# E-Tickets



## printman2000

Anyone know what happens when someone books a trip from an unmanned station with no QT machine AND they do not have a computer or email address?


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## Trogdor

The conductor will be able to look up your reservation on his device.


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## printman2000

So no one has to actually have their bar code? The bar code is just a convienence for the conductor?


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## printman2000

I heard elsewhere the e-tickets will start system wide July 30. Anyone else heard this?


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## Acela150

printman2000 said:


> I heard elsewhere the e-tickets will start system wide July 30. Anyone else heard this?


As the ole' saying goes.. Time will tell.... But if this is true.. They would have made an announcement by now. OR they will make it this week.. So far they aren't doing a good job of doing keeping it on track for Systemwide by end of summer..

But where did you hear that??


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## printman2000

Both on TO and on All Aboard list. Though I think someone on the AA list was quoting the TO post.


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## printman2000

Many times, the sleeper car attendant will lift your ticket and take it to the conductor. I guess that cannot happen anymore.

In another thread there is talk of a time window. If you ticket is not input by a certain amount of time (1 or 2 hours), then it is automatically canceled.

What happens if the conductor is delayed and cannot scan your bar code before that time is up? Will they be able to get it back?


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## C&O RR

printman2000 said:


> Many times, the sleeper car attendant will lift your ticket and take it to the conductor. I guess that cannot happen anymore.
> 
> In another thread there is talk of a time window. If you ticket is not input by a certain amount of time (1 or 2 hours), then it is automatically canceled.
> 
> What happens if the conductor is delayed and cannot scan your bar code before that time is up? Will they be able to get it back?


I cannot image a time window since several of the trains run more than 2 hours late on any given day.

Amtrak's computers would need to constantly adjust the time window for each late train at each stop.

I rode from RVR to SAV in a sleeper last week and nobody ever took my ticket.


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## printman2000

From what I have heard, after each stop the conductor will press an "All Done" button and will then upload all that checked in to the main computer. Those that did not check in will be canceled. What happens if he presses all done and then realizes there is another ticket to be scanned?

SURELY, Amtrak is accounting for this, but who knows for sure.


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## transit54

printman2000 said:


> I heard elsewhere the e-tickets will start system wide July 30. Anyone else heard this?


I was told by a conductor on the Vermonter that their phone scanners will be fully active on July 30th. She was not sure if that meant that e-ticketing would be active for passengers on that date, though.


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## transit54

printman2000 said:


> So no one has to actually have their bar code? The bar code is just a convienence for the conductor?


That is my understanding, yes. I used an eticket on a Capitol Corridor train where the conductor couldn't get the barcode to scan. It was a ticket printed from a QT machine, no less. However he was able to look up my reservation on the phone and mark I was on board, as I later got the AGR points for the ride.

So there's really no reason that they can't just look it up based on the reservation number. I assume they want everyone to have the barcodes just because it's faster.


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## PaulM

printman2000 said:


> Anyone know what happens when someone books a trip from an unmanned station with no QT machine AND they do not have a computer or email address?


I just made via the internet a reservation on a non-E-ticket train departing from an unmanned station with no QT machine too late to have it mailed. The only option listed was to pick the tickets up from the conductor on board. The email confirmation (which wouldn't apply to you) included:



> TICKETING INFORMATION---------------------
> 
> You can pick up your tickets from the conductor when you board the train.


I had never seen this before. Is it new? It seems to solve a perennial problem, at least for us out in the hinterlands, just before e-ticketing should make the problem go away.


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## Trogdor

PaulM said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone know what happens when someone books a trip from an unmanned station with no QT machine AND they do not have a computer or email address?
> 
> 
> 
> I just made via the internet a reservation on a non-E-ticket train departing from an unmanned station with no QT machine too late to have it mailed. The only option listed was to pick the tickets up from the conductor on board. The email confirmation (which wouldn't apply to you) included:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TICKETING INFORMATION---------------------
> 
> You can pick up your tickets from the conductor when you board the train.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I had never seen this before. Is it new? It seems to solve a perennial problem, at least for us out in the hinterlands, just before e-ticketing should make the problem go away.
Click to expand...

That's been around for, I'd say, five to ten years or so.


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## transit54

Trogdor said:


> That's been around for, I'd say, five to ten years or so.


I'll add the caveat that the service is not available on all trains. Essentially, the train has to start from a staffed station where the conductor can have the tickets printed, and then one can get them from the conductor on the train. While most trains start from staffed stations, neither the Vermonter or the Ethan Allen do, for instance, so this feature is not available. It is also not available on the northbound segment of these trains (which start in Washington and New York, respectively), which makes me think that there may also be other trains in which this service is not offered on.

I'll also add that since the tickets are printed before the train departs, any last minute cancelation always results in the 10% penalty being applied.


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## CHamilton

transit54 said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I heard elsewhere the e-tickets will start system wide July 30. Anyone else heard this?
> 
> 
> 
> I was told by a conductor on the Vermonter that their phone scanners will be fully active on July 30th. She was not sure if that meant that e-ticketing would be active for passengers on that date, though.
Click to expand...

A conductor on the Cascades yesterday said that he had heard that they were going to be moving to e-ticketing "at the end of the month." He wasn't happy, since he felt that it would be more work, and there would be less flexibility to accept tickets on different trains than the one for which riders had a reservation.


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## zephyr17

printman2000 said:


> Anyone know what happens when someone books a trip from an unmanned station with no QT machine AND they do not have a computer or email address?


Like the airlines e-tickets, the ticket is virtual and they have a record it. You don't have to have a printout with a bar code or a smartphone for the airlines to get a boarding pass, and the plan is you won't have to on Amtrak either. You'll be able to show ID and the conductor can look it up on his device. I have my doubts about that in areas with spotty wireless data networks in the West, but we'll see how it works out.


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## AlanB

printman2000 said:


> From what I have heard, after each stop the conductor will press an "All Done" button and will then upload all that checked in to the main computer. Those that did not check in will be canceled. What happens if he presses all done and then realizes there is another ticket to be scanned?
> 
> SURELY, Amtrak is accounting for this, but who knows for sure.


Then he presses the "Oops, I lied I'm not really done button".


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## Acela150

AlanB said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> From what I have heard, after each stop the conductor will press an "All Done" button and will then upload all that checked in to the main computer. Those that did not check in will be canceled. What happens if he presses all done and then realizes there is another ticket to be scanned?
> 
> SURELY, Amtrak is accounting for this, but who knows for sure.
> 
> 
> 
> Then he presses the "Oops, I lied I'm not really done button".
Click to expand...

Ha! :lol:


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## fairviewroad

One thing's certain: The transition from paper tickets to e-tickets will have LOTS of bumps along the way. This is to be

expected and to a certain extent we can forgive Amtrak in advance. The real question will be how quickly they respond to

these problems and correct them, and how well they have trained their staff.


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## Acela150

I can agree with that.. Sure. But will everyone agree? As far as new riders, everyday riders, so on and so forth.. I say no...


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## fairviewroad

Acela150 said:


> I can agree with that.. Sure. But will everyone agree? As far as new riders, everyday riders, so on and so forth.. I say no...


It just depends on the duration and the severity of the snafus. It seems like once or twice a month there are reports of an airline's

reservations systems crashing, or website malfunction, etc. Yet people still fly those airlines. I'd say it would have to be a complete

meltdown before it really starts to drive people away.


