amtrakmichigan
Lead Service Attendant
The Lady in one of the recent post asking for our opinions regarding riding coach from Kansas city to Calif. that was quoted over $1200 for a standard room made me brainstorm about Amtrak's reasoning with the price tier system.
My deepest concern if I was a marketing director for Amtrak would be for the first time rider, or the person who looks into traveling by train for the first time. Most of us experenced Amtrak riders and fans know how the price system works, but probably 99.5% of Amtrak customers or potential riders have no clue how the fare system works.
Put yourself in the ladies place who checked into the Kansas City to California trip with her son. She was quoted over $1200 for this trip with a Std room. I looked up days in August when she was intrested in traveling. The Std. room by itself came out to being over $500 each way. Think about it ....over $500 just for a std room. I bet 99.9% of the people would think that this is the "normal" price that Amtrak always charges for a bedroom, and would be scared away by such high prices, that they may never look into taking the train again thinking prices are always that high all the time. You could easily stay in a 5 star hotel like the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton for the same price.
Granted we know we can get very good deals for sleepers if we book early enough, but the public in general doesn't have a clue how this all works.
I am sure their is people out there who would cough up over $500 for a std. room or over $1000 for a deluxe room one way and not think anything of it. But for the majority of the people who would look into riding the train, which are generaly working class or "blue collar" workers, these prices are way..way out of line.
My deepest concern if I was a marketing director for Amtrak would be for the first time rider, or the person who looks into traveling by train for the first time. Most of us experenced Amtrak riders and fans know how the price system works, but probably 99.5% of Amtrak customers or potential riders have no clue how the fare system works.
Put yourself in the ladies place who checked into the Kansas City to California trip with her son. She was quoted over $1200 for this trip with a Std room. I looked up days in August when she was intrested in traveling. The Std. room by itself came out to being over $500 each way. Think about it ....over $500 just for a std room. I bet 99.9% of the people would think that this is the "normal" price that Amtrak always charges for a bedroom, and would be scared away by such high prices, that they may never look into taking the train again thinking prices are always that high all the time. You could easily stay in a 5 star hotel like the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton for the same price.
Granted we know we can get very good deals for sleepers if we book early enough, but the public in general doesn't have a clue how this all works.
I am sure their is people out there who would cough up over $500 for a std. room or over $1000 for a deluxe room one way and not think anything of it. But for the majority of the people who would look into riding the train, which are generaly working class or "blue collar" workers, these prices are way..way out of line.
