Sorry to Disagree Ryan, but Most of us that Live out in Fly Over Country where the Miles are Long and the LD Trains Few, Prefer the Current Method! I personally like to be able to go from Austin to WPT on a 2 Zone Award (5 Days/4 Nights) or to Miami via CHI and WAS (4 Days/3 Nights) for the Same Amount fo Points!! !! (Of course the Old Slidell and Columbus Loophole Trips were even Better! RIP!!! )This would be so much simpler if the zones were to be replaced by mileage buckets.
0-999 miles = x points
999-1999 miles = 2x points
Etc, etc.
It's still an ugly step function, but it's better than the current system where a <100 mile trip can be a 2 zone trip and you can get one zoners for 10 times the distance.
But that would make most of my AGR trips about 25 zones! :giggle:This would be so much simpler if the zones were to be replaced by mileage buckets.
0-999 miles = x points
999-1999 miles = 2x points
Etc, etc.
It's still an ugly step function, but it's better than the current system where a <100 mile trip can be a 2 zone trip and you can get one zoners for 10 times the distance.
I don't dispute that. But considering that I work a few dozen feet from an enormous bronze statue of Leif Erikson (complete with winged helmet, no less) I have difficulty seeing why AGR has this as a national blackout day.Actually, yes. Columbus Day is a very big travel day in the NEC, with lots of folks returning from extended weekend visits on that federal holiday -- also a holiday in some states.
Based on the "maximizing revenue" theory, I think that sellers of services (like Amtrak) decide not to give away a service for free if they are quite confident (based on prior experience?) that they can sell most, if not all, of their service on that particular day or days. It looks to me like that date chosen for AGR Award blackout in October is the Friday before Columbus Day. And while that day may not be a big Amtrak travel day in many parts of the country, it must be a big travel day in areas that contribute a very high fraction of Amtrak revenues overall. I am assuming that this applies to the NEC. So, unless Amtrak decides to install region-specific blackout dates (not likely, in my opinion), they will just black out that Friday-before-Columbus-Day for all AGR travel. They have also implemented such blacks on dates AROUND (although not necessarily ON) other national holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Easter, and Presidents Day.I don't dispute that. But considering that I work a few dozen feet from an enormous bronze statue of Leif Erikson (complete with winged helmet, no less) I have difficulty seeing why AGR has this as a national blackout day.Actually, yes. Columbus Day is a very big travel day in the NEC, with lots of folks returning from extended weekend visits on that federal holiday -- also a holiday in some states.
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