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## Acela150

I can see a once a month snafu here and there. It will take a while for crews to get used to things.. They seem to hate the idea of eTickets. Or at least the ones that I've talked to. But I think they'll learn to like it or love it as time goes on.


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## AlanB

First, eTickets is not replacing ARROW. So ARROW will remain the base for everything and it should remain totally unaffected by any eTicketing issues.

Next, the staff has been very well trained on this. Every conductor has had their iPhone for at least 3 months now, if not longer. And every conductor has been required to scan the tickets that they collect, as practice for both them and the system in general. While most didn't bother to scan tickets right at the seats, preferring to lift them and then sit down in the cafe/office to scan them. But the simple reality is that they've been doing this for some time now. They know what to do, assuming that they've paid any attention to things. So if there are any issues, it should quickly become apparent as to which conductors paid attention and which ones didn't. But getting used to it, is what they've been doing for the last three months or more now.

Additionally, the system has been in use on several trains already now for several months. They've already hit most of the bugs & kinks as it were during those trials. Probably the biggest unknown for Amtrak was how well will the system stand up under the load of every conductor scanning and transmitting data. That of course is what they've been testing these past few months. And that is why the conductors on all non-eTicket routes still lift tickets. Amtrak is comparing the scanned data to the lifted ticket counts to make sure that things are working properly.

And if they weren't matching, then a system wide launch of eTicketing wouldn't be imminent.


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## X

AlanB said:


> While most didn't bother to scan tickets right at the seats, preferring to lift them and then sit down in the cafe/office to scan them.


It's not that they don't bother, it's that they don't want to stand there for a minute fiddling with the thing trying to get it to actually read the barcode.

There's conductors that like the concept, and those that don't, but none of them are happy with the execution.


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## EB_OBS

X said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> While most didn't bother to scan tickets right at the seats, preferring to lift them and then sit down in the cafe/office to scan them.
> 
> 
> 
> It's not that they don't bother, it's that they don't want to stand there for a minute fiddling with the thing trying to get it to actually read the barcode.
> 
> There's conductors that like the concept, and those that don't, but none of them are happy with the execution.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true. I've noticed that younger, more tech savvy conductors aren't having much of a problem at all adjusting to e-ticketing. Some of the older conductors who can barely use a cellphone are being more difficult.

Additionally, on most of the trains the conductors are still collecting paper tickets and handling them in the same old out-dated fashion, in addition to the new procedures using the iphone device. So it really is, in their eyes, more work not less. As paper tickets go away this will lessen. Reports from conductors working trains that are fully e-ticketing seem to back up that statement. Most report the overall workload to be lessened.


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## printman2000

How will e-ticketing be handled with a thru bus? Surely they will not be issuing iPhones to bus drivers. Or are they?


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## AlanB

Not sure how that's going to be handled. I suppose that it may well depend on who the provider of the bus service actually is. For example it would not surprise me to find that some of the Amtrak California bus runs do get iPhones. But I wouldn't expect that the Greyhound run between Detroit & Toledo gets them. I'm figuring that if your trip includes a bus without eTicket capabilities, then you'll get traditional tickets for your entire trip.


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## Nathanael

AlanB said:


> Not sure how that's going to be handled. I suppose that it may well depend on who the provider of the bus service actually is. For example it would not surprise me to find that some of the Amtrak California bus runs do get iPhones.


Bus drivers operating Amtrak California routes *will* get the iPhones, and the routes which currently have e-ticketing *already have them*. This is confirmed! (Look for Amtrak Pacific Divison Newsletter.)

Apparently the order of rollout on California buses was determined by "which bus companies were ready". I assume that the Amtrak California ones, operated directly under contract to Amtrak and to the State of California, will be pretty straightforward.

Probably other buses where Amtrak contracts specifically to have the bus run just for Amtrak will get e-ticketing sooner or later (the Portland-Eugene and Seattle-Vancouver buses come to mind).

On the other hand, I would expect the cases where Amtrak is really just "code-sharing" with existing bus trips may never get e-ticketing. I'm not sure how Amtrak plans to deal with that.

There are some cases like that with trains too -- two runs on Altamont Commuter Express are "Thruway service" officially, NJT's Atlantic City Line offers "through ticketing from Amtrak", and SEPTA lets you go from 30th St. Station to Suburban or Market East with your "Amtrak ticket stub" -- and I have no idea how they'll handle those.



> But I wouldn't expect that the Greyhound run between Detroit & Toledo gets them. I'm figuring that if your trip includes a bus without eTicket capabilities, then you'll get traditional tickets for your entire trip.


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## Nathanael

I am suspicious that e-ticketing will *not* have a full system-wide rollout on a single day. The reports I'm hearing are that some conductors are handling it a lot better than others.

The result will presumably be that it will keep getting pushed out a few routes at a time so they can focus on retraining a few conductors at a time rather than trying to deal with it nationwide all at once. And of course they're still in the beta-testing-the-software phase right now, and different routes will show up different minor design problems, some of which will need software fixes which are more involved than others.

So I'd expect to see the staged rollout continue.


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## printman2000

Seems I remember someone saying July 30 is the date e-tickets will become an OPTION for all routes. Maybe it will not be required yet.


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## Acela150

I'll put it this way.. I just booked a trip for July 30th and 31st. I was still given the same choices. Pick up or Express Service. I went with the Pick up naturally. Why pay an extra $15 for nothing.. Plus I'm hoping July 30th when I show up at PAO to hop the train it'll be eTickets.


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## jis

AlanB said:


> Not sure how that's going to be handled. I suppose that it may well depend on who the provider of the bus service actually is. For example it would not surprise me to find that some of the Amtrak California bus runs do get iPhones. But I wouldn't expect that the Greyhound run between Detroit & Toledo gets them. I'm figuring that if your trip includes a bus without eTicket capabilities, then you'll get traditional tickets for your entire trip.


I don't know exactly how the system is architected, but it seems to me that it should be possible to issue a "boarding card" for a specific segment without disturbing anything else in the system. If that is the case then they should not have to issue a paper ticket for anything, since the collected boarding cards would be usable to record that the segment was actually used.

Because of the nature of their operations airlines just have to issue a boarding card like document for each segment whether it be electronic or paper. On rail one does not need to do so because the original PNR can just be used as such. However, nothing should prevent issuing a boarding card for specific purposes like inter-line accounting etc.


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## Trogdor

printman2000 said:


> Seems I remember someone saying July 30 is the date e-tickets will become an OPTION for all routes. Maybe it will not be required yet.


Option, perhaps for the passenger, but all (train) routes will be capable.



Acela150 said:


> I'll put it this way.. I just booked a trip for July 30th and 31st. I was still given the same choices. Pick up or Express Service. I went with the Pick up naturally. Why pay an extra $15 for nothing.. Plus I'm hoping July 30th when I show up at PAO to hop the train it'll be eTickets.


Etickets won't show up as an option until July 30. It's essentially like flipping a switch. Right now the routes aren't eticket capable, so you don't get that ability. On July 30, they will be, and then you'll see it.


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## printman2000

Bought tickets for June 2013 this morning (July 30) and there was no e-ticket option. This was for the Texas Eagle.


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## transit54

printman2000 said:


> Bought tickets for June 2013 this morning (July 30) and there was no e-ticket option. This was for the Texas Eagle.


Based on this, e-ticketing starts at 9 AM.


