Reserved Seats??

[Walt]

... and helpful than the archaic seat check system, which many passengers don't even seem to notice, and even more experienced travelers (like me) can only figure out sporadically (ie: 1 seat check for two people, 1 seat check with a tear in it, different colors).

Even a seeing eye dog gets a seat check, but no seat.

I thought the tear meant passenger was a PITA. Basically, the conductor was doing to the seat check ,what he really wanted to do to the passenger.

 

[AlanB]

Let's see people try to steal the seats if/when Acela's currently "empty" displays are up and running!!!
Me: Excuse me, that's my seat.

Him: Why, does it have your name on it?

Me: Yes, it's on the display up here, even spelled it right this time.

Him: Oh.

Those displays above your head on Acela where never intended to show a passenger's name. They were only supposed to show your destination, that way other passenger's and crew members would know where you were detraining and of course when that seat would be empty. It would also indicated to the conductor that he/she now needs to ask the person sitting in the seat for their ticket, if the train was now past the stop displayed on the led display.

Alan,

Is there any chance they were used differently in first class? An acquaintance on another board said he booked a table in FC when the Acelas first rolled out, and his name appeared in the display.

Certainly possible his memory betrayed him after, what, seven years?

How were the the displays loaded? Even if they did only display the destination, they would certainly be more clear and helpful than the archaic seat check system, which many passengers don't even seem to notice, and even more experienced travelers (like me) can only figure out sporadically (ie: 1 seat check for two people, 1 seat check with a tear in it, different colors).

JPS

Unless Amtrak did something special for a few trains, like the inaugural run, those displays have never been used and have never said anything but "empty", even in First Class. The way it was supposed to work was that the conductor would carry a handheld scanner/ticket unit. They would collect your ticket and scan said ticket while punching the seat number that you were occupying. The handheld unit would then update the onboard computer that said seat was occupied by someone until X destination, which of course it got from the scanned ticket. The computer would of course then program the correct display with the passenger's destination.

Once the train hit that stop, the display would then return to empty, so that the conductor would now know that the seat should be empty. If it wasn't, then he/she would then of course request a ticket from the person now sitting in that seat. Additionally the info would be forwarded to Amtrak's main computer system such that the system would then be able to figure out which expected passengers were no shows. Those seats would then be released for sale at stations further up the line.

The entire project went down in flames for a number of reasons, including objections by the conductors union which feared a loss of jobs as well as the weight of the scanners, software issues, rebellion by the FC pax who didn't want to be assigned seats, and finally Amtrak's proverbial problem, lack of money.

Frankly I can't imagine why Amtrak would ever consider putting someone's name up there. First, many people would object to that idea, not wanting people to know who they are. Second, the whole idea of the system was to tell passengers and crew that the seat was occupied and to what destination. A person's name wouldn't help in that regard. Finally, the display simply isn’t big enough for many names. I think that it’s limited to something like 7 or 8 characters max, if that.

 

[AlanB]

Even a seeing eye dog gets a seat check, but no seat.

While I realize that you were being funny Walt, just for the record, a seeing eye dog does actually get a seat. Anytime a handicapped person books a coach seat and informs Amtrak that they are traveling with a service animal, they are automatically issued two coach tickets. One for the person and one for the dog with the dog's name on it. While Amtrak doesn't expect that the dog will actually use the seat, it does prevent the issue of forcing someone to sit next to a dog and for the dog to have to hide under the seat so as to not get kicked by either the owner or the other passenger.

The best part of all this, there is no extra charge for the service animal. The owner pays the current bucket for his/her seat and the dog rides for free.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I've never been asked to move, but I was under the impression that it is not a question - it's an order. I don't think you have a choice if the CA tells you to move.

 

[the_traveler]

The owner pays the current bucket for his/her seat and the dog rides for free.

I've been called a dog by many women! :lol:

Where do I apply to become a seeing eye dog? :huh:

 

[Walt]

While I realize that you were being funny Walt, just for the record, a seeing eye dog does actually get a seat. Anytime a handicapped person books a coach seat and informs Amtrak that they are traveling with a service animal, they are automatically issued two coach tickets. One for the person and one for the dog with the dog's name on it. While Amtrak doesn't expect that the dog will actually use the seat, it does prevent the issue of forcing someone to sit next to a dog and for the dog to have to hide under the seat so as to not get kicked by either the owner or the other passenger.
The best part of all this, there is no extra charge for the service animal. The owner pays the current bucket for his/her seat and the dog rides for free.

Well, my one experience with this. the dog did not get a seat. Her human was in BC, and with 1-2 seating, had the "1" seat. The car was full, and therefore, not even an empty seat for the dog.

However, the dog still got her seat check, and both of them got a third "needs assistance" green seat check (which, if anyone remembers my story, yielded no extra assistance).

Just in case anyone is wondering, the conductor, nor the BC attendant, asked any passenger to give up their seat or move, for the dog. Now, if we had assigned seating, the dog would have not only had a ticket, but an assigned seat to curl up in front of.

