Marketing/Promoting Amtrak

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1) What should Amtrak do to help market/promote Amtrak to the general public starting today in preparation for return of service?

2) What can we do to help promote Amtrak to the general public starting today in preparation for return of service (and beyond)?

To start with I would suggest Amtrak make it's website more user friendly and easier to navigate. A system map on the home page (instead of having to dig to find it) would be a small start.
 
1 check and recheck all safety systems
2 repair older cars in use so that heating / cooling / water systems are functioning efficiently
3 initiate equitable pricing structure for singles using sleeper services
4 consistently maintain cleanliness standards established during the pandemic
5 Shore up catering and provide fresher healthier food with variety
6 get some promotions going to incentivize patronage
7 extend route system
8 bring greater frequencies for mid length routes
 
1. List Amtrak in the OTAs like airlines are, and allow them to be ticketed similarly. There's a lot of trips where Amtrak won't make sense, but simply having the option there and listed will help to get people thinking about Amtrak, and there'll be some cases where Amtrak can work well and get some business out of it.

2. Update the website so there's a calendar search feature. Even most airline websites will show you a week's worth of fares, and that can help balance loads so those who have flexibility can adjust to cheaper (and presumably lower-ridership) days.

3. Offer some promotions - my first would be doing a "two for one" fare in coach/business/first and "free second person" in sleeper accommodations. Remove the hard 50% limit and shift it to that each traveling party will have a seat pair to themselves. That would mean that the two-for-one travelers can still sit next to each other, filling up the train a bit more, while solo travelers still would have a seat to themselves for social distancing purposes. It could also lead to a few more people being invited to take a trip on Amtrak - if the second ticket is free anyways, why not invite my friend on a weekend trip on Amtrak?

4. Make sure all equipment is in working order so when demand recovers, cars can be added as much as possible to allow for necessary seating.
 
2. Update the website so there's a calendar search feature. Even most airline websites will show you a week's worth of fares, and that can help balance loads so those who have flexibility can adjust to cheaper (and presumably lower-ridership) days.
This would be so nice, especially if it allowed one to see available existing promotions, multi-person pricing and included appropriate discounts.
You put in the number of passengers, the number of rooms and type or number of coach, business or first class seats, the discount for each traveler, the appropriate discount code if any, whether the trip is one way or round trip, the desired day of travel and it shows you +- 3 days for each way. You click on the shown price for a particular day and it gives you a breakdown of pricing and trains (including alternatives for that day.
 
Refurbish trains to make them more modernized, comfortable, and appealing.

Better service, especially for sleepers. (Better bedding?)

Improve OTP

Advertise that.
 
1. List Amtrak in the OTAs like airlines are, and allow them to be ticketed similarly. There's a lot of trips where Amtrak won't make sense, but simply having the option there and listed will help to get people thinking about Amtrak, and there'll be some cases where Amtrak can work well and get some business out of it.

2. Update the website so there's a calendar search feature. Even most airline websites will show you a week's worth of fares, and that can help balance loads so those who have flexibility can adjust to cheaper (and presumably lower-ridership) days.

3. Offer some promotions - my first would be doing a "two for one" fare in coach/business/first and "free second person" in sleeper accommodations. Remove the hard 50% limit and shift it to that each traveling party will have a seat pair to themselves. That would mean that the two-for-one travelers can still sit next to each other, filling up the train a bit more, while solo travelers still would have a seat to themselves for social distancing purposes. It could also lead to a few more people being invited to take a trip on Amtrak - if the second ticket is free anyways, why not invite my friend on a weekend trip on Amtrak?

4. Make sure all equipment is in working order so when demand recovers, cars can be added as much as possible to allow for necessary seating.
When the worst of the pedemic is over,Amtrak will probably go back to filling every Coach seat. As a single traveler,I would love to be able to ride Coach and have both seats to myself. I wish Amtrak would consider this. Nothing is more awkward and uncomfortable than sharing a seat on an overnight train with a stranger. If you could purchase the seat next to you,that would be great but Amtrak doesn't let you do it. Of course the obvious answer is to get a roomette but for a one overnight they are quite pricy. To pay $470 for a low bucket roomette on a Silver train to Florida is insane.
 