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## Acela150

I have traditional paper for 642, 86 and my return tomorrow on 175. But trogdors statement makes sense. Guess Im collecting my last paper tickets.


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## printman2000

transit54 said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bought tickets for June 2013 this morning (July 30) and there was no e-ticket option. This was for the Texas Eagle.
> 
> 
> 
> Based on this, e-ticketing starts at 9 AM.
Click to expand...

Shoot. Wish I had known that. I guess then I will be one of the very last people to use a paper ticket when we travel June 29, 2013.


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## Trogdor

printman2000 said:


> transit54 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bought tickets for June 2013 this morning (July 30) and there was no e-ticket option. This was for the Texas Eagle.
> 
> 
> 
> Based on this, e-ticketing starts at 9 AM.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Shoot. Wish I had known that. I guess then I will be one of the very last people to use a paper ticket when we travel June 29, 2013.
Click to expand...

If you want an eticket, and you haven't already printed out your paper ticket, you could call Amtrak later on and see if they can convert your reservation to eticket status. Not sure 100% if it would work. Or you could cancel and rebook.


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## transit54

e-Ticketing is now live!!!! 

As someone who lives in a state without a single agent or QT machine, this day has been a long, long time in coming. I plan on taking a hop on the Vermonter later this week, just to celebrate the occasion!


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## Mackensen

I just booked a roomette on the Lake Shore Limited for January and got an E-ticket. Very painless (we'll see how January works out); E-ticketing is simply one of several pickup options, although it is selected by default.


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## VentureForth

I guess Amtrak is now officially an "E-Ticket Ride"! (Raise your hand if you get the Disney reference, ya ol' timers!)


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## PRR 60

VentureForth said:


> I guess Amtrak is now officially an "E-Ticket Ride"! (Raise your hand if you get the Disney reference, ya ol' timers!)


Hand raised!


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## Trogdor

Trogdor said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> transit54 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bought tickets for June 2013 this morning (July 30) and there was no e-ticket option. This was for the Texas Eagle.
> 
> 
> 
> Based on this, e-ticketing starts at 9 AM.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Shoot. Wish I had known that. I guess then I will be one of the very last people to use a paper ticket when we travel June 29, 2013.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> If you want an eticket, and you haven't already printed out your paper ticket, you could call Amtrak later on and see if they can convert your reservation to eticket status. Not sure 100% if it would work. Or you could cancel and rebook.
Click to expand...

ACtually, having looked it up, your ticket is supposed to automatically convert to an eticket when it's printed (at a ticket office). No further action required.

If you want to print it at home, that would probably still require calling, since it's not yet in the system as a print-at-home eligible eticket.


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## amamba

So I just booked a reservation on the phone using my electronic voucher. The guy said he couldn't do an eticket for it (its an acela FC Ticket from NYP - RTE). However, he did say that I could pick it up at the station, so I might head down there later and see if they can print me one of the eticket print-outs rather than a traditional paper ticket.


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## Acela150

I caught a glimpse of the iPhone scanner program they run for the eTickets. Looks very interesting. It looks like it shows how many get on at that station, how many are getting off, and My third guess would be how many total after tickets are collected.. But one must the question if tickets are cancelled after an "All Done" button is hit and there is someone boarding at say PHL who was going to board at WIL what would happen then if the ticket is cancelled out?

The conductors on my trains today seem very pleased with their scanners and that the eTickets have finally gone live.

Steve


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## fairviewroad

Anyone book an AGR ticket today? Do you get the same e-ticket option?


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## zephyr17

They are live everywhere on e-tickets. Press release:

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/197/699/eTickets-Now-Accepted-on-Every-Amtrak-Trains-ATK-12-069.pdf


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## colobok

What about cancellation policy? Is it still free cancellation now with eTickets?


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## PerRock

Bought a standard ticket today, and was given 2 choices: E-ticket, QT-Print, Agent print. I chose Agent Pickup, however the system sent me a E-Ticket anyways. The rumor I heard was that you can't get a full refund with an E-Ticket, so I figured I'd get an Agent as I'm still not 100% on my travel plans. But apparently you get the E-Ticket if you like it or not.

peter


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## PRR 60

colobok said:


> What about cancellation policy? Is it still free cancellation now with eTickets?


The terms and conditions suggest that all cancelled e-tickets are subject to the 10% refund fee (maximum $100), however a former Amtrak travel agent who posts at another site says he has confirmed that e-tickets will be 100% refundable. I guess we will not know for sure until someone tries it out.


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## johnny.menhennet

All of you guys who recently bought tickets are saying that you want them to be switched over to eTickets. I know that they are new, but for nostalgia's sake, I would want to get the last paper tickets while I still can. Who knows if they'll ever be printed in the same fashion again?


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## amtrakwolverine

I was at a station today picking up new tickets and turning in the old ones for a modified reservation and I got paper tickets.


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## afigg

Acela150 said:


> I caught a glimpse of the iPhone scanner program they run for the eTickets. Looks very interesting. It looks like it shows how many get on at that station, how many are getting off, and My third guess would be how many total after tickets are collected.. But one must the question if tickets are cancelled after an "All Done" button is hit and there is someone boarding at say PHL who was going to board at WIL what would happen then if the ticket is cancelled out?


If the ticket is not scanned in after departing WIL, I think they would have a different entry than a formerly canceled reservation. Besides someone getting on at the next station down the line from the station they booked - which I expect happens frequently - there is also the possibility that the conductor or AC missed someone as they walked through the train. I'm sure the crew sometimes pick up tickets from people they overlooked a stop or two later. Of course, for a train departing BOS to NYP, the tickets are not picked up until after Backbay. Just log the reservation as not found and wait several stops or a fixed length of time before canceling it. One would hope that all such issues have been worked out in the test roll-out phases.

Will July 30 become known as eTicket or E day? For someone departing from the larger stations with Quik Traks or ticket windows, eTicketing is not that big a deal, although it will provide flexibility and save time in the concourse. The benefits will be more significant for passengers departing from the stations without QT or ticket agents. eTicketing may also attract more younger passengers who find the concept of getting printed tickets _so last century_.


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## amamba

Another exciting update - I was poking around at some reservations I made online for future travel, and there is now an option to "send travel doc" at the top as a yellow button next to the other choices of modify trip or cancel trip. When that is clicked, you can then have your eticket emailed to you.

Pretty cool!

But I still find it strange that I wasn't able to get an e-ticket when making a reservation today with an e-voucher with customer relations. Oh well.


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## Eris

Like amamba, I see that I can "send travel docs" and it will email me the eticket... I wonder if I do that if I'll *also* be able to scan my reservation barcode at the quicktrack machine to get a paper ticket (or use the reservation number at a metrolink station machine).


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## Ispolkom

amamba said:


> Another exciting update - I was poking around at some reservations I made online for future travel, and there is now an option to "send travel doc" at the top as a yellow button next to the other choices of modify trip or cancel trip. When that is clicked, you can then have your eticket emailed to you.
> 
> Pretty cool!
> 
> But I still find it strange that I wasn't able to get an e-ticket when making a reservation today with an e-voucher with customer relations. Oh well.


Oddly, I only have the "send travel doc" button on 6 of 7 future reservations. The odd one out is a September two-segment trip that starts with a bus.


