Reserved Seats??

[gary]

Hello,

We will be taking the train from Flagstaff to Los Angeles the end of February. Are specific seats reserved so we can sit with each other or will we have to depend on luck to get two seats together. The train leaves Flagstaff at 10 pm so I cant see spending the extra money for a sleeper for a 10 hour trip.

 

[jackal]

Hello,
We will be taking the train from Flagstaff to Los Angeles the end of February. Are specific seats reserved so we can sit with each other or will we have to depend on luck to get two seats together. The train leaves Flagstaff at 10 pm so I cant see spending the extra money for a sleeper for a 10 hour trip.

You don't get specific seats reserved in advance, but your car attendant may be able to help move people around if there are not two seats together. I'm not sure I'd get my hopes up too high, though...

 

[Tony]

You don't get specific seats reserved in advance, but your car attendant may be able to help move people around if there are not two seats together. I'm not sure I'd get my hopes up too high, though...

Yea, I agree. Don't get your hopes up, that the attendant will split up another, already seated, couple so that you two can sit together.

A "reserved seat" only means that there a good chance that somewhere on the train, there might be an unoccupied seat for you to use.

 

[the_traveler]

I wouldn't say 100%, but I think there will be a good chance. I think the CA will be more willing to ask people if they would move to another seat at 10 PM than at 2 AM! And it also depends on who the 2 people are. A husband and wife in their 30's is different than a mother with her 4 year old child.

 

[msbask]

A husband and wife in their 30's is different than a mother with her 4 year old child.

I'm confused by this. Are you saying that the CA would ask a young couple to split up, just so the OP and his companion can sit together. That doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[MrFSS]

A husband and wife in their 30's is different than a mother with her 4 year old child.

I'm confused by this. Are you saying that the CA would ask a young couple to split up, just so the OP and his companion can sit together. That doesn't make any sense to me.

I had to look twice but I think he meant the CA would help a mother and 4 year old find a seat together, but perhaps not a 30 year old couple.

 

[the_traveler]

A husband and wife in their 30's is different than a mother with her 4 year old child.

I'm confused by this. Are you saying that the CA would ask a young couple to split up, just so the OP and his companion can sit together. That doesn't make any sense to me.

I had to look twice but I think he meant the CA would help a mother and 4 year old find a seat together, but perhaps not a 30 year old couple.

Yes, that is what I meant. The CA would be more willing to ask someone to move to allow a mother and child to sit together, then to place the mother in the empty seat at the front of the car and the 4 year old in the empty seat at the back of the car!

 

[msbask]

Oh! That makes sense!

 

[jackal]

I wouldn't say Amtrak would split up another couple just so a newly-boarding couple could sit together...but they might be willing to move two strangers who are sitting next to each other so that a couple (or especially a mother and child!) can sit together.

 

[AlanB]

I wouldn't say Amtrak would split up another couple just so a newly-boarding couple could sit together...but they might be willing to move two strangers who are sitting next to each other so that a couple (or especially a mother and child!) can sit together.

I'm not sure how splitting up two people sitting together would then help two people boarding to sit together. :blink:

If you have two seats and they are both full, making one person move only leaves you with one open seat for the two people boarding. :unsure:

They would need to find someone sitting solo and get them to join someone else sitting solo, in order to make this work.

 

[Montanan]

Another thing to remember is that there are usually a fair number of people getting on and off the train in Flagstaff ... and that will create some empty seats. So it wouldn't hurt to try to be in the front of the line for boarding.

 

[Sam Damon]

"Reserved Seats" on Amtrak is one of my pet peeves that I spout off about over the years. You have been warned.

Anyway, DB in Germany somehow manages to reserve one a specific seat on a specific coach on a specific train. This was happening in the mid-to-late 1980's while I was stationed in Germany.

Amtrak can't manage that same task for a variety of reasons that others trot out to beat me down.

Nothing personal, though.

 

[jackal]

I wouldn't say Amtrak would split up another couple just so a newly-boarding couple could sit together...but they might be willing to move two strangers who are sitting next to each other so that a couple (or especially a mother and child!) can sit together.

I'm not sure how splitting up two people sitting together would then help two people boarding to sit together. :blink:

If you have two seats and they are both full, making one person move only leaves you with one open seat for the two people boarding. :unsure:

They would need to find someone sitting solo and get them to join someone else sitting solo, in order to make this work.

Maybe I wasn't clear...some of the earlier posts in the thread seemed to mention that a car attendant may move a couple (which I interpreted as two people traveling together) to other seats so a boarding couple (two people traveling together) could sit together. That made no sense to me, because either way, you're splitting up people traveling together. My point was that the attendant may move two people sitting next to each other who don't know each other to other single seats so the two people boarding could sit next to each other.

Or something like that...my brain is nonfunctional this weekend...

 

[GG-1]

Or something like that...my brain is nonfunctional this weekend...

Aloha

I understand the feeling, it always takes me a week to recover from a membership meeting.

 

[Spokker]

On the Coast Starlight a person sitting by themselves was moved by the conductor to a seat next to another solo traveler so that my girlfriend and I could sit together. It was done without a request to do so.

 

[Tony]

My point was that the attendant may move two people sitting next to each other who don't know each other to other single seats so the two people boarding could sit next to each other.

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

Would you move your seat?

 

[Sam Damon]

My point was that the attendant may move two people sitting next to each other who don't know each other to other single seats so the two people boarding could sit next to each other.

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

Would you move your seat?

To answer your question directly, yes, I would. It's called "common courtesy", and it's still present out here in flyover country.

