assigned seating in coach

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Steve4031

Engineer
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
7,023
Location
Chicago
As you have noticed from earlier posts, I will be traveling by coach from Chicago to Grand Junction. I already no the plusses of the left and rifht sides of the train as it leave's Denver. However, since getting a window seat is of primary importance I want to know if the coach attendance assign seats on this route out of CUS.
 
Car attendents will assign seats as you board and once the train has departed Chicago you can check with your car attendent to change seats if you are unhappy with your accomadations. Also, if there is an avlabilitly, see if you can upgrade to a sleeper. :)
 
Yuck,

I have had bad experiences with attendants who are control freaks who cater only to families and old people. I have rights too. I will look into upgrading to a sleeper, but since I have an internet fare, I wil have to check on board. How much is an on board upgrade anyway?
 
Onboard upgrades run around 50% off the fare if you bought a sleeper before hand. So I'de say anywhere from around $100-$150, but it could be less or it could be more. B)
 
Thanks for the info. I will look into an onboard upgrade. If the coach is not to crowded, (a likely possibility) then I should be able to get my window seat without a hassle.

Why assign seats anyway? To me this should be first come, first serve. Those who really need to get on first could get a redcap.
 
Seats are assigned so the attendent knows where you are during an emergancy or when it is time for your stop he/she does not have to come searching for you or wake sleeping passengers. :)
 
I've only been on one "reserved coach" train, the Adirondack. Since my girlfriend and I were among the first to board the crew told us which car to sit in and we picked our own seats.
 
I know that "reserved coach" in corridor trains typically guarantees a seat, but not assigning one. Thats different from the Long Distances though.
 
I know that "reserved coach" in corridor trains typically guarantees a seat, but not assigning one. Thats different from the Long Distances though.
Click to expand...
Makes me wonder if Amtrak ever oversells trains these reserved corridor trains in the finest airline tradition and what do they do should everone who has a ticket shows up creating a more people than space for them situation.
 
Yuck,I have had bad experiences with attendants who are control freaks who cater only to families and old people. I have rights too.
Click to expand...
Now Steve, perhaps they are control freaks. But it is done for a good reason. Perhaps you often travel alone, and would very much enjoy having your own seat. That is quite possible if the train does not fill up. But on a crowded run, the attendants are doing a good service in catering to families. I would not want to be separated from my child because there were not enough seats together. It helps knowing who is on the manifest, so they can block out some seats ahead of time.

Now all that said, I feel that there is a big problem with assigning seats to anybody. I have had MANY experiences in the past few years, where an attendant told me and my son what seats to take when we boarded, and when we got there, those seats were occupied. So now, we have to sit someplace else, and we take seats that were assigned to somebody else. You can see the mass confusion this creats. The crews are really not to blame, it's the people who did not remain in the seats to which they were assigned. The procedure needs some tweaking, and people have to be reminded to keep their butts in their own seats.

On the other hand, we had a very good experience a few years ago. We rode Train #80, the Carolinian, from Raleigh, NC back home to New Jersey. We had taken Carolina Business Class. When the train came into Raleigh, an attendant knew our names, and told us which seats to go to. When we got to the seats, there was a marker with our last name over the seat, in effect reserving it for us so nobody else would sit there. I felt this was a nice, personal touch, but unfortunately, it's never been duplicated anywhere else since.
 
Makes me wonder if Amtrak ever oversells trains these reserved corridor trains in the finest airline tradition and what do they do should everone who has a ticket shows up creating a more people than space for them situation.
Click to expand...
They must. I've taken train #95, an Acela Regional Boston-Newport News, three times in the past year and there are always standees or people who have to camp out in the cafe, south of New York all the way to Washington. It makes me think that Amtrak does not actually reserve these trains thinking they won't fill up.
 
Amfleet said:
Makes me wonder if Amtrak ever oversells trains these reserved corridor trains in the finest airline tradition and what do they do should everone who has a ticket shows up creating a more people than space for them situation.
Click to expand...
They must. I've taken train #95, an Acela Regional Boston-Newport News, three times in the past year and there are always standees or people who have to camp out in the cafe, south of New York all the way to Washington. It makes me think that Amtrak does not actually reserve these trains thinking they won't fill up.
Click to expand...
They could've had unreserved tickets.
 