I think it’s safe to say that was one of many Anderson regime falsehoods or flat out lies (or possibly one of Gardners with Anderson complicit and/or incompetent to what was really happening). Just like the modified dining cars being retrofitted for Amtrak’s new stellar contemporary dining they touted. 3-4 years later how many diners have been modified? Lying needs to be called lying, there is no such thing as alternative facts. I expect more from a CEO and upper management. This was all well before CoVid and had nothing to do with CoVid cutbacks.

“Sleeping Car customers aboard these routes will enjoy more choice in onboard dining and can expect the following enhancements to the complimentary meal service“ LOL
Bedding in same press release 2.5 years ago

https://media.amtrak.com/2019/09/am...nd-flexible-dining-experience-on-five-routes/

Amtrak should NOT advertise "better bedding" until it's actually there. They promised this, what, two years ago already?
 
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Oh Gosh! Talking about improvements??? Do away with those unhealthy, tasteless, small portioned flex meals served in the 5" round plastic discs where the melted plastic gets into the food and adds a carcinogenic risk. Just get rid of 'flex concept' and go to fresh food in more abundant quantity, quality, and taste!

Why must we constantly be looking over our shoulders to see with wonder what other countries are doing with food services on their railroads???

https://www.jidelnivozy.cz/uploads/menus/foodMenu/2.pdf
 
I think it’s safe to say that was one of many Anderson regime falsehoods or flat out lies (or possibly one of Gardners with Anderson complicit and/or incompetent to what was really happening). Just like the modified dining cars being retrofitted for Amtrak’s new stellar contemporary dining they touted. 3-4 years later how many diners have been modified? Lying needs to be called lying, there is no such thing as alternative facts. I expect more from a CEO and upper management. This was all well before CoVid and had nothing to do with CoVid cutbacks.

“Sleeping Car customers aboard these routes will enjoy more choice in onboard dining and can expect the following enhancements to the complimentary meal service“ LOL
Bedding in same press release 2.5 years ago

https://media.amtrak.com/2019/09/am...nd-flexible-dining-experience-on-five-routes/
Never in my life have I seen such a positive spin on one of the biggest downgrades in the history of Amtrak. Richard Anderson's legacy will be the foisting of "flexible dining" to Amtrak"s sleeper passengers.
 
Never in my life have I seen such a positive spin on one of the biggest downgrades in the history of Amtrak. Richard Anderson's legacy will be the foisting of "flexible dining" to Amtrak"s sleeper passengers.
U R absolutely right! Flex dining has definitely been one of the biggest culinary disasters in American railroad history! 🤮👽
 
Bring back paper timetables. It was penny wide and pound foolish to ever stop printing them. A timetable is a great form of advertising for a railroad, letting people know about all the destinations they can get to. By now I bet a lot of Amtrak customers have never seen a paper timetable, so they don't even know it's a thing that can be looked up online.
 
2. Update the website so there's a calendar search feature. Even most airline websites will show you a week's worth of fares, and that can help balance loads so those who have flexibility can adjust to cheaper (and presumably lower-ridership) days.

3. Offer some promotions - ................................

Regarding Item 2, Greyhound has a nice display of a week's worth of fares. Flixbus has the information but requires more clicks than GL's.

Regarding Item 3, in travel markets that are heavily served, there are customers who go one way on the train and return via another mode. Years ago Amtrak had $1 return fare coupon promotions which successfully encouraged customers to make rail round-trips. In the Willamette Valley the response versus the penalize-short-haul fares was so strong that when the promotion ended the State of Oregon printed counterfeit coupons to keep ridership up. Conductors happily accepted them until they reached Amtrak's accounting department.

You can guess what happened. They put a stop to it, ridership dropped sharply and the state-sponsored trains were discontinued (today's Cascades started over as the third generation project). So instead of learning the lesson that fares -- especially in coach -- are incredibly price sensitive when advertised as such in the right markets, they learned to keep a closer eye on promotions.

And if constructed right a good promotion also has political and image values. In my time in transit marketing we ran a couple of promotions which cost little, drew little immediate new business, but built employee morale and gained two favorable daily newspaper editorials. Other promotions drew business quickly, but we didn't regret the little ones.
 
Before Amtrak moves ahead with anything, it needs to come to terms with it's colossal food failure. Au'ers have posted pictures of prison food... which by comparison... is better than the unhealthy inedible tiny flex product served in melted plastic containers. Other comparisons have been made as well... while Amtrak management simply turns away because their job is supposedly in no way connected with the people who they are to be serving with this transportation mode.

