What's the closest you've ever booked?

[BmoreFlyer]

My company has employees that do a lot of travel on Amtrak, so we have a corporate rate for certain routes, like the NE Corridor Regionals and Acela, even with no advance booking. On LD trains (I some times take the EB from Seattle to Wenatchee instead of the drive) I have noticed a discount, but it seems to follow the bucket fares and is not fixed.

 

[Trogdor]

The reason why it works is because when someone cancels a reservation, the room is returned to inventory at the original bucket price it was sold at, not the currently existing bucket.

This is not true. Can we eventually kill this myth?

 

[Trogdor]

Now, I obviously didn't get the best fare, but the closest I've ever booked a long-distance trip was day of departure, CHI-DEN. It was maybe 10 or 11 am, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go on a trip to Denver and back.

I hear the Denver sleeper hasn't been full most of the time.

If only they had the CHI-DEN sleeper a couple years ago.

I made a spur-of-the-moment CHI-DEN trip this weekend for Labor Day. Booked barely an hour before departure of #5, got C bucket going west and D going east. The train was actually sold out west of DEN, but the CHI-DEN sleeper was about half full, at best, in each direction.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The reason why it works is because when someone cancels a reservation, the room is returned to inventory at the original bucket price it was sold at, not the currently existing bucket.

Yeah, I understand that part, but isn't that really more of how it works than why it works? I understand the basic premise, but what I don't understand is why Amtrak would do things that way. It seems to be another case of Amtrak shooting themselves in the foot. No other transportation method I'm aware of works that way. Well, at least not since People Express. :lol:

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The reason why it works is because when someone cancels a reservation, the room is returned to inventory at the original bucket price it was sold at, not the currently existing bucket.

This is not true. Can we eventually kill this myth?

No matter what's happening behind the scenes I can corroborate that low bucket rooms can suddenly become available at the last minute, and that's the part that matters to me.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

A few years ago my girlfriends grandmother died. In typical fashion of her family, a month passed with no funeral. Then her dad calls up, (he "forgot" we don't fly...?) and told us on Wednesday that the funeral was on Friday. My girlfriend is from Florida. I'm from New Jersey. We booked the AutoTrain immediately- and got low buckets both ways.

 

[AlanB]

Now, I obviously didn't get the best fare, but the closest I've ever booked a long-distance trip was day of departure, CHI-DEN. It was maybe 10 or 11 am, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go on a trip to Denver and back.

I hear the Denver sleeper hasn't been full most of the time.

If only they had the CHI-DEN sleeper a couple years ago.

I made a spur-of-the-moment CHI-DEN trip this weekend for Labor Day. Booked barely an hour before departure of #5, got C bucket going west and D going east. The train was actually sold out west of DEN, but the CHI-DEN sleeper was about half full, at best, in each direction.

Actually the CHI-DEN sleeper has been an on again and off again affair for a number of years. When the OTOL gang went to San Fran 3 summers ago, it was running. But IIRC, the year before it wasn't, and then either the next year or the following one after our trip it was off. Now it's back again.

 

[amamba]

Well I've never actually ridden a LD amtrak train, but I routinely book NEC regional and acela tickets weeks or days before departure.

Well, with thepoints you are building up you can book a nice AGR LD trip and get to experience the joy of Amtrak sleeping car and diner travel! :wub: I wish we had more trains to do point runs down our way but with only 2 trains a day we have to make do the best we can! Hopefully the fall promo will be double/triple points for all since the last one was targeted darn it! :angry:

Oh, I know! My H has well over 40,000 AGR points right now, we are just trying to find the perfect route and timing to cut our teeth on LD amtrak travel. I have to say I am disappointed that we didn't get to book a crazy loophole, something like what green maned lion did earlier this year would have been nice to do a full round the country trip.

 

[Donctor]

Now, I obviously didn't get the best fare, but the closest I've ever booked a long-distance trip was day of departure, CHI-DEN. It was maybe 10 or 11 am, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go on a trip to Denver and back.

I hear the Denver sleeper hasn't been full most of the time.

If only they had the CHI-DEN sleeper a couple years ago.

I made a spur-of-the-moment CHI-DEN trip this weekend for Labor Day. Booked barely an hour before departure of #5, got C bucket going west and D going east. The train was actually sold out west of DEN, but the CHI-DEN sleeper was about half full, at best, in each direction.

Actually the CHI-DEN sleeper has been an on again and off again affair for a number of years. When the OTOL gang went to San Fran 3 summers ago, it was running. But IIRC, the year before it wasn't, and then either the next year or the following one after our trip it was off. Now it's back again.

And then, presumably, will be off again.