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## PRR 60

Ispolkom said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> 
> Another exciting update - I was poking around at some reservations I made online for future travel, and there is now an option to "send travel doc" at the top as a yellow button next to the other choices of modify trip or cancel trip. When that is clicked, you can then have your eticket emailed to you.
> 
> Pretty cool!
> 
> But I still find it strange that I wasn't able to get an e-ticket when making a reservation today with an e-voucher with customer relations. Oh well.
> 
> 
> 
> Oddly, I only have the "send travel doc" button on 6 of 7 future reservations. The odd one out is a September two-segment trip that starts with a bus.
Click to expand...

The bus is the issue. Right now, only a handful of California bus routes are e-ticket enabled. All other bus routes, including most California buses, require paper value tickets. If any segment on an itinerary requires a paper ticket, the entire itinerary must use paper tickets.


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## printman2000

I just pulled up my reservation I made this morning before e-ticket option was available. On the iPhone app it showed me an eticket barcode. So I guess it was automatically converted since I did not choose to have tickets mailed.


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## Misty.

Either that or it e-ticketing went up unofficially last night  Made a Gathering-related reservation last night and pulled it up in the app today, where it showed me the barcode.


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## amamba

Oh wow. Just went into the iPhone Amtrak app and it does show the e-ticket barcode/QR code for upcoming reservations that I booked months ago. The only one that doesn't have the code is the one I paid for with my e-voucher. It still says "paper ticket required" over where the code would be.


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## transit54

MistyOLR said:


> Either that or it e-ticketing went up unofficially last night  Made a Gathering-related reservation last night and pulled it up in the app today, where it showed me the barcode.


They definitely seem to have converted existing reservations. I had a reservation months ago that I was able to get a travel document and barcode for today.

I believe that a year or two ago, in preparation for print-at-home eticketing, modifications were made so that ARROW created some sort of an electronic reservation each time a ticket was booked. Essentially, all Amtrak did today was enable the ability to generate a boarding document from that electronic reservation (instead of a standard ticket) and enable the scanning infrastructure. So it makes sense that we can pull up our old reservations electronically. I apologize for speaking so vaguely about technical aspects of this - I just don't have the details in front of me at the moment, nor do I remember exactly where I saw this information.


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## Ryan

amamba said:


> Oh wow. Just went into the iPhone Amtrak app and it does show the e-ticket barcode/QR code for upcoming reservations that I booked months ago. The only one that doesn't have the code is the one I paid for with my e-voucher. It still says "paper ticket required" over where the code would be.


Hey, that's awesome! I just checked the app and found the same thing! Sweet!


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## SubwayNut

Well I'm currently aboard Lincoln Service Train #301 going down to St Louis (stopped waiting for a Metra train just beyond the interlocking with another railroad where the train stops following the orange line) This morning as I was going down to Union Station I noticed a QR code activated for the reservation in the app, along with my trip back to New York. I did stop at a QuickTrak machine and got an electronic travel document as expected. I made a point of showing my iPhone to the gate agent when boarding and had to scroll down so she could see the train number. On board when the conductor came through it was about 50-50 paper which were ripped and eTickets as I even noticed an online print-out.1


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## deathcabforchristina

If you go to your reservation page and click 'send traveL doc' a PDF e-ticket will be sent to your email. I just did it.


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## TrainLoverJoy

Do I have this straight?.......whatever I print from Amtrak (whether old reservation before July 30 or future reservation) I can go to Quik-Trak kiosk and get an "old size" ticket? I don't want to carry around an 8x11 inch piece of paper and I don't have a smart phone.


----------



## Ryan

You are correct. QT machines will spit out the same ticket stock with a barcode on it.


----------



## printman2000

TrainLoverJoy said:


> Do I have this straight?.......whatever I print from Amtrak (whether old reservation before July 30 or future reservation) I can go to Quik-Trak kiosk and get an "old size" ticket? I don't want to carry around an 8x11 inch piece of paper and I don't have a smart phone.


I suppose all you really need is the QR code to be scanned. If an 8.5x11 piece of paper is too much, you can cut it out and carry it in a wallet.

Or, you could just fold the piece of paper.


----------



## printman2000

Ryan said:


> You are correct. QT machines will spit out the same ticket stock with a barcode on it.


Not to nit pick, but it may be worth pointing out that we might want to change our habit of saying barcode when talking about e-tickets. The e-tickets do not use barcodes, they use QR codes which are the funny looking squares. I do not know how important it is to differentiate, but there could be confusion.







Looking at mine, the QR code simply contains the reservation number and the date the reservation was made.


----------



## Ryan

I don't know, this looks an awful lot like a bar code to me:






(from here)


----------



## printman2000

Ryan said:


> I don't know, this looks an awful lot like a bar code to me:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (from here)


You are sure right! I stand corrected.

Come to think of it, I guess QT machines and the ticket agent printers cannot print QR codes. I guess the iPhones can scan QR or barcodes.

So I guess the print at home will be QR and the print at station will be barcode.


----------



## AlanB

printman2000 said:


> So I guess the print at home will be QR and the print at station will be barcode.


You guess correctly!


----------



## PerRock

Most mobile devices (like the iPhones they're using) can read both barcodes & QR Codes. Some barcode-type scanners (the red laser thing you see at the supermarket checkout) can read QR codes as well. The big reason for the switch to QR codes is: they can store more information then a regular barcode, and they are more design-friendly (you can constrain them to a specific size), they are also easier for a mobile-device camera reader to read then a barcode (the can still read barcodes, it just might take a bit longer or need a second scan).

peter


----------



## printman2000

PerRock said:


> Some barcode-type scanners (the red laser thing you see at the supermarket checkout) can read QR codes as well.
> 
> peter


Laser scanners work in one long line and pick up the bars and gaps to get their information. I do not think a laser scanner can read a QR code.


----------



## PRR 60

printman2000 said:


> PerRock said:
> 
> 
> 
> Some barcode-type scanners (the red laser thing you see at the supermarket checkout) can read QR codes as well.
> 
> peter
> 
> 
> 
> Laser scanners work in one long line and pick up the bars and gaps to get their information. I do not think a laser scanner can read a QR code.
Click to expand...

Laser scanners also cannot read a code from a smartphone screen due to the reflective property of the screen. An optical scanner is used for scanning from a phone. The iPhone add-on device used by Amtrak has both capabilities.


----------



## jacorbett70

Most of my tickets have the "send travel doc" option meaning they are now e-tickets. Exceptions: In addition to one with a Thruway bus trip, my Maple Leaf trip to Toronto was not converted. Quik Trak was not offered presumably due to the VIA RAIL segment.


----------



## transit54

In case anyone is interested, this is the scanner attachment that Amtrak uses for their iPhones:

http://ipclineapro.com/

See this article: http://ipcprint.com/amtrak-streamlines-with-linea-pro/


----------



## Acela150

Just got my ticket scanned on 175. Regular paper. It prompted the conductor to ask for my ID. This guy didn't seem happy about these scanners though.


----------



## Aaron

I've got a trip starting today that I originally purchased a few months ago. I went to the website and requested the e-docs to be sent and printed them out so I don't have to fiddle with the QT machine. I also looked on the iPhone app and noticed that I now have QR codes on the iPhone app for my trip as well.

Here's the thing: The codes on the iPhone app are different from the codes on the printout of the PDF. If I scan the *PDF printout* with a code reader app, it decodes into just a combination of res number and booking date, like this: 1234B5-31MAY12. That's all the information the conductor's scanner will need to pull up my reservation and mark it in. If I scan the barcode *on the iPhone* (using another iPhone), I can't get it to decode at all. Using three different code reader apps, none of them would recognize it as a valid QR code. It's not an issue of not being able to read the screen, either, because I could successfully read the code on the PDF when _it _was displayed on the iPhone screen.