Worldwide... flex meals deserve the distinction of being the very worst food served on a train... almost anywhere. But to top that off, the higher priced sleeping accommodations price in the food... and the price is steep... to do so and serve such offensive food is simply abusive.

On January 4, 2020, Railway Age Magazine hit the nail on the head... well summarizing the 'Great Amtrak Food Disaster...'

"Contemporary Dining is an unnecessary, appalling and disrespectful rejection of the company’s most lucrative passengers. It is something that appears to be designed to drive off First Class passengers, rather than incentivize repeat business. There is absolutely nothing “First Class” in “Contemporary Dining.” In the restaurant industry, this is called “Serving up moose manure and calling it chocolate pudding.”

“This is what Millennials want!” cries Stephen Gardner, Richard Anderson’s second-in-command. “Millennials are the future!” Employees on the front line know better: Millennials, they point out, aren’t riding in the sleeping cars (they can’t afford the price), and the majority of passengers who do use the sleepers want to take their meals—real meals—in the company of others in the dining car, not fill their Roomettes with crumbs, food odors and trash. Millennials may be hermits, but the rest of us aren’t. When Millennials are old enough to be able to afford sleeping cars, they too will want real meals in a real dining car. The social dimension of rail travel matters on longer journeys."

But the picture below... included in that article, set the record strait on what Millennials really enjoy!

What Millennials really enjoy!.png

Now that we know our national rail program has hit rock bottom... where do we go from here???
 
“This is what Millennials want!” cries Stephen Gardner, Richard Anderson’s second-in-command. “Millennials are the future!” Employees on the front line know better: Millennials, they point out, aren’t riding in the sleeping cars (they can’t afford the price), and the majority of passengers who do use the sleepers want to take their meals—real meals—in the company of others in the dining car, not fill their Roomettes with crumbs, food odors and trash. Millennials may be hermits, but the rest of us aren’t. When Millennials are old enough to be able to afford sleeping cars, they too will want real meals in a real dining car. The social dimension of rail travel matters on longer journeys."

I'm going to be a bit grumpy for a moment: it's really annoying when people (in this case, the author of the Railway Age article) assume a generation will all of a sudden change and become just like other generations "when they get older." That isn't known, and it comes across as though this person knows better than the lived experience of the generation that they're talking about.

That aside, if we look at what changes are happening in the dining-out world (at least pre-COVID,) the biggest change is that people are fine with counter service and bringing food back to their own table, but still expect high-quality food. In fact, if anything the standard for what food is served is higher than what it was before, especially on the lower and mid-range levels. As but one example, Chipotle is popular because the food is made fresh in store, they at least advertise sourcing high-quality food, and it tastes as though it was made relatively fresh and specifically for you (with it having the toppings that you want.) While having a full Chipotle (or similar) line may not be practical on a train, bringing back a chef to make high-quality meals fresh on board would be a huge improvement that would actually reflect what practically every generation wants. Cost savings could still be found by doing counter service to order and pick up the meal, with the counter attendant offering to bring the meal to your table if need be. Dining car space could be self-service, perhaps with some signage to indicate whether a table is open to meet new people or is wanting to eat their meal on their own. For some people this may not be ideal, but I think most would still find this acceptable and, given the cost savings over full diner service, would still be far preferable over the current options or other potential experiments with dining service in the name of saving money.
 
I'm going to be a bit grumpy for a moment: it's really annoying when people (in this case, the author of the Railway Age article) assume a generation will all of a sudden change and become just like other generations "when they get older." That isn't known, and it comes across as though this person knows better than the lived experience of the generation that they're talking about.

That aside, if we look at what changes are happening in the dining-out world (at least pre-COVID,) the biggest change is that people are fine with counter service and bringing food back to their own table, but still expect high-quality food. In fact, if anything the standard for what food is served is higher than what it was before, especially on the lower and mid-range levels. As but one example, Chipotle is popular because the food is made fresh in store, they at least advertise sourcing high-quality food, and it tastes as though it was made relatively fresh and specifically for you (with it having the toppings that you want.) While having a full Chipotle (or similar) line may not be practical on a train, bringing back a chef to make high-quality meals fresh on board would be a huge improvement that would actually reflect what practically every generation wants. Cost savings could still be found by doing counter service to order and pick up the meal, with the counter attendant offering to bring the meal to your table if need be. Dining car space could be self-service, perhaps with some signage to indicate whether a table is open to meet new people or is wanting to eat their meal on their own. For some people this may not be ideal, but I think most would still find this acceptable and, given the cost savings over full diner service, would still be far preferable over the current options or other potential experiments with dining service in the name of saving money.
No problem with self service or counter service... where the food is fresh and tasty. Like in Europe. But then don't cost food into the price of the sleeper ticket. That is where the problem is... folks in sleeper class are locked into the quantity and quality of that food because they have already paid for it. And if that food is sub par, complaints are justified.
 
