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S

Sidney

Conductor
Joined
Jul 12, 2020
Messages
1,098
I was wondering if they would do something. 50% off all coach fares and Acela fares nationwide with the exception of the Pennsylvanian,Keystones and Surfliners and no more than $50 per segment. From Chicago to LA it's $50..two nights on the Chief,three nights on the Texas Eagle for example. If I was thirty years younger I would grab it but even two overnights in Coach is masochistic.

When booking a statement says even if the train is full,you may have someone sitting next to you. A real sore point. I just wish Amtrak had some deal for solo travelers who would love the seat next to them vacant. I ve tried to buy the seat next to me but Amtrak wouldn't let me.

No deals on sleepers. I punched in a mid June date on the SW Chief from Chi-LA Coach $50 Sleepers starting at $1075.
 
They have NYC to Chicago or New Orleans for $50...and Syracuse to Chicago for $42 too...dang I'm so tempted. I wonder how long this sale will last?
 
Looks to be tied to the Saver fare, and the fare sale page states that the fare is active through May 5. Note that the T&C state that there's a 25% penalty for cancellation (refunded to a voucher) but changes to a different date would be free after clarifying with Amtrak on Twitter. That said, currently if I go to try and cancel a Saver fare that I booked over 24 hours ago (not related to the sale, travel is this month) it says that it can be cancelled to a voucher at 100% with no fees charged. I haven't tried to complete it since I plan to travel that ticket, but I wonder if the advertised policy is a 25% penalty, but the system is coded to allow the cancellation to a voucher without fees at least through September 6. I've booked a few during this sale, so I'll see what it shows on Friday if I try to go in and cancel it.
 
Sidney said:
I was wondering if they would do something. 50% off all coach fares and Acela fares nationwide with the exception of the Pennsylvanian,Keystones and Surfliners and no more than $50 per segment. From Chicago to LA it's $50..two nights on the Chief,three nights on the Texas Eagle for example. If I was thirty years younger I would grab it but even two overnights in Coach is masochistic.

When booking a statement says even if the train is full,you may have someone sitting next to you. A real sore point. I just wish Amtrak had some deal for solo travelers who would love the seat next to them vacant. I ve tried to buy the seat next to me but Amtrak wouldn't let me.

No deals on sleepers. I punched in a mid June date on the SW Chief from Chi-LA Coach $50 Sleepers starting at $1075.
Click to expand...
That's really Outrageous for a Roomette LAX-CHI no matter what Amtrak Apologists might say!🤬
 
Low bucket roomette senior for one Chi-LA is $600 but that fare is hard to find. I have never or will ever pay more than low bucket
 
I got the email an hour ago. I for one will be taking full advantage of this sale, this is fantastic! I just wish it were valid for travel over the winter, as I hope to get to Glacier National Park this coming winter. Below is the text from the page on the website, and here is the Amtrak Media press release. Interestingly, the press release says the Pennsylvanian isn't included but the page on the website doesn't mention it as an excluded route. The Arrow reservation system shows Pennsylvanian fares are not on sale. Does this mean PennDOT didn't want the fares discounted? Seems silly. I emailed and pointed this out and asked for sales on sleepers.
  • This offer is valid for 50% off full adult rail fare. Maximum sale fare not to exceed $50.00 per segment.
  • Valid for sale: April 28–May 5, 2021.
  • Valid for travel: June 2–November 13, 2021.
  • This offer is valid for travel on all Amtrak service nationwide and state supported trains, except New Haven-Springfield Shuttle, Pacific Surfliner, Philadelphia through Pittsburg portion of the Pennsylvanian Keystone and 7000-8999 Thruways.
  • Fares are subject to availability. The discounted one-way fares are valid for adult fares.
  • No additional discounts apply.
  • This offer is valid for Coach seats only. No sleeping car, First class or non-Acela Business class upgrades permitted.
  • Tickets are nonrefundable. Exchanges are permitted within the ticket validity period. A 25% cancellation fee applies.
  • This offer is not combinable with any other discount offer.
  • Fares, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice.
  • Once travel has begun no changes to the itinerary are permitted.
  • Other restrictions may apply.
  • Space is limited, not available on all trains at all times.
I am disappointed but not surprised about not having any discounts on sleepers. Really a shame. Screw you, Gardner.
 
