Trip advice/new rules

[rile42]

I know the AGR redemption rules changed a few months ago. My sister is trying to plan a lengthy trip and with the new rules and interpretations, I thought I'd check with the "experts".

Here's the trip....she wants to travel from Cleveland to West Glacier where she will spend a few days. For her return trip, she would like to take the EB to Portland, the CS to Sacramento, and the CZ back to Chicago with the LSL returning to Cleveland.

My thoughts on the trip.....use an AGR redemption from Toledo to West Glacier and pay the fare from Cleveland to Toledo (two zones 20,000 points). For the return, book a redemption from West Glacier to Burlington, Iowa (two zones 20,000 points). That trip is listed with Arrow and uses the EB, CS, and CZ so I believe that would be an allowable redemption under the new rules since it starts in the west zone and ends in the central zone. Now here is where I get a little uneasy. Normally, I would say to either pay for the rest of the trip back to Cleveland or use another redemption for the trip from Burlington to Toledo (one zone 15,000 points) and pay from Toledo to Cleveland. However, I seem to remember a problem discussed earlier about not being able to book such a redemption without spending a night in Burlington, but that might have been rescinded.

Any suggestions? If the trip as I described is feasible, any suggestions on booking it without having any difficulties?

 

[the_traveler]

First off, yes I would by a COACH ticket CLE to/from TOL instead of wasting 5,000-15,000 AGR points on one stop. The reason I said coach is that if the room is available, many times you will be allowed to occupy it! but sometimes they say no! ice have more yeses than nos. And even if no, it's what an hour or so?

Second, ask the AGR agent if they will allow WGL-TOL via PDX/CA/CHI. They may, and if so ask if you can connect from the CS to CZ in either DAV or MTZ. (Breakfast service on the CS does not tart until the wheels turn departing SAC. And you don't have to change about 6am!)

 

[zephyr17]

I know the AGR redemption rules changed a few months ago. My sister is trying to plan a lengthy trip and with the new rules and interpretations, I thought I'd check with the "experts".Here's the trip....she wants to travel from Cleveland to West Glacier where she will spend a few days. For her return trip, she would like to take the EB to Portland, the CS to Sacramento, and the CZ back to Chicago with the LSL returning to Cleveland.

My thoughts on the trip.....use an AGR redemption from Toledo to West Glacier and pay the fare from Cleveland to Toledo (two zones 20,000 points). For the return, book a redemption from West Glacier to Burlington, Iowa (two zones 20,000 points). That trip is listed with Arrow and uses the EB, CS, and CZ so I believe that would be an allowable redemption under the new rules since it starts in the west zone and ends in the central zone. Now here is where I get a little uneasy. Normally, I would say to either pay for the rest of the trip back to Cleveland or use another redemption for the trip from Burlington to Toledo (one zone 15,000 points) and pay from Toledo to Cleveland. However, I seem to remember a problem discussed earlier about not being able to book such a redemption without spending a night in Burlington, but that might have been rescinded.

Any suggestions? If the trip as I described is feasible, any suggestions on booking it without having any difficulties?

I was the poster with the original problem on that. AGRInsider at FlyerTalk got the policy clarified with the call center. The result of the massive thread over is here.

One important thing to note is you still might have to wrestle with the agent some:

"There is no forced stopover rule. The redemption guidelines stand as published. The call center leadership has been instructed to allow multiple redemptions to be booked with no forced overnight, as long as each individual redemption follows the guidelines (i.e. published route). If you call to book such an itinerary and are told an overnight stay is required between two redemptions, please ask for a lead agent or a supervisor."

 

[tomfuller]

If and only if the Capitol Limited is running on time, buy the $22 coach ticket at the window in Cleveland to go to Toledo. Get off in Toledo and wait 45 minutes to an hour and then start your AGR redemption on the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago.

The LSL can't leave TOL until 6:15AM.

I do remember well sleeping in the CLE station which opened at 10PM. That night both the CL and LSL were running late. We got on the LSL at dawn about 10 minutes after the CL left the station. Does this make me a lounge lizard?

 

[Ryan]

Why would you want to try and change trains in TOL?

Also technically, they didn't change the rules for AGR, they just published the rule set there were supposed to be operating under. The fact that it was a change for some just speaks to the poor training/internal communications between the call center folks and the AGR folks.

 

[Bruce-C]

I do remember well sleeping in the CLE station which opened at 10PM. That night both the CL and LSL were running late. We got on the LSL at dawn about 10 minutes after the CL left the station. Does this make me a lounge lizard?

You're only a lounge lizard if you used newspaper as a blanket!