Huge Variations in room prices for same length trip.

[Devil's Advocate]

You understand airline fare structures?

They're more complicated, true, but on the other hand there are many more options and many more tools available to evaluate the price and get the best value. And, honestly, it's rare that airfare costs me substantially more than a sleeper. Many times it's priced at a comparable level and sometimes it's substantially less. If you're traveling across butt-ugly Texas who cares if you ride through it or fly over it? In order for me to see the pretty scenery that would be worthwhile on a train I'd have to travel for many hours and through another night and morning just to get there. In the end it's generally easier and cheaper for me to fly, especially since I don't lose a whole day or two just getting to my destination.

 

[the_traveler]

If you're traveling across butt-ugly Texas who cares if you ride through it or fly over it? In order for me to see the pretty scenery that would be worthwhile on a train I'd have to travel for many hours and through another night and morning just to get there. In the end it's generally easier and cheaper for me to fly, especially since I don't lose a whole day or two just getting to my destination.

That is true!

But unless I absolutely "have to be there yesterday", I would much rather take a train then fly!

I don't look at it as "losing a day or two getting to my destination", I consider the train portion as part of my vacation!

I could easily fly from Denver to SLC or Grand Junction, but I'd rather take a train between them!

 

[GG-1]

<br />I'll be honest here, I really don't understand how Amtrak prices their bedrooms. What kind of business logic sells me a "deluxe" bedroom for half the cost of a roomette? It just doesn't add up. I know people here understand <i>how</i> it works but I've yet to see anyone explain to me <i>why</i> it works this way. I never much liked the way airline seats are sold, but at least I could understand it once it was explained to me. Amtrak tickets, on the other hand, make even less sense to me the more I read about them.<br />

<br /><br /><br />
Aloha

Well a simple answer is Amtrak uses an inventory management system similar to hotels. the more rooms sold the higher the remaining rooms are priced. I hope you realize that some variables creep in to the equations.

 

[alanh]

An additional factor on the SAS-ELP route is that the reservation system prices and sells space on the Texas Eagle and the Sunset Limited independently.

It's possible the cheap bedroom was on train #1 and the cheap roomette was on train #421, even though they're physically the same train here.