Options in the event of missing train

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Rizla Ronnie

Rizla Ronnie

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 23, 2022
Messages
38
Location
UK
We fly into SF next Tuesday to take the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago the following day.
We leave from Dublin around lunchtime on an Aer Lingus flight.
Although the widespread cancellation of flights has receded in recent weeks a number of AL flights to the US from Dublin are still being cancelled.
In the event of our flight being cancelled I'm concerned we may not get across the pond in time for our train departure.
What are the options regarding catching a subsequent CZ service with our existing tickets if we're delayed ?
Bear in mind we'll be stuck at Dublin airport and not in the best position to try to contact Amtrak urgently.
We don't have an option to transfer to an earlier flight from Dublin ( flying in from the UK the previous night to catch the AL flight )
We're booked into a Roomette on the CZ.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Your screwed.

If you need to cancel you must do it before the train departs. To get another compartment on the next train during peak travel days, will be next to impossible.

I hope everything works out, but if your delayed you must contact Amtrak and try to salvage something as soon as possible.

Best of luck… err break a leg…
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
Your screwed.
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I have to agree.

A few weeks ago Amtrak dumped me out of my accommodation on a LA to Chicago booking on the Southwest Chief just over a week before I was due to travel and it was only by the skin of my teeth that I got (by phoning Amtrak) the last available roomette on the Zephyr as an alternative (and as I said that was several days ahead of my travel date).

In September I am flying Aer Lingus to Seattle via Dublin to catch the Coast Starlight to Sacramento thence to Chicago on the CZ and I too am keeping my fingers crossed that my flight goes ok - at least I have a buffer built in in Sacramento so I'm unlikely to have problems with my CZ leg as long as I can get to Sacramento from Seattle (unless Amtrak dump on me again !!!!).

Hopefully the OP's insurance will recompense them should they have flight problems (and miss the train), but obviously that wouldn't make up for not getting the train. 🤞
 
If there is availability on a later train what's the chance of arriving at the station and persuading someone on the train to let us on. My wife is well-trained to produce tears on demand in such an instance.
 
Total forget about travel insurance. Still critical to contact Amtrak before the train departs. However if the OP has travel insurance it would be interested if would cover a connection train.
 
Rizla Ronnie said:
If there is availability on a later train what's the chance of arriving at the station and persuading someone on the train to let us on. My wife is well-trained to produce tears on demand in such an instance.
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Unlike, I have seen crews accommodate a passenger that had his ticket canceled for a no-show on a previous train. (Amtrak will canceled a multiple train ticket if you no-show, or if your ticket is not lifted on a segment. Airlines do the same.) However just show up a day later, is not going to happen.

The key is contact Amtrak as soon as possible, must be done before your departure.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
Unlike, I have seen crews accommodate a passenger that had his ticket canceled for a no-show on a previous train. (Amtrak will canceled a multiple train ticket if you no-show, or if your ticket is not lifted on a segment. Airlines do the same.) However just show up a day later, is not going to happen.

The key is contact Amtrak as soon as possible, must be done before your departure.
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As Just-Thinking has said (three times I think) this indeed is the key.
 
If this is a train to train connection, had you missed it because of a late Amtrak train they will make good for it. Plane to train is a whole other situation. If you call before your departure, Amtrak might allow cancellation but with a cancellation charge. Its a tough call on exactly what might happen..
 
Best way to contact Amtrak ?
Bear in mind I'll likely be on a cellphone at Dublin airport trying to organise a replacement flight as well.
 
Some years ago, we had bedroom accommodations on a westbound Southwest Chief No. 3 from Chicago to Los Angeles. We’d planned to fly from Cleveland to Chicago that same day to catch our train, but then our flight was cancelled due to a “mechanical problem” with the plane. Fortunately, we were able to arrange a flight from Cleveland to Kansas City. Even more fortunately, we were able to get through to the No. 3 conductor in Chicago before the train left and explain that we’d be catching No. 3 in Kansas City. And that’s what we did. No. 3 was delayed leaving Chicago and didn’t arrive in K.C. until early in the morning. Even so, we still had our bedroom waiting for us when we boarded. (That was one time when neither of us had a problem falling asleep on a train!)
 
One of our overseas people need to reply, but I do believe there a number just for people who are booking from overseas.

Let’s hope everything works out fine for you, and this was a “what if” question and not a real issues.

You do need to contact Amtrak before your train is scheduled to depart. So if thing go wrong with the airline, focus on that part of the problem, then reach out to Amtrak.