So, I don't know if there's something broken with the iPhone app where it's generating unreadable codes, or if for some reason it's using a completely different code than the PDF and it's not fully QR compliant. Maybe scanning from a screen is a little harder so they developed some more simplified modification of the code standard for that situation?

Does anyone else have different codes in the app than they do in their PDF printouts?

Either way, I'll find out tonight when I present my iPhone to the conductor if he/she will be able to read it. I'll keep the paper printout in my pocket as a backup so as not to hold up the line too much if it's causing trouble.


----------



## transit54

Here's another e-ticketing related question:

In two weeks, I am ticketed from NYP-ESX. I may get on at NYP, but there's a chance that I will board at STM (next stop, about 50 min later). If I do choose to board at STM, I assume I need to change the ticket with Amtrak, correct?

However, will changing the ticket increase the price? I bucket has undoubtably increased since I bought the ticket. Would I really have to pay Amtrak more for a shorter journey?

Also, I used a promotion code that requires a minimum of a three day advance purchase. Would this cause me any problems?

Or is there some mechanism in this new system that will allow Amtrak to let me board down-line while preserving the fare I paid?


----------



## printman2000

Just comparing the QR from the PDF and the app, mine are different. Have to wait til my wife gets home with her iPhone to see if/what it scans.


----------



## afigg

transit54 said:


> Here's another e-ticketing related question:
> 
> In two weeks, I am ticketed from NYP-ESX. I may get on at NYP, but there's a chance that I will board at STM (next stop, about 50 min later). If I do choose to board at STM, I assume I need to change the ticket with Amtrak, correct?
> 
> However, will changing the ticket increase the price? I bucket has undoubtably increased since I bought the ticket. Would I really have to pay Amtrak more for a shorter journey?
> 
> Also, I used a promotion code that requires a minimum of a three day advance purchase. Would this cause me any problems?
> 
> Or is there some mechanism in this new system that will allow Amtrak to let me board down-line while preserving the fare I paid?


I think you need to call Amtrak to see what the agent is willing to do. Your ticket or barcode printout should be good for getting on at STM if it costs extra to change it because of the bucket prices. I may be wrong, but I don't see why Amtrak would implement an immediate cancellation policy if the reservation or eticket is not scanned in after the stop. That would only lead to problems for overlooked passengers. There has to be flexibility in the system. The odds of the Vermonter being both sold out north of NYP and the seat resold in the short window from the conductor completing the ticket pickup out of NYP and the time it reaches STM are nil.


----------



## printman2000

Okay, the QR on the PDF scanned as my reservation number and the date the reservation was made. The QR code in the app also scanned with no problem but it has only my reservation number. No date.


----------



## Aaron

printman2000 said:


> Okay, the QR on the PDF scanned as my reservation number and the date the reservation was made. The QR code in the app also scanned with no problem but it has only my reservation number. No date.


Interesting. What app are you using to scan? Maybe it's just that none of the three apps I was trying are all that good?


----------



## amamba

transit54 said:


> Here's another e-ticketing related question:
> 
> In two weeks, I am ticketed from NYP-ESX. I may get on at NYP, but there's a chance that I will board at STM (next stop, about 50 min later). If I do choose to board at STM, I assume I need to change the ticket with Amtrak, correct?
> 
> However, will changing the ticket increase the price? I bucket has undoubtably increased since I bought the ticket. Would I really have to pay Amtrak more for a shorter journey?
> 
> Also, I used a promotion code that requires a minimum of a three day advance purchase. Would this cause me any problems?
> 
> Or is there some mechanism in this new system that will allow Amtrak to let me board down-line while preserving the fare I paid?


This is the million dollar question. In the past, you would have just kept your original ticket and boarded at STM. No harm, no foul. I am just hoping that they don't require you to actually change your reservation and pay an increased fare to make the change. But no one seems to know. The terms at the bottom of the e-tickets (on the webpage) do say that if you do not board at your originally ticketed station that your reservation will be cancelled. The bonus is that enables amtrak to sell tickets down the line for sold out trains. The thing that sucks is for corridor service and situations like you posted about, where making a change requires you to pay a higher fare. It is unclear what will actually happen.

My suggestion is to see if you can get a paper ticket printed at the window - then I would think you would be OK.


----------



## printman2000

Aaron said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Okay, the QR on the PDF scanned as my reservation number and the date the reservation was made. The QR code in the app also scanned with no problem but it has only my reservation number. No date.
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting. What app are you using to scan? Maybe it's just that none of the three apps I was trying are all that good?
Click to expand...

pic2shop


----------



## Trogdor

amamba said:


> My suggestion is to see if you can get a paper ticket printed at the window - then I would think you would be OK.


Paper tickets are no longer an option for any eticket-eligible itinerary.


----------



## amamba

Trogdor said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> 
> My suggestion is to see if you can get a paper ticket printed at the window - then I would think you would be OK.
> 
> 
> 
> Paper tickets are no longer an option for any eticket-eligible itinerary.
Click to expand...

Interesting. So what is the deal with the hidden city ticketing, then? Are we SOL on that?


----------



## johnny.menhennet

amamba said:


> Trogdor said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> amamba said:
> 
> 
> 
> My suggestion is to see if you can get a paper ticket printed at the window - then I would think you would be OK.
> 
> 
> 
> Paper tickets are no longer an option for any eticket-eligible itinerary.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Interesting. So what is the deal with the hidden city ticketing, then? Are we SOL on that?
Click to expand...

Likely, although I wish SOL would continue to give paper tix!  I like the feeling of them, and will always continue to.


----------



## Trogdor

johnny.menhennet said:


> Likely, although I wish SOL would continue to give paper tix!  I like the feeling of them, and will always continue to.


They will still feel the same. The paper stock being used in QuikTrak machines and at ticket counters is the same, they're just being printed differently.


----------



## amamba

I just really don't want to have to drive my ass up to RTE to actually board there, but I guess I have been technically cheating for a while. Some folks on flyer talk are saying that if you get a free upgrade coupon you get paper tickets, so in that case, maybe the ticketed from RTE but board in PVD thing will still work. I just don't know.


----------



## Acela150

amamba said:


> I just really don't want to have to drive my ass up to RTE


Then take the train! :giggle: :giggle: Sorry couldn't resist!!

Truthfully RTE is a nice station.. It has a nice little newspaper stand I have traveled out of this station many times in my years of traveling. It's truly a great example of George Warrington's Acela Brand idea. It used to be all low level platforms and was built with the current station and the high level platforms. I love using it. Great station!


----------



## Aaron

printman2000 said:


> Aaron said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Okay, the QR on the PDF scanned as my reservation number and the date the reservation was made. The QR code in the app also scanned with no problem but it has only my reservation number. No date.
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting. What app are you using to scan? Maybe it's just that none of the three apps I was trying are all that good?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> pic2shop
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll try that. In the meantime, however, I'm on a train. The conductor was not actually able to scan the code on my iPhone app, but was able to scan the PDF code on the iPhone. So, at least in my case, the iPhone app appears to be generating/ displaying unusable QR codes.


----------



## printman2000

By the way, you have to have an Internet connection to pull up the QR code in the iPhone app. Seems that could be problematic at rural stations with no data service.