My tickets have always said reserved coach. Reserved also means that commuter passengers are not allowed to ride a reserved train. However, I believe commuters are allowed on unreserved trains.
 
Reserved also means that commuter passengers are not allowed to ride a reserved train.  However, I believe commuters are allowed on unreserved trains.
Click to expand...
I believe that Virginia Railway Express passengers usually are allowed to ride Train #95 (Acela Regional reserved) with their monthly tickets. However, in busy times, such as holiday eves, when #95 is known to be sold out, they tell their passengers not to ride #95 but to take a regular commuter train.
 
My Capitol Corridor (an unreserved service) 10 trip ticket says good on some reserved trains. When I inquired as to which reserved trains it might be good on I was told it is good on the Zephyr from Sacramento-Emeryville, and the Coast Starlight between Oakland-Sacramento. The ticket woudl be good San Jose-Sac if my 10 trip were for that far south.
 
Superliner Diner said:
Now Steve, perhaps they are control freaks. But it is done for a good reason. Perhaps you often travel alone, and would very much enjoy having your own seat. That is quite possible if the train does not fill up. But on a crowded run, the attendants are doing a good service in catering to families. I would not want to be separated from my child because there were not enough seats together. It helps knowing who is on the manifest, so they can block out some seats ahead of time.
Click to expand...
I understand your concern. My worst experience with this mess, was on the Crescent out of Washington. I stood in line for hours(the train was late) so that I could be near the front of the line and then get on to get a window seat. I get to the car door, and ask the attendant for a window seat. She snarls, "you sit where I tell you to sit". I was the third person on, and she assigned me an aisle seat. I knw changing seats would screw it up for everyone else, so I took my lumps. I figured since the train was late, everyone was on edge. Later, as the train got under way I noticed some people were getting off in Charlottsville, VA. (I think). I asked this creature feature car attendant if she could move me to a window seat upond departure of Charlottsville. Again she snarled at me that I was to stay where I was supposed to stay. Well when the conductor came through, I asked for the OSB. There was none on this trip. He stated that he was in charge. I explained my experience, and reiterated that I had made reasonable requests politely, and had been snarled at both times. I then told him that if I did not have a window seat by daylihg,t I would take down the name of everyone on the train and then right a complaint letter. Needless to say, I was pissed by this point. Moments later, I went bacck to the lounge for a coke. I saw the conductor chewing on a certain attendant's hindquarters in the vestibule. As I was waiting in line in the snack car, she came in and told me I could move to a window seat in Charlottsville.

I understand that they assign seats to make sure peolple get off at the correct stops. I understand that families want to sit together. Great. But when I am the third person getting on the train, and I have invested time and energy to get to the station early, I think it is reasonable to get a window seat. I understand that the seat next to me will probably be occupied, and this is fine.

Anyway, I will arrive early at CUS. statnd in line, and when they get done preboarding all of these other perfectly healthy people who got to the station AFTER ME, I will do my Marshall Faulk imitation and hurry down the platfor to snag (hopefully) a window seat.
 
Steve,

If you want to ensure your being one of the first to board, are carrying more than a backpack, and don't mind parting with a couple of those bucks you saved on your ticket then try this. Find one of those sometimes-elusive redcaps and give him your bag. He will then come for you to pre-board the train, before they release the masses, as he can’t be putting bags into the cars while dozens of passengers are trying to board. This will ensure that you get to the car before everyone else, except for sleeper passengers and anyone else using a redcap.

With a little luck, a pocket lighter by a buck or two for the redcap, this should increase the odds that you get a window seat. Plus since you will be amongst the first to ask the attendant for a special seat, they might be more amenable than they would after 50 people have asked for a special seat.

Good luck! :)
 
Good advice. I tip him 10 bucks. I will let you know how this works out. I will only have one small roll aboard suitcase and a small bag for my scanner, portable mp3 player, headphones, books, etc.
 
Assigning seats on long-distance trains seems to vary depending on the train and the number of people expected. I've only been assigned a seat on the Builder twice, once when one of the two coaches out of Portland was bad-ordered and pulled from the consist, and once when the train was absolutely jammed to capacity. Otherwise, it's been pretty open seating most of the times that I've been on the Builder.
 
I noticed that after I booked my rail sale seats, that it stillshowed that 8 seats were available. I have never ridden a long distance train to the west coast in November. May it will not be crowded. There still is sleeper availability too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top