What about the Automat cars with vending machines introduced in the 1960s by Southern Pacific on The Coast Daylights? ;-)
All ok. The issue is that sleeper car folks are forced to pay for whatever food they will receive as part of the 'package.' This can be alleviated by lowering the price of the sleeper ticket by excluding food... or insuring that the food will be of a substantial level of quality and quantity to justify the 'inclusive' price.
 
I'm going to be a bit grumpy for a moment: it's really annoying when people (in this case, the author of the Railway Age article) assume a generation will all of a sudden change and become just like other generations "when they get older." That isn't known, and it comes across as though this person knows better than the lived experience of the generation that they're talking about.

That aside, if we look at what changes are happening in the dining-out world (at least pre-COVID,) the biggest change is that people are fine with counter service and bringing food back to their own table, but still expect high-quality food. In fact, if anything the standard for what food is served is higher than what it was before, especially on the lower and mid-range levels. As but one example, Chipotle is popular because the food is made fresh in store, they at least advertise sourcing high-quality food, and it tastes as though it was made relatively fresh and specifically for you (with it having the toppings that you want.) While having a full Chipotle (or similar) line may not be practical on a train, bringing back a chef to make high-quality meals fresh on board would be a huge improvement that would actually reflect what practically every generation wants. Cost savings could still be found by doing counter service to order and pick up the meal, with the counter attendant offering to bring the meal to your table if need be. Dining car space could be self-service, perhaps with some signage to indicate whether a table is open to meet new people or is wanting to eat their meal on their own. For some people this may not be ideal, but I think most would still find this acceptable and, given the cost savings over full diner service, would still be far preferable over the current options or other potential experiments with dining service in the name of saving money.
What you are describing worked rather well when it was introduced in the late stage of privately run passenger service.

A while ago I described the Northern Pacific's deli buffet service on Train 408 (Lunch) and Train 407 (Supper). Train 408 was an ancestor of Amtrak Train 11, carrying the SEA>OAK sleepers. It took one person in the kitchen and one person at the counter, carrying meals for people who needed help and cleaning up. At peaks there was an extra board attendant doing the cleaning/clearing. On my last ride on the NP, going home for Christmas leave in 1968, the counter man was pleased that the GI's cleared their own tables! With a kitchen crew of one they provided fresh sandwiches, soups and salads. I think desserts were packaged (I know ice cream specialties were.).

It seemed that the customers liked it even though it had a smaller crew than the full dining car that it replaced. And it was the same size crew as on the much-hated SP Automat cars.
 
I would really like to know how much Amtrak pays for each of those flex dining meals. A TV dinner of similar quality at a grocery store costs $2 or $3. I agree with those who say the food is too poor for effective marketing of those meals to really be possible.
 
No problem with self service or counter service... where the food is fresh and tasty. Like in Europe. But then don't cost food into the price of the sleeper ticket. That is where the problem is... folks in sleeper class are locked into the quantity and quality of that food because they have already paid for it. And if that food is sub par, complaints are justified.

Fully agree that if food is included, and the quality is not up to snuff, complaints are justified.

While debundling food from the cost of a sleeper ticket would remove some of the gripe, reasonable quality food options are still a basic necessity on longer trips regardless of how they're paid for. If the food is bad enough that I won't eat it regardless of the price, I won't take the train if the trip is long enough that I need on board food. Admittedly, the couple times I've had the flex meals I've found them to be okay if not amazing, but it's been a couple years and on at least one of them I had the option for the cold charcuterie tray, which at least had relatively fresh elements to it.

Personally, knowing the history of bunding food into the sleeper fare (basically ensuring there's enough demand to justify food service beyond a cafe car,) I don't think debundling it will cause food service to get significantly better - if anything, it seems more likely that we'll be stuck with cafe car food alone. I'd much rather focus on making sure the food that's served is high-quality than to try and remove included meals from sleeper tickets.
 
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