----------



## amtrakwolverine

How does e-ticket work for 2 people on one reservation traveling together? Do they each get a e-ticket or is one e-ticket printed with both passengers names on it?


----------



## Misty.

Unless they changed things, two e-ticket documents print when you print at a Quik-Trak (my CHI-CDL round trip in April had its return on the CONO).


----------



## printman2000

amtrakwolverine said:


> How does e-ticket work for 2 people on one reservation traveling together? Do they each get a e-ticket or is one e-ticket printed with both passengers names on it?


I have four people and only one QR code for all of us.


----------



## amamba

I booked an eticket today for both me and H - only one doc was emailed to us with both of our names on it.


----------



## jacorbett70

I'm hoping they do not cancel reservations after one stop, especially after last night when the assistant conductor said she would have to come back with her iPhone. Then she tore off the end segment (formerly the passenger receipt and with one of the two barcodes) saying it was OK and not to worry. This left me with the larger part of the ticket, formerly the part the crew took.


----------



## jis

jacorbett70 said:


> I'm hoping they do not cancel reservations after one stop, especially after last night when the assistant conductor said she would have to come back with her iPhone. Then she tore off the end segment (formerly the passenger receipt and with one of the two barcodes) saying it was OK and not to worry. This left me with the larger part of the ticket, formerly the part the crew took.


Afterall it is Amtrak. You should not expect anyone to necessarily follow procedures and certainly not be able to make any sense of what they do instead  Why didn't she have her iPhone if she was checking tickets? This is the equivalent of "Oh gee I need to go and get my ticket punch. Meanwhile give me half your ticket just in case. 

Of course since you can print yourself as many copies of the thing as you want it really does not matter if she takes this or that part, provided of course you have the time to print yourself another copy before the next segment.


----------



## Swadian Hardcore

What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?


----------



## transit54

Swadian Hardcore said:


> What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?


I doubt they're going anywhere anytime soon. After all, airlines still have numerous kiosks despite the ability of one to check in online. I do question as to whether Amtrak will ever do another mass deployment of them. I can see QTs in the future being much smaller in number, simpler in design, and less expensive to buy and operate. Essentially they will become an internet kiosk with a thermal printer.

Once everything is moved over to e-ticketing (which will still take some time), I'd imagine Amtrak will change the design of the ticket stock to align with the new e-ticketing design.


----------



## jis

Swadian Hardcore said:


> What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?


They remain in place so that people can print out their e-Tickets. Afterall everyone may not have a computer and a printer at home, or a smartphone for that matter.


----------



## Trogdor

transit54 said:


> Once everything is moved over to e-ticketing (which will still take some time), I'd imagine Amtrak will change the design of the ticket stock to align with the new e-ticketing design.


Actually, the change to eticketing is one of the reasons the ticket stock was changed two years ago.


----------



## fairviewroad

jis said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> 
> What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?
> 
> 
> 
> They remain in place so that people can print out their e-Tickets. Afterall everyone may not have a computer and a printer at home, or a smartphone for that matter.
Click to expand...

Exactly. At some level you still need _something_ to give or show to the conductor. You cannot simply show your ID and have the conductor look it up.

Or maybe you can. But Amtrak still publicly at least says you need to either print something out at home or at the station, or show the conductor your

smartphone confirmation page.


----------



## AlanB

fairviewroad said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> 
> What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?
> 
> 
> 
> They remain in place so that people can print out their e-Tickets. Afterall everyone may not have a computer and a printer at home, or a smartphone for that matter.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Exactly. At some level you still need _something_ to give or show to the conductor. You cannot simply show your ID and have the conductor look it up.
> 
> Or maybe you can. But Amtrak still publicly at least says you need to either print something out at home or at the station, or show the conductor your
> 
> smartphone confirmation page.
Click to expand...

While it requires considerably more work for the conductor, and I don't recommend doing so for no good reason, the conductor is indeed able to look up your reservation and check you in with nothing more than your ID.


----------



## transit54

Trogdor said:


> transit54 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Once everything is moved over to e-ticketing (which will still take some time), I'd imagine Amtrak will change the design of the ticket stock to align with the new e-ticketing design.
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, the change to eticketing is one of the reasons the ticket stock was changed two years ago.
Click to expand...

That's what I had heard at the time, though the e-ticketing print out does not line up with any of the lines on the ticket stock. Once paper tickets are fully on their way out, I'd imagine they would redesign the face of the ticket to align with the e-ticket language, right?


----------



## X

jis said:


> jacorbett70 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm hoping they do not cancel reservations after one stop, especially after last night when the assistant conductor said she would have to come back with her iPhone. Then she tore off the end segment (formerly the passenger receipt and with one of the two barcodes) saying it was OK and not to worry. This left me with the larger part of the ticket, formerly the part the crew took.
> 
> 
> 
> Afterall it is Amtrak. You should not expect anyone to necessarily follow procedures and certainly not be able to make any sense of what they do instead  Why didn't she have her iPhone if she was checking tickets? This is the equivalent of "Oh gee I need to go and get my ticket punch. Meanwhile give me half your ticket just in case.
> 
> Of course since you can print yourself as many copies of the thing as you want it really does not matter if she takes this or that part, provided of course you have the time to print yourself another copy before the next segment.
Click to expand...

Ticket punches don't need to be charged every few hours.


----------



## Ryan

Neither should scanners. iPhone batteries last pretty much for a day (depending on use) and the scanner sled that they sit in have an extra capacity battery in them.


----------



## amtrakwolverine

When not in use the scanners should be plugged in charging like I saw on the wolverine.


----------



## X

Ryan said:


> Neither should scanners. iPhone batteries last pretty much for a day (depending on use) and the scanner sled that they sit in have an extra capacity battery in them.


That's all well and good when it's being used in an Apple store on Wi-Fi, but when it's constantly moving in and out of coverage while trying to keep the reservation database up to date on 3G, the battery doesn't last very long at all.


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> Neither should scanners. iPhone batteries last pretty much for a day (depending on use) and the scanner sled that they sit in have an extra capacity battery in them.


What is the capacity of the add-on battery in the sleeve? If it is anything like the Mophie sleeve I have the battery should last more than a day even with continuous down and upload on a flaky 3G network. Even assuming that it is half the capacity, it should last for more than just a few hours.


----------



## jebr

X said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Neither should scanners. iPhone batteries last pretty much for a day (depending on use) and the scanner sled that they sit in have an extra capacity battery in them.
> 
> 
> 
> That's all well and good when it's being used in an Apple store on Wi-Fi, but when it's constantly moving in and out of coverage while trying to keep the reservation database up to date on 3G, the battery doesn't last very long at all.
Click to expand...

Despite having to sync, it's probably not much heavier in terms of bandwidth usage than having a work email set up to automatically go to your phone. After all, it's basically just verifying that the reservation number from the QR code matches with the reservation number on the database (and that that reservation number is supposed to be on that train.) My guess is that it would still work fine even on an EDGE/1X (2G) network.


----------



## fairviewroad

AlanB said:


> fairviewroad said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> 
> What happens to the Quik-Trak machines now?
> 
> 
> 
> They remain in place so that people can print out their e-Tickets. Afterall everyone may not have a computer and a printer at home, or a smartphone for that matter.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Exactly. At some level you still need _something_ to give or show to the conductor. You cannot simply show your ID and have the conductor look it up.
> 
> Or maybe you can. But Amtrak still publicly at least says you need to either print something out at home or at the station, or show the conductor your
> 
> smartphone confirmation page.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> While it requires considerably more work for the conductor, and I don't recommend doing so for no good reason, the conductor is indeed able to look up your reservation and check you in with nothing more than your ID.
Click to expand...