Again let’s hope you have a uneventful flight, and make your connection with time to spare.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
One of our overseas people need to reply, but I do believe there a number just for people who are booking from overseas.

Let’s hope everything works out fine for you, and this was a “what if” question and not a real issues.

You do need to contact Amtrak before your train is scheduled to depart. So if thing go wrong with the airline, focus on that part of the problem, then reach out to Amtrak.

Again let’s hope you have a uneventful flight, and make your connection with time to spare.
Click to expand...
When I called from the UK to berate my SWC reservation having been downgraded from Bedroom to Coach, and to get them to re-route me on the CZ, I used the standard Amtrak reservation number as quoted on the ticket (but of course it wasn't toll free calling from the UK).

I am not aware of any special "overseas" number.

I did purchase a one off monthly "bolt on" for my cell phone contract which gave me 100 overseas minutes to be used within the month. My call to Amtrak used up 51 of those minutes with 30 minutes or so being on hold.
 
Rizla Ronnie said:
If there is availability on a later train what's the chance of arriving at the station and persuading someone on the train to let us on. My wife is well-trained to produce tears on demand in such an instance.
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Zero for your sleeper, you might get to ride coach for additional money.

The conductor scans tickets onboard, not before boarding. But if you try to board a sleeper, the attendant will check your name against their manifest and when they don't find it and you can't show a valid ticket, they won't let you on. You might be able to board a coach by flashing your prior day's ticket at the door, but when the conductor scans it once underway, it won't be valid. The rules say that if you do not have valid transportation, they'll instruct you to call or go online and buy a ticket. They might sell you a conductor issued ticket, but the general practice now is for you to do it and they'll check back. Your original ticket won't be honored, either you cancelled it for a refund/voucher (cancelling sleepers less than 14 days in advance has some pretty stiff restrictions, IIRC, but you can salvage something), or Amtrak cancelled it since it wasn't scanned within 2 hours of departure and all value forfeited as a "no show".

If you don't buy a new ticket you'll be put off at the next station, either Richmond or Martinez, depending on how fast the conductors scan tickets.

You will be better off trying to get hold of Amtrak once you know your flight is screwed up and working something out than just showing up the next day in hope that things will somehow work out. They won't, tears or no tears.

As others have noted, the chances of rebooking into a sleeper the next day are close to zero. Sleepers generally sell out in summer and this summer especially since they are running short consists.

Hope it works out and your flight is smooth, but if it isn't, just showing up the next day without working something out with Amtrak (refund/rebook/getting on your original train in your original accommodation at Sacramento, Reno, or Salt Lake City) is probably the worst "plan."
 
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greatwestern said:
When I called from the UK to berate my SWC reservation having been downgraded from Bedroom to Coach, and to get them to re-route me on the CZ, I used the standard Amtrak reservation number as quoted on the ticket (but of course it wasn't toll free calling from the UK).

I am not aware of any special "overseas" number.

I did purchase a one off monthly "bolt on" for my cell phone contract which gave me 100 overseas minutes to be used within the month. My call to Amtrak used up 51 of those minutes with 30 minutes or so being on hold.
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Just to clarify there is not anything other than the 1-800-USA-RAIL number? I thought (800) number only work in the USA. My credit card phone number for overseas calls is never a (800) it’s a regional area code number. Like 1-518-xxx-xxxx
 
greatwestern said:
When I called from the UK to berate my SWC reservation having been downgraded from Bedroom to Coach, and to get them to re-route me on the CZ, I used the standard Amtrak reservation number as quoted on the ticket (but of course it wasn't toll free calling from the UK).

I am not aware of any special "overseas" number.

I did purchase a one off monthly "bolt on" for my cell phone contract which gave me 100 overseas minutes to be used within the month. My call to Amtrak used up 51 of those minutes with 30 minutes or so being on hold.
Click to expand...
Reservation & Customer Service

Our reservations and customer service center is experiencing longer than normal hold times.

From:
https://www.amtrak.com/contact-us/helpful-links-and-phone-numbers.html
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
Just to clarify there is not anything other than the 1-800-USA-RAIL number? I thought (800) number only work in the USA. My credit card phone number for overseas calls is never a (800) it’s a regional area code number. Like 1-518-xxx-xxxx
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I believe I omitted the 800 part of the number when I called from here. (We have freephone numbers over here prefix 0800 or 0808). My actual call is not now showing, but in my contacts Amtrak shows the 1-800-USA-Rail number without the 800. Sorry if I have misled or misremembered. I do remember that I was in a panic having simply received a "revised ticket" with no explanation at 9 pm just a few days before flying out.
 