Sidney said:
I was wondering if they would do something. 50% off all coach fares and Acela fares nationwide with the exception of the Pennsylvanian,Keystones and Surfliners and no more than $50 per segment. From Chicago to LA it's $50..two nights on the Chief,three nights on the Texas Eagle for example. If I was thirty years younger I would grab it but even two overnights in Coach is masochistic.

When booking a statement says even if the train is full,you may have someone sitting next to you. A real sore point. I just wish Amtrak had some deal for solo travelers who would love the seat next to them vacant. I ve tried to buy the seat next to me but Amtrak wouldn't let me.

No deals on sleepers. I punched in a mid June date on the SW Chief from Chi-LA Coach $50 Sleepers starting at $1075.
Click to expand...

Due to Covid, only the roomettes and sleepers are worthwhile. They will fill up the coach seats to the detriment of public health. Price is excellent but I don’t want others sitting near me. President Biden will be in Philadelphia station for the 50th anniversary tomorrow of Amtrak from what I hear. There were some delays in the region which hopefully they were able to resolve.

The promotion will definitely fill up trains and start to get people back on Amtrak but without seats being blocked, I think it is dangerous in the era of Covid unless all passengers were required to show proof of vaccination and/or antibodies.
 
I really wish Amtrak would reconsider selling every seat. People traveling together is fine,but the pandemic is not over and many people are not vaccinated. The mere idea of a stranger sitting next to me on an overnight run is reason enough not to take advantage of this sale.
 
Sidney said:
I really wish Amtrak would reconsider selling every seat. People traveling together is fine,but the pandemic is not over and many people are not vaccinated. The mere idea of a stranger sitting next to me on an overnight run is reason enough not to take advantage of this sale.
Click to expand...
I don't mind if they sell every seat. I just want to be able to book two.
 
This sale doesn't really work out for families, at least from what I'm seeing. If I look for PDX-SEA for 2 adults, it comes out to $36 each way, which matches the sale. If I add the kids (2 under 12), the total is $81. So kids are more expensive than adults? Seems like a big oversight.
 
Chris I said:
This sale doesn't really work out for families, at least from what I'm seeing. If I look for PDX-SEA for 2 adults, it comes out to $36 each way, which matches the sale. If I add the kids (2 under 12), the total is $81. So kids are more expensive than adults? Seems like a big oversight.
Click to expand...
Seems the terms and conditions I pasted above from the webpage says it’s only adult fares. Silly.
 
Boston to Chicago on 449 is $96 instead of $50 during this sale. I wonder why?

I actually did buy a ticket last night for New York to Chicago during the sale period, but canceled it because I wasn’t sure if I would actually be able to go or not. I was going to keep it just in case I could go, but then I felt weird about it. I would love to travel this year, but I felt weird holding onto a ticket I may not be able to actually use.
 
NEPATrainTraveler said:
Boston to Chicago on 449 is $96 instead of $50 during this sale. I wonder why?

I actually did buy a ticket last night for New York to Chicago during the sale period, but canceled it because I wasn’t sure if I would actually be able to go or not. I was going to keep it just in case I could go, but then I felt weird about it. I would love to travel this year, but I felt weird holding onto a ticket I may not be able to actually use.
Click to expand...
Did you put in the correct dates without discounts?
 
NEPATrainTraveler said:
Yes I did.
Click to expand...
I checked the reservation system and also see that issue. I'll call Amtrak about it. They still haven't responded to my email about the Pennsylvanian not being on the excluded routes list on the sale webpage. I guess the LSL is also being bustituted over weekends in June. Typical Amtrak communication, I'm getting so frustrated. How are new riders supposed to navigate all the qwirks of the broken system?
 
daybeers said:
I checked the reservation system and also see that issue. I'll call Amtrak about it. They still haven't responded to my email about the Pennsylvanian not being on the excluded routes list on the sale webpage. I guess the LSL is also being bustituted over weekends in June. Typical Amtrak communication, I'm getting so frustrated. How are new riders supposed to navigate all the qwirks of the broken system?
Click to expand...
Thanks. I decided to check the other Massachusetts stations served by 449 just to see what comes up and with the exception of Pittsfield, they are all $90-96. Pittsfield is showing $50 as expected. I chose a date in October for these tests as that is what I had from earlier searches.
 

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