Good to know, not that I'm going to try that specifically, but it's a bit of "insurance" in case a phone battery dies, or I lose the slip of paper I printed out at home, etc.


----------



## acelafan

amamba said:


> I just really don't want to have to drive my ass up to RTE to actually board there, but I guess I have been technically cheating for a while. Some folks on flyer talk are saying that if you get a free upgrade coupon you get paper tickets, so in that case, maybe the ticketed from RTE but board in PVD thing will still work. I just don't know.


I just did an Acela first class upgrade coupon at PHL. Still have an eTicket. Guess the paper tix are just about gone forever.

I also changed my reservation last night & there were still no change fees. Still nice to verify that.


----------



## AlanB

Here's an interesting twist though on the eTicketing thing & AGR. First, let me remind everyone that according to the employee handbook, the only tickets that ever need to be signed are the ones that were purchased by credit card. And in fact, printed in small fine print on the ticket stock, is the blurb about needing to sign here to acknowledge the charge to your credit card.

So with that in mind, we now move to the Auto Train which has been doing a quasi-eTicket for some time now. If one shows up with a paid reservation, even one paid for by a credit card, then things work more or less as one would expect with an eTicket. One just drives up to the booth, provides the primary name on the reservation and you receive your little ticket holder book. This book in use for a number of years, provides a route guide, a place to write the car number assigned at the booth, and other helpful information; as well as a place to stick your physical tickets in. Used to be that's what they did in the booth for you when you showed your tickets. Now, they already have one book ready for each party with your name on the book.

After dropping off your car, you walk in and hand over the book and show your photo ID. You also pick your dinner time, and in coach you get a seat assignment. Now if you paid for your reservation with a credit card, then this is all you need to do. You are done, checked in, and ready to go when the train is ready.

However, if you used AGR points to pay for your reservation, well apparently they can't do eTickets for that. So the ticket machine spits out regular Amtrak tickets, just like it always has for both AGR & paid reservations. And then the agent behind the counter commits the ultimate violation of Amtrak procedures, they ask you to sign the tickets. You know, that spot where it says "I agree to this charge on my credit card." Only, you never used a credit card to buy the tickets and therefore should NOT be forced to agree to a charge on your credit card! Not to mention the fact that eTickets means NO traditional, physical tickets.

Go figure!


----------



## Bob Dylan

AlanB said:


> However, if you used AGR points to pay for your reservation, well apparently they can't do eTickets for that. So the ticket machine spits out regular Amtrak tickets, just like it always has for both AGR & paid reservations. And then the agent behind the counter commits the ultimate violation of Amtrak procedures, they ask you to sign the tickets. You know, that spot where it says "I agree to this charge on my credit card." Only, you never used a credit card to buy the tickets and therefore should NOT be forced to agree to a charge on your credit card! Not to mention the fact that eTickets means NO traditional, physical tickets.
> 
> Go figure!


The Age Old saying "Weve always done it this way!" applies Alan! People get comfortable with Routines and even though there are Manuals and Updates all the time from Management re changes in Policy, most People dont bother to Read or Check, it's Business as Usual! I anticipate lots of problems out in the sticks @ the Small Stations, and the AGR vs Paid Ticets surely will have it's Rough Spots with both Employees AND Passengers until everything is Clarified, becomes "the Norm" and lots of the old Luddites (including some of us!  ) are pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st Century! :lol:


----------



## amamba

I have always been made to sign my AGR award tickets. My H was just forced to sign a ticket that was paid for with a voucher, too, last week. But that was the mean, old guy at the ticket window that I really dislike. I think they are just so used to saying "sign here".


----------



## jis

I just got AGR paid eTickets on Silver service to JAX and back in Sept. I wonder when they will have an opportunity to give me a real ticket to sign between me printing my eTicket and taking it along to the train to have it scanned by the conductor, and when it is actually scanned.


----------



## acelafan

The conductor on 2164 is scanning tickets. Every so often I hear him ask a passenger to produce ID as the computer "requires a random check".

New practice? I have never been asked to provide ID on a regional or AE. Long distance, yes but not NEC.

He also said the small box on the PDF email printout scans much easier rather than the bar code on the QT ticket stub. He mentioned this as it was taking a long time to scan passengers who had the QT printout.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

A couple of things:

The Old:

In regards to paper tickets and signing them if a credit card was used to purchase them: I've noticed that whenever I travel in coach the conductors are sticklers about the tickets being signed, but I never get asked to sign my tix if traveling in a sleeper. I first noticed this a while ago when I accidentally left a sleeper ticket unsigned. Since then I've never signed them and never get asked to.

The New:

A question about groups traveling by eticket: If only one ticket is needed for several people traveling together, what happens if members of a group want to board at different times at a station like WAS where tickets are looked at before going to the platform? Can each member of the party have a copy of the eticket to show?


----------



## AlanB

jimhudson said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> However, if you used AGR points to pay for your reservation, well apparently they can't do eTickets for that. So the ticket machine spits out regular Amtrak tickets, just like it always has for both AGR & paid reservations. And then the agent behind the counter commits the ultimate violation of Amtrak procedures, they ask you to sign the tickets. You know, that spot where it says "I agree to this charge on my credit card." Only, you never used a credit card to buy the tickets and therefore should NOT be forced to agree to a charge on your credit card! Not to mention the fact that eTickets means NO traditional, physical tickets.
> 
> Go figure!
> 
> 
> 
> The Age Old saying "Weve always done it this way!" applies Alan! People get comfortable with Routines and even though there are Manuals and Updates all the time from Management re changes in Policy, most People dont bother to Read or Check, it's Business as Usual! I anticipate lots of problems out in the sticks @ the Small Stations, and the AGR vs Paid Ticets surely will have it's Rough Spots with both Employees AND Passengers until everything is Clarified, becomes "the Norm" and lots of the old Luddites (including some of us!  ) are pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st Century! :lol:
Click to expand...

Jim,

I might buy that, if they had always done it that way. But they haven't always done it that way. In the past you showed up with your tickets 90% of the time. They didn't print them out for you at the time of check in, unless you had not obtained the tix prior to arriving at the AT. And arriving without tix, made checkin at the booth very interesting.

Additionally in the past when I arrived with AGR tickets, I was never asked to sign them, which is the correct procedure.

So in this case, not only are they doing something that they never did before, that is forcing one to sign an AGR ticket; but they are also printing out tickets for something that is supposed to be an eTicket.


----------



## AlanB

amamba said:


> I have always been made to sign my AGR award tickets. My H was just forced to sign a ticket that was paid for with a voucher, too, last week. But that was the mean, old guy at the ticket window that I really dislike. I think they are just so used to saying "sign here".


You should never be forced to sign AGR tix. That said, many FC attendants try to make you do that because they never listen to the entire announcement made by the conductors about signing the tix if you paid with a credit card. They only hear "sign". I've argued with more than one. And one even marched out of the car and got the conductor. To her great dismay, the conductor sided with me, saying that I did not need to sign the tix.


