possible Boston-Spokane trip.). Since the Spokane trip is speculative and not until Sept. I will try again in due time.

 

[zephyr17]

If it's a case of someone not inputting the city pair, then it's a GIGO issue, not an IT issue.

No, they couldn't develop an algorithm for it, so it becomes dynamic and doesn't require hours of input. Or even just change it so connecting train numbers could be entered, not each individual city pair.

That would be impossible, of course. Much too far beyond current IT state of the art.