Fares that don't make sense

[NativeSon5859]

Thankfully I don’t take any vacation time in the traditional summer months (June - August) so I can still find decent deals in a sleeper.

In the second week of May I’m doing EMY-CHI for an even $600. I feel that’s an adequate price for the service and experience. Anything more is really pushing it, imo. But clearly there are people who will pay the $957 for the same trip in the same room just a month later.

I guess it’s been a matter of luck plus me taking vacations during off peak times, but I’ve been able to get low buckets on probably 90% of my trips over the past five years or so.

 

[Sidney]

For roomettes, they are all about $550-650, depending on Route. That rate is easier to find on some routes than others.

The one exception is the crescent, low bucket on that is $478

Thankfully I don’t take any vacation time in the traditional summer months (June - August) so I can still find decent deals in a sleeper.

In the second week of May I’m doing EMY-CHI for an even $600. I feel that’s an adequate price for the service and experience. Anything more is really pushing it, imo. But clearly there are people who will pay the $957 for the same trip in the same room just a month later.

I guess it’s been a matter of luck plus me taking vacations during off peak times, but I’ve been able to get low buckets on probably 90% of my trips over the past five years or so.

Always great to find low bucket. They are getting harder and harder to find. Like you,I won’t pay more than $650 for any Western trip from Chicago. Guess I won’t be riding the Southwest Chief again. $767 is the lowest price I can find,checking many dates. Still a relative bargain is the Texas Eagle. Leaving from Bloomington Il it’s $714 one person senior roomette. It’s been $448 for years. If you leave from Chicago it’s $960. Coach fare to Bloomington is $11. A saving of $235 for spending three hours in Coach. Three nights in a sleeper and seven meals ,albeit flex the first two days,still makes it Amtrak’s best deal. One night trips on The Coast Starlight cost nearly $700.

 

[Harmon Shay]

Join the club. What remains of the active sleeper fleet is priced so high it dwarfs all other scheduled services. You could fly first class, rent a limo, or charter a basic general aviation flight for the same or less than a bedroom on Amtrak. While replacements are supposedly on the way I would not expect to see meaningful fleet replacement for at least a decade and possibly longer than that. Making me wonder how much higher these prices can go between now and then.

It seems to me that this failure to understand markets outside the Northeast Corridor is nothing new at Amtrak. Back in the 80s, a group of us took a tour from Seattle to Whitefish. We were supposed to have roomettes, but Amtrak Routes Marketing in DC had Empire Builder roomettes underpriced and bedrooms overpriced at the time and absolutely refused to acknowledge that fact, even though roomettes were running full and bedrooms empty. We all ended up getting bedrooms at the roomette price. Of course I realize that now they're trying to get every penny they can through yield management, but this is ridiculous. It's time for Amtrak to be at least partially regulated in this area with caps on what they can charge.

 

[Steve4031]

I'm seeing 870 and 1001 for 6 from my to Chicago in early June. I will keep checking. Last summer I found a 670 care a week out for the same trip. Then when I caught an error in my booking where I had booked one day later than I planned I snd rebooked to the correct day for 600. This was in August.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I'm seeing 870 and 1001 for 6 from my to Chicago in early June. I will keep checking. Last summer I found a 670 care a week out for the same trip. Then when I caught an error in my booking where I had booked one day later than I planned I snd rebooked to the correct day for 600. This was in August.

Yeah I scored a semi-last minute low bucket on the zephyr last august as well.

 

[Anderson]

Thankfully I don’t take any vacation time in the traditional summer months (June - August) so I can still find decent deals in a sleeper.

In the second week of May I’m doing EMY-CHI for an even $600. I feel that’s an adequate price for the service and experience. Anything more is really pushing it, imo. But clearly there are people who will pay the $957 for the same trip in the same room just a month later.

I guess it’s been a matter of luck plus me taking vacations during off peak times, but I’ve been able to get low buckets on probably 90% of my trips over the past five years or so.

$957 for two nights plus meals is steep...but not utterly insane.

"Utterly insane" is trying to get $600-800 for one night on the Silvers.

 

[01piglet_patinas]

I used my rewards points for the coast starlight from LAX to SEA in coach-so that disqualifies me for an option to BID up.

 

[Sidney]

$957 for two nights plus meals is steep...but not utterly insane.

"Utterly insane" is trying to get $600-800 for one night on the Silvers.

Another one night train,The Coast Starlight is now charging close to $800 for a one person roomette. That’s the lowest I could find checking multiple dates. This is getting ridiculous

 

[trimetbusfan]

Another one night train,The Coast Starlight is now charging close to $800 for a one person roomette. That’s the lowest I could find checking multiple dates. This is getting ridiculous

Yep, fares range between $500-900 on the starlight. However due to the low capacity in the sleepers, good luck getting a low bucket except for in the off season.

 

[Anderson]

Yep, fares range between $500-900 on the starlight. However due to the low capacity in the sleepers, good luck getting a low bucket except for in the off season.

This. Amtrak could probably double sleeper capacity (at least) and not have to move the current buckets to sell most space outside of the slower season(s).

 

[Sidney]

This. Amtrak could probably double sleeper capacity (at least) and not have to move the current buckets to sell most space outside of the slower season(s).

$731 one person roomette is the lowest price I could find between Seattle and LA, Not sure if that is low bucket or not. Have a feeling it is.

 

[01piglet_patinas]

$731 one person roomette is the lowest price I could find between Seattle and LA, Not sure if that is low bucket or not. Have a feeling it is.

That's why I am going to use coach tomorrow-just getting one nights sleep and a few meals does not equate to $700 or more for me. Also, my return trip will be coach. Even though I am a senior and it may not be as comfortable-I would rather pay for 2 or 3 hotel nights for that high price for a sleeper.