The last time I rode the Broadway Limited in 1990, as was my habit on that train when boarding in Greensburg, PA, I got a coach seat -- an aisle one at that, the train was crowded -- and went straight to the diner for (real) railroad french toast, orange juice, and coffee. After a pleasant breakfast lingering over several cups of coffee, I went back to my seat. My memory these days is hazy, but I think I even stayed in the diner for the ride over Horseshoe Curve.

You guessed it: someone boarding at Johnstown had claimed my seat. I pointed to my seat check, and said words to the effect of, "Excuse me, but you're in my seat."

The person reacted with incredulity. I pointed to the seat check above her head. She refused to move. I got the conductor (being quite used to such things from numerous trips on DB), who backed me up. She moved, after much grousing with the conductor.

All of which leads me to conclude Amtrak not having individual seat reservations on a designated coach -- at least by line number, DB's reservation told me the exact car assigned(!) -- is indicative of how half-a###d Amtrak is run.

 

[Walt]

To answer your question directly, yes, I would. It's called "common courtesy", and it's still present out here in flyover country.

Gosh, I know and practice "common courtesy", and within the given example, this would certainly not fall into what I would think is "common courtesy".

What you call "common courtesy" to me, is allowing someone to essentially "cut the line" because they feel some sort of entitlement.

Someone, or a couple in this case, who feels too privileged to be inconvenienced by standing in line like everyone else, doesn't derserve being given a "good seat", at the expense of someone already occuping it.

 

[hello]

Last year we had 2 business class tickets from ANA to LAX to connect to the CS. Needless to say when we got on the train the train was PACKED -- people's belongings SPRAWLED all over 2 seats, all over the tables that should have been used by 4 people -- only being used by 2 people. This was our first time in business class -- and obviously our last -- the attendant had to literally SHOUT and ARGUE with people to get them to move their belongings, so that we could sit in a seat. We did not get to sit together -- which was understandable -- but then we were both subjected to dirty looks, and huffing and puffing from our seat mates because we had inconveinced them! We had no idea where to coffee was, but would not have gotten out of our seats anyway -- at the risk of not having a seat to come back to! It was even worse for the people boarding after us -- one was a family (with teenagers) that had to sit all over the car.

I also agree -- if it's RESERVED SEATING -- you should have a seat assigned. If you're buying a last minute ticket I can understand having a seat assigned at the station -- or by the attendant, but our tickets were purchased in January for our September trip.

 

[the_traveler]

My point was that the attendant may move two people sitting next to each other who don't know each other to other single seats so the two people boarding could sit next to each other.

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

Would you move your seat?

To answer your question directly, yes, I would. It's called "common courtesy", and it's still present out here in flyover country.

So would I - if it was a family or a couple and I was alone and there was another seat in the car. I may not move if a single person came along and there were 40 open seats in the car.

Even "common courtesy" knows 2 words - "YES" and "NO"! I very much doubt that if you say "NO" to a request if you would want to move, they are going to say "Get off at the next station!" The CA will most likely ask the next person in a single seat is he/she would like to move.

And even though I may "get there early to get a good seat", usually I am not even in that seat much during the day. (I'm usually in the Lounge.) And how much scenery can you see at night?

I boarded once in SLC about 3:30 AM. I was seated next to someone, but the next morning (a few hours later) I moved to another seat! Not that I minded where I was.

 

[the_traveler]

All of which leads me to conclude Amtrak not having individual seat reservations on a designated coach -- at least by line number, DB's reservation told me the exact car assigned(!) -- is indicative of how half-a###d Amtrak is run.

I for one would not want to have a designated seat on a train - or even a designated coach! At least on a plane - depending on where you're going - you may be on the plane for 1-5 hours. I would not like to be stuck in 1 seat for the 50 hours from CHI to the west coast! Or find that my "designated seat" is broken but they can't give me another one because someone else reserved it 5 stops down the line! And I would not like to be stuck in my "designated coach" even though the heater or AC is broken and all the other "designated coaches" are or will be occupied! Or (I'm not anti-kid) my "designated coach" is filled with loud kids going on a school trip, and I would be stuck with them for the next 30 hours!

 

[amamba]

My point was that the attendant may move two people sitting next to each other who don't know each other to other single seats so the two people boarding could sit next to each other.

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

Would you move your seat?

No, I wouldn't, but I'm from the Northeast where it is every person for themselves. Good thing we don't have coach car attendents and all seating on the NEC is a free for all.

I don't understand why Amtrak doesn't actually assign seats, like many of the railroads do in Europe. I remember riding the TGV in France in 2001 and we had actual seat assignments, so that when we got on the train we knew exactly what seats we were supposed to be sitting in, like on an plane.

 

[GAT]

WHY can't Amtrak assign specific seats? The airlines do (except maybe Southwest, but that's their choice).

 

[msbask]

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

To answer your question directly, yes, I would. It's called "common courtesy", and it's still present out here in flyover country.

I don't know about this. I tend to agree with Tony. If I made sure I got to the train early enough to get the seat I wanted (especially with electrical outlets in such short supply on some trains), I'd be peeved if I had to move.

I don't think that's discourteous at all.

 

[the_traveler]

I would be quite upset, if I arrived at the station early, and stood in line for a long time, just to "snag" a good seat (electric outlet, scenery side), only to have the attendant later move me to a bad seat, for some late-arriving couple can sit together.

To answer your question directly, yes, I would. It's called "common courtesy", and it's still present out here in flyover country.

I don't know about this. I tend to agree with Tony. If I made sure I got to the train early enough to get the seat I wanted (especially with electrical outlets in such short supply on some trains), I'd be peeved if I had to move.

I don't think that's discourteous at all.

But remember, you can say "Yes" or you can say "No, I'd rather not" - and most likely, they'll ask someone else. I don't think they carry cattle prods! (At least I didn't see any CA's have them yet.)