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To Rizla Ronnie.

Looking on Flightradar 24 I believe there is just the single Aer Lingus flight to SFO each day from Dublin. The history of that flight shows that from 28th June up to today there was only one day that it does not appear to have operated (Monday 18th July).

Enjoy the CZ (but don't expect to be on time)
 
The following may help you cancel your ticket, assuming you'll have Internet access at Dublin airport. If it does, you might be able to avoid total forfeiture of your ticket price, and then maybe you can try to book a later train online. However, this won't provide any ability to negotiate refund/voucher terms on the spot.

How to Cancel Your Reservation​

Canceling Reservations Purchased Online​

You can easily cancel your reservation online if you booked it at Amtrak.com.
If you made your reservation while logged into your Amtrak.com account, simply log into your account and click the 'My Account' link at the top of any page. The 'View/Edit' button will take you to your reservations where you can click the 'Cancel Trip' button and follow the steps for cancellation.
If you purchased your tickets online as a guest, you may cancel your reservation online by clicking 'Modify Trip' at the top of any page. Enter your reservation number and email address or telephone number used when you made your reservation and click 'Find Trip.' Then, click the 'Cancel Trip' button and follow the steps for cancellation.
If you have made modifications to your trip after booking it online, you may not be able to cancel it online.

Canceling Reservations Purchased Elsewhere​

If you paid for your one-way, round-trip or multi-ride reservations with a credit card or an eVoucher, you can also cancel it on Amtrak.com, even if you made your reservations on the phone, at a Amtrak kiosk or with a station agent.
Just click the 'Modify Trip' link at the top of any page. Enter your reservation number and email address or telephone number used when you made your reservation and click 'Find Trip.' Then, click the 'Cancel Trip' button and follow the steps for cancellation.

Cancellation Fees and Restrictions​

Cancellation fees may apply to canceled reservations. Not all tickets are eligible for cancellation and may have further restrictions based on the type of fare you reserved. Please review our Refund and Cancellation Policy for more information.
https://www.amtrak.com/canceling-a-reservation-and-getting-a-refund
Also, don't forget you'll probably be entitled to substantial EU261 compensation. Be sure to get that processed before leaving the airport. I believe, for two persons, it could be as high as 1,200 euros. (Unless Brexit somehow screwed it up for you.)

You can get travel insurance that covers all prepaid expenses for your trip. It might be worth exploring if you have prepaid hotels, car rentals, ground tours, etc. booked. It all depends on how much lost cost you're willing to bear.

Are you an Amtrak Guest Rewards member? They have a separate 800 number that is sometimes easier to get through to, although I don't know if it works from overseas. Amtrak Guest Rewards Program Service Center at 1-800-307-5000. Also it is open only from, IIRC, 8AM to 8PM eastern time.

Good luck! We all hope that none of these suggestions will be needed next Tuesday.
 
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GAT said:
Are you an Amtrak Guest Rewards member? They have a separate 800 number that is sometimes easier to get through to, although I don't know if it works from overseas. Amtrak Guest Rewards Program Service Center at 1-800-307-5000. Also it is open only from, IIRC, 8AM to 8PM eastern time.
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AGR is open only to U.S. and Canadian residents.
 
[Cultural commentary portion has been removed]

To the OP - You’ll need to PM me for details if you want more information.

joelkfla said:
1-215-856-7924
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From Dublin I believe it would be 00-1-215-856-7924 in fully qualified form.

(US domestic long distance code and US inbound country code happen to be the same number)
 
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Rizla Ronnie said:
We fly into SF next Tuesday to take the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago the following day.
We leave from Dublin around lunchtime on an Aer Lingus flight.
Although the widespread cancellation of flights has receded in recent weeks a number of AL flights to the US from Dublin are still being cancelled.
In the event of our flight being cancelled I'm concerned we may not get across the pond in time for our train departure.
What are the options regarding catching a subsequent CZ service with our existing tickets if we're delayed ?
Bear in mind we'll be stuck at Dublin airport and not in the best position to try to contact Amtrak urgently.
We don't have an option to transfer to an earlier flight from Dublin ( flying in from the UK the previous night to catch the AL flight )
We're booked into a Roomette on the CZ.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Click to expand...
Wow, your itinerary is iffy in these times. It should work though and am looking forward to hearing about your trip. Good luck.
 

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