 

[sky12065]

The owner pays the current bucket for his/her seat and the dog rides for free.

I've been called a dog by many women! :lol:

Where do I apply to become a seeing eye dog? :huh:

At the Seeing Eye Dog Academy of course. But before you are accepted for actual TRAIN'ing you will first have to undergo a 6 month leash observation period with their TRAIN'ing evaluator to see if you have the proper temperment! Hope you like Kibble & Bits!

 

[Tony]

At the Seeing Eye Dog Academy of course. But before you are accepted for actual TRAIN'ing you will first have to undergo ...

getting neutered.

 

[the_traveler]

At the Seeing Eye Dog Academy of course. But before you are accepted for actual TRAIN'ing you will first have to undergo ...

getting neutered.

I was ...... when I was called a dog! (And I'm pinicky - I only like bits! OK - maybe pieces too! )

 

[Chris J.]

Frankly I can't imagine why Amtrak would ever consider putting someone's name up there. First, many people would object to that idea, not wanting people to know who they are. Second, the whole idea of the system was to tell passengers and crew that the seat was occupied and to what destination. A person's name wouldn't help in that regard. Finally, the display simply isn’t big enough for many names. I think that it’s limited to something like 7 or 8 characters max, if that.

Some of the UK services display this info, tho in an annoying scrolling display that can take what seems like ages to tell you what you need to know, mainly because they've phrased it in a really versbose way ("This seat is not resrerved" rather than just "Unreserved" for example). It's not updated real-time, just from the seat reservation data.

The whole seat reservation system generally works okay, tho you'll sometimes find someone who refuses to move even when you have the reservation. With coach attendants this should be less of an issue, and said coach attendants can also direct passengers to their seats.

Of course, the other difference is that UK trains are generally not reservation required, so often you need a seat reservation to get a seat at all, unlike Amtrak where you get a seat reservation with the ticket and if the train is full you can't get a ticket.

 

[Walt]

..., unlike Amtrak where you get a seat reservation with the ticket and if the train is full you can't get a ticket.

Isn't that better?

I would rather have Amtrak stop selling tickets once the train is sold-out, than to have the airlines' practice of continuing to sell tickets for a sold-out plane, and simply pass off the problem to the boarding gate to not allow ticketed passengers to board.

 

[julieandrews]

Its not complicated, the system prints out the seat tickets which the attendant can place at the seats. For journeys as long as those on Amtrack it would probably make sense to only allow reservation up to 24 hrs before a trains initial departure and after that, people would have to fight for the remaining seats once they get on board as they already do
For effort, it's not that much effort for an attendant to place the tickets on the seats before the trains departure, it would probably save them a lot of hassle in the long run

The thing is that across the pond, many trips are a few hours long. The western LD trains on Amtrak can be 50 hours long!

As suggested, the CA could put tickets on the seat. Using the TE as an example, here's a possible use of seat #14:

• CHI-STL
  
• STL-LIT
  
• LIT-DAL
  
• FTW-AUS
  
• AUS-SAS
  
• SAS-ELP
  
• ELP-TUS
  
• MRC-LAX
  

Where is the CA to put all these tickets? :huh: And the seat next to #14 may have as many "tickets" (or more) upon departure from CHI. Along with the other 40-50 seats in the car!

At least on a plane, most people board at the originating airport and most do not leave until the plane gets to the next airport! A train could have 4-5 complete turnovers of passengers between CHI and LAX or SEA! 1 seat may be occupied by 9-10 different passengers on the CZ between CHI-EMY!

yes that is a lot of tickets but the ticket could be swapped out before each change? Maybe alright that system wouldnt work for so many changes but there's got to be some easy way of managing it. I'm sure some bright heads in Amtrak could sit down for a few hours and come up with something.

 

[Walt]

yes that is a lot of tickets but the ticket could be swapped out before each change? Maybe alright that system wouldnt work for so many changes but there's got to be some easy way of managing it. I'm sure some bright heads in Amtrak could sit down for a few hours and come up with something.

It a pretty easy solution with a computer. Yea, I know. Computers are a level of technology that is inconsistent with trains.

Schools, colleges, and universities do something very similar all the time, successfully scheduling students, teachers, and a limited number of classrooms, for a given set of courses.

Kind of think of it as Tetris, but with blocks of passengers to be fitted together into a car, instead of, well, simply colored blocks.

 

[Chris J.]

..., unlike Amtrak where you get a seat reservation with the ticket and if the train is full you can't get a ticket.

Isn't that better?

I would rather have Amtrak stop selling tickets once the train is sold-out, than to have the airlines' practice of continuing to sell tickets for a sold-out plane, and simply pass off the problem to the boarding gate to not allow ticketed passengers to board.

I was thinking more "you can't get a ticket without a seat" and stand up. And yes, that is better. For one thing, I'd not want to stand from NY to Chicago, and if you have a train full of standees, it makes getting to the bathroom, cafe or whatever a pain.