Northeast Regional Business Class Senior Discount?

[valkyrie]

I was checking fares this morning for future travel on the Northeast Regional from WAS to NYP and saw that the fare for a single adult in business class is $94. Then I checked the fare for a Senior and discovered it is $120.65 for the same train on the same day. (Coach fares on this train are $89 Adult and $75.65 Senior.) Not exactly a senior discount! What's up with this??

 

[CCC1007]

Did you double check that the regular fare didn't change?

 

[valkyrie]

Did you double check that the regular fare didn't change?

Yes - several times and on multiple days.

 

[gatelouse]

Saver Business Class fare. Like Saver coach fares, no other discounts apply.

 

[valkyrie]

Saver Business Class fare. Like Saver coach fares, no other discounts apply.

Maybe so - but with the saver (coach) fare there is a "Fare Alert" flag to notify you that the senior discount does not apply and the regular (saver) adult fare is shown. In this case there is no "Fare Alert" flag and the regular adult fare is definitely not shown. Indeed, you are actually paying *MORE* than the regular adult fare so it is not the case that the senior discount simply does not apply.

 

[Acela150]

What Gatelouse forgot to mention is that any discounts senior, AAA, etc do not apply to the saver fare. He did mention it can't be discounted further.

That fare is already discounted and can not be discounted further.

 

[valkyrie]

What Gatelouse forgot to mention is that any discounts senior, AAA, etc do not apply to the saver fare. He did mention it can't be discounted further.

That fare is already discounted and can not be discounted further.

Alright, I understand it cannot be discounted further, now explain to me why the senior fare is $26.65 *MORE* than the regular adult business class fare?

 

[PRR 60]

Saver Business Class fare. Like Saver coach fares, no other discounts apply.

Maybe so - but with the saver (coach) fare there is a "Fare Alert" flag to notify you that the senior discount does not apply and the regular (saver) adult fare is shown. In this case there is no "Fare Alert" flag and the regular adult fare is definitely not shown. Indeed, you are actually paying *MORE* than the regular adult fare so it is not the case that the senior discount simply does not apply.

The Amtrak.com booking page leaves a lot to be desired. This is one of those failings.

$49 is the "Saver Fare" and, as mentioned before, program discounts like AAA or senior do not apply. The Saver fare is also not refundable. The Adult refundable Value fare is $89. With a Saver fare available, the Business Class fare is $94 which is the $49 Saver Fare plus a $45 up charge for Business Class. So far, so good.

Now, when you ask for the Senior Fare (15% discount), things get a little weird. The Saver fare of $49 is still shown but is flagged as not discounted. The Value fare is now discounted by 15% and is $75.65. Asking for the senior discount, the Business Class option assumes you don't want the Saver fare even though it is shown. So, it uses the discounted Value fare ($75.65) as the base, adds the $45 Business Class up charge, and comes up with $120.65.

So, basically, if you want the Saver fare in Business Class for $94, you have to book as an "Adult." If you want a senior discounted Business Class fare (more than Saver, but refundable), then you can book as a senior

 

[valkyrie]

Thank You PRR60! I think you are exactly right.

As you say AMTRAK.com leaves a lot to be desired. There are a lot of scammers out there trying to part seniors from their money and while I do not believe this is the intent of AMTRAK, it is sad that seniors cannot assume that the lowest fare will be offered when they select "Senior" when booking a ticket.

 

[the_traveler]

The senior discount is 15% off a non-discounted fare. The saver fare is 25% off a non-discounted fare. Thus, the saver fare is lower than the senior fare.

 

[gatelouse]

Some more trivia on those funny NER Business Saver fares, all based on observation:

You can book them with AGR points, unlike coach Saver.

While they're priced as the coach saver fare plus the standard upgrade charge, they can and will sell out before the coach saver fares.

When the coach saver fare sells out, the biz saver fare is no longer offered.

They're refundable like other biz fares according to amtrak.com.

They're only available within the BOS-WAS corridor. No go for Virginia.

 

[MARC Rider]

Saver Business Class fare. Like Saver coach fares, no other discounts apply.

Maybe so - but with the saver (coach) fare there is a "Fare Alert" flag to notify you that the senior discount does not apply and the regular (saver) adult fare is shown. In this case there is no "Fare Alert" flag and the regular adult fare is definitely not shown. Indeed, you are actually paying *MORE* than the regular adult fare so it is not the case that the senior discount simply does not apply.

This happens to me quite a bit. What's weird is that sometimes the "Value" fare on one day is the "saver" fare the next.

Dynamic pricing and yield management sure is strange. Is there anywhere I can find an explanation of the mathematical basis of the typical algorithms used?