Changing Reservations & Trains

[printman2000]

I just purchased Fort Worth to Washington DC for June 2014 on the Texas Eagle/Capitol Limited. I really want to use the Southwest Chief from Lamy, but prices are crazy high. When/if the prices drop for the Southwest Chief, I would like to change. The cost would be a bit more than the Texas Eagle but it is worth it for us.

When/if I call to make this change, I do not want to change my Capitol Limited portion of the trip (or risk paying more for that).

When I call, do the have to cancel the whole trip and rebook from a different city? Or can they change the departure city and first leg train without messing with the second leg (Capitol Limited)?

 

[Bob Dylan]

When you call, "Modify" your Rez, don't Cancel it or you might Lose your Room on the other Trains and Pay a Higher Bucket for ALL your Legs! As you said, you will have to pay any difference for the SWC vs. the TE but if the Rooms have come down there shouldnt be that huge a difference, Lately the Eagle has been running @ High Bucket most days due to increased Ridership and Tempo Marketing has caught on and jacked up Prices accordingly! (But not as much as the SWC which give the LSL.EB.CZ and CL a Run for their overly High Prices! ! )

 

[AlanB]

Lately the Eagle has been running @ High Bucket most days due to increased Ridership and Tempo Marketing has caught on and jacked up Prices accordingly! (But not as much as the SWC which give the LSL.EB.CZ and CL a Run for their overly High Prices! ! )

TEMPO only controls pricing for coach. They have no say in the price of sleepers, which remains fully within Amtrak's control.

 

[AlanB]

When I call, do the have to cancel the whole trip and rebook from a different city? Or can they change the departure city and first leg train without messing with the second leg (Capitol Limited)?

NO, they don't have to cancel the Capitol Limited leg to modify the Eagle/SWC leg. This is not to suggest that if one is unlucky enough to get an agent who doesn't know what they're doing that they won't cancel the entire reservation and start over.

So be quite specific in what you want and if the responses from the agent give you any hint that they're not on their game and don't know what to do, just thank them and do nothing. Then call back and try again.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Lately the Eagle has been running @ High Bucket most days due to increased Ridership and Tempo Marketing has caught on and jacked up Prices accordingly! (But not as much as the SWC which give the LSL.EB.CZ and CL a Run for their overly High Prices! ! )

TEMPO only controls pricing for coach. They have no say in the price of sleepers, which remains fully within Amtrak's control.

Thanks for the Clarification, I knew that Alan but I wasn't real clear! ( I'm Old! :giggle: ) TEMPO has jacked the Low Bucket Rail Fare from AUS-CHI from $95 to $133 in Two Years and on certain days it goes as High as $265!!!! Amtrak does the same with the Sleepers ($134(Rare)-$365 for Roomettes) which is Good for Them, not so Good for us!!

 

[printman2000]

Jim, I am buying 11 months out so there seems to be plenty of low buckets roomettes on the Texas Eagle. As I have mentioned elsewhere, the Southwest Chief is opening at over $400 for roomettes Lamy to Chicago. Whereas the Eagle is $177 for Fort Worth to Chicago.

 

[printman2000]

Thanks for all the answers. I will update if I am successful. Though it will not be for a couple of months when they decide to lower the Southwest Chief prices.