Best and worst of Amtrak staff on our recent trip

[zephyr17]

What exciting trips you take, Zephyr17 !

I mostly take long ones, so there is more "exposure", and often on the Empire Builder. The Builder typically has oil workers going to or from multiple week shifts in the Bakken oil fields and are known to enjoy more than a few drinks.

But it's happened several times on the Starlight, too. On the westbound Boston section of the Lake Shore, sommeone was taken off for drunkenness at just Springfield. They must have gotten an early start.

 

[rfmccoy]

I travel cross country twice yearly (transferring in Chicago) and am very rarely scanned by a conductor or, for that matter, anyone else. I've never had an issue when I transfer trains.

Your confidence is grossly misplaced. You left out a keyword in your claim — YET.

 

[Trucker72]

So if they don't scan my ticket on the LSL our tickets for the next 3 weeks are all cancelled? Do I get a refund? If no, why do they cancel? I know it frees up inventory but we paid for all of these trains almost 9 months ago. I will be tracking down the conductor on every train from here on out but no idea what I'll say if a conductor gives me an attitude (I will make every effort to bite my tongue and call customer service).

 

[Bembidion]

Actually "scanned" does not necessarily involve scanning the ticket. Specially in Sleepers, often the SCA simply reports that you have boarded and occupied your accommodation to the Conductor, and the Conductor marks you "scanned". Sometimes when the CA checks you off while boarding on his list, the same thing may happen.

We had something like that on our recent Florida trip. Either the SCA or conductor just checked all of the people off who entered the sleeper. I'm sure it was all recorded later.

On the Amtrak Hartford Line/Metro North which I travel quite a bit, the Amtrak conductors always scan my ticket. CT rail conductors usually do. I recall one time when I asked the conductor about scanning my ticket and he said not to worry and use it another time. That was strange. Metro North conductors are a bit inconsistent in this regard.

 

[Bembidion]

So if they don't scan my ticket on the LSL our tickets for the next 3 weeks are all cancelled? Do I get a refund? If no, why do they cancel? I know it frees up inventory but we paid for all of these trains almost 9 months ago. I will be tracking down the conductor on every train from here on out but no idea what I'll say if a conductor gives me an attitude (I will make every effort to bite my tongue and call customer service).

I think you are wise to do so. We recently went to Florida from Connecticut. There was only a 9 minute window between trains in New Haven so I was going to take an earlier train. I got our ticket amended for an earlier train. I called Amtrak about it and they said that had we taken the earlier train and not the one we were scheduled for, without changing the ticket, the whole trip would have been cancelled with no refund. We would have been classified as a no-show.

Interestingly, the earlier train got cancelled due to mechanical problems so after a call to Amtrak, they put us back on the one with a close connection. I actually found out that the nine minute connection was fine because all we had to do was walk across the platform to get our connecting Northeast regional to Washington, D. C. Wouldn't have changed the ticket if I knew this!

 

[zephyr17]

So if they don't scan my ticket on the LSL our tickets for the next 3 weeks are all cancelled? Do I get a refund? If no, why do they cancel? I know it frees up inventory but we paid for all of these trains almost 9 months ago. I will be tracking down the conductor on every train from here on out but no idea what I'll say if a conductor gives me an attitude (I will make every effort to bite my tongue and call customer service).

If you aren't checked in electronically as present by a conductor or AC, yes, all segments on that reservation will be cancelled 2 hours or 2 stations after departure if on an LD. Other reservations aren't affected. It is why some of us break reservations at overnight layovers and return trips, to put in firebreaks. I do that myself now.

If they're called about it, Amtrak agents will try to reinstate the itinerary. However, since the problem may not be discovered until boarding the second train or the return, sleeper accommodations released may have been resold with no alternatives available. In that case they'll refund the accommodation charges. If you want to bail on the trip, they'll refund. You have to contact Amtrak, though, otherwise you'll be considered a "no show" and your fare forfeited.

As you can see, the consequences of a missed scan/check-in are severe and can have a catastrophic impact on travel plans, so I don't think verifying with the conductor is a bit out of line.

What I do is politely tell them I had a scan missed in past that caused problems with that trip and could they please verify? That is the honest truth for me, but I wouldn't condemn telling a little white lie. I've not had a conductor react badly to that.

On my last few trips, the conductor or AC has always scanned my ticket themselves on all segments. It was so consistent I thought they cracked down on the policy (conductors scanning/lifting tickets themselves is policy set forth in the Service Standards manual). Apparently based on the posts here I was just lucky on those trips.

 

[Kaljor]

I take a round trip sleeper two or three times a year between Florida and New York. I think a conductor only came to my roomette to scan my ticket one of those times. My last trip was toward the end of June, and I just realized from this discussion that I didn't get my points for this trip. There is a missing points request form on the website, and I did fill that out. Now I have to play the waiting game.

 

[Eric in East County]

If you aren't checked in electronically as present by a conductor or AC, yes, all segments on that reservation will be cancelled 2 hours or 2 stations after departure if on an LD.

This is something we’ve never really considered before. From now on, we will be much more aware of the need to have our LD tickets scanned in a timely manner. (The average passenger is probably not aware of this, either. This is why following the AU posts is so important.)