----------



## AlanB

acelafan said:


> The conductor on 2164 is scanning tickets. Every so often I hear him ask a passenger to produce ID as the computer "requires a random check".
> 
> New practice? I have never been asked to provide ID on a regional or AE. Long distance, yes but not NEC.


No, that has been required for a couple of years. However, the old way most conductors just ignored and didn't bother checking.


----------



## Ryan

X said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Neither should scanners. iPhone batteries last pretty much for a day (depending on use) and the scanner sled that they sit in have an extra capacity battery in them.
> 
> 
> 
> That's all well and good when it's being used in an Apple store on Wi-Fi, but when it's constantly moving in and out of coverage while trying to keep the reservation database up to date on 3G, the battery doesn't last very long at all.
Click to expand...

In other words, they're used exactly how I use my phone and get far more than several hours out of it.


----------



## Acela150

acelafan said:


> The conductor on 2164 is scanning tickets. Every so often I hear him ask a passenger to produce ID as the computer "requires a random check".
> 
> New practice? I have never been asked to provide ID on a regional or AE. Long distance, yes but not NEC.
> 
> He also said the small box on the PDF email printout scans much easier rather than the bar code on the QT ticket stub. He mentioned this as it was taking a long time to scan passengers who had the QT printout.


As I had mentioned earlier in the topic. When I was on 175 Tuesday the scanner will prompt the conductor to ask for an ID at random.


----------



## acelafan

I wasn't sure if it was new, never had it done. Ryan confirmed the practice. Thanks


----------



## Trogdor

I've never understood why people have such a fit about signing tickets. I mean, sure, it's not technically policy to require every ticket to be signed, but on the other hand, it takes about a half a second to do (you don't even have to sign legibly, using your actual signature, a couple of squiggly lines will suffice).


----------



## Acela150

Just made a few reservations for Tuesday. Trying to make the best of the "Summer Well Spent" promo. I used the Amtrak iPhone App. Sent barcodes to the app. It also sent me an e-mail from: [email protected] with pdf files of the print out. Very strange having something that I can lose and print over and over. But I'm so used to the punching and now I have to hear a beep. I'll be honest, I'm 20, very into the tech world. But this is one thing I'm not a fan of. When you grow up hearing that ticket punch and hearing conductors say "tickets please" and have this small piece of paper to retain for your trip, now I have a big piece of paper. I'll get used to it but It's just soooooo weird. I have countless ticket stubs with engine and car numbers. Wonder how I'll do it now.


----------



## acelafan

I agree with you, I have every ticket stub since 2009 when I started riding amtrak in earnest. Guess that's progress as they say.

By the way, they still say "Tickets please!" But it's not quite the same.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> By the way, you have to have an Internet connection to pull up the QR code in the iPhone app. Seems that could be problematic at rural stations with no data service.


You have to have internet connection at some point to get the thing on your mobile device. Once you get it there you can always save either the document away or a screenshot of it, depending on the capabilities of your mobile device, and then no further internet connectivity is necessary.

I have done the same with airline e-Boarding passes and it has always worked.


----------



## printman2000

jis said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, you have to have an Internet connection to pull up the QR code in the iPhone app. Seems that could be problematic at rural stations with no data service.
> 
> 
> 
> You have to have internet connection at some point to get the thing on your mobile device. Once you get it there you can always save either the document away or a screenshot of it, depending on the capabilities of your mobile device, and then no further internet connectivity is necessary.
> 
> I have done the same with airline e-Boarding passes and it has always worked.
Click to expand...

All true. I am just curious if there will be people expecting to pull up their Amtrak app only to find no data connection available. Probably will not happen too often, but there is the potential. And the backup would always be the conductor just pulling up their names on his iPhone.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, you have to have an Internet connection to pull up the QR code in the iPhone app. Seems that could be problematic at rural stations with no data service.
> 
> 
> 
> You have to have internet connection at some point to get the thing on your mobile device. Once you get it there you can always save either the document away or a screenshot of it, depending on the capabilities of your mobile device, and then no further internet connectivity is necessary.
> 
> I have done the same with airline e-Boarding passes and it has always worked.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> All true. I am just curious if there will be people expecting to pull up their Amtrak app only to find no data connection available. Probably will not happen too often, but there is the potential. And the backup would always be the conductor just pulling up their names on his iPhone.
Click to expand...

Actually the Amtrak App could mimic what the UA App does, which is to store the e-Boarding passes locally until the itinerary is removed from the itinerary list. So no connection required if you have checked in using the App. The document arrives as soon as you check in and stays in the App until after the flight.


----------



## printman2000

jis said:


> Actually the Amtrak App could mimic what the UA App does, which is to store the e-Boarding passes locally until the itinerary is removed from the itinerary list. So no connection required if you have checked in using the App. The document arrives as soon as you check in and stays in the App until after the flight.


If you have the QR code pulled up and then lose connection, you can still see it when re-entering the app. However, if the app gets restarted (totally closed) or you did not pull it up while you had a data connection, then you cannot get to the QR code. I see no way to store it locally within the app.

I confirmed all this using airplane mode.


----------



## Ryan

Yeah, I just checked the same thing. If you try to launch the app in airplane mode, it refuses to even start. You get a modal dialog box telling you to connect to the internet and then the program terminates.

Amazing. Hopefully this can be fixed in future updates to the app.


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> Yeah, I just checked the same thing. If you try to launch the app in airplane mode, it refuses to even start. You get a modal dialog box telling you to connect to the internet and then the program terminates.
> 
> Amazing. Hopefully this can be fixed in future updates to the app.


A bit of an aside just to point out that this problem in distributed solutions architecture is not new. People who have grown up with monolithic architectures forget to design things around the possibility that a connectivity may not exists when unreliable network infrastructure is involved. It requires a significant change in design attitudes. But people will learn as they go along. We in the industry have faced this problem since the early days of distributed computing dating back to the mid 70s.

The UA app which has been around longer is better at handling such situations, maybe partly because people do want to look up stuff while in flight in Airline Mode. But still it falls short IMHO. For example it does not keep itinerary summaries on board, so while you can see a one liner description of an itinerary you cannot see the actual itinerary. But at least once downloaded it keeps the Boarding Pass around AFAICT. Though as I said, I always keep a screenshot backup just in case. Many of these apps are quite flaky when it comes down to dependability. They are all quite useful when they work but are also all somewhat flaky.


----------



## deathcabforchristina

Ok so this morning at penn station baltimore, the baggage counter would not accept my e-ticket and made me print one at the quik trak machine!


----------



## Ryan

The baggage clerk doesn't have the ability to just scan a bar code and see where the bags should be routed to? Hopefully that can be resolved.


----------



## CHamilton

My friends who left SEA yesterday afternoon told me that the baggage clerk there hadn't yet seen an e-ticket, but that she was able to figure it out. It sounds like baggage people may not have gotten any training on the new system.


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> The baggage clerk doesn't have the ability to just scan a bar code and see where the bags should be routed to? Hopefully that can be resolved.


The e-Ticket PDF attached to the email or even the one downloaded in the App has every piece of information that is needed regarding the itinerary in human readable form. However, that information is current as of the time the e-Ticket was downloaded. It is possible for the itinerary to have changed in the time since one downloaded the e-Ticket, and to guard against that possibility it makes sense for the baggage clerk to make sure that the itinerary in the e-Ticket being presented was the most upto date version of it, and a way to ensure that is to get it printed out at the time the baggage is checked.

The only way the baggage clerk could do without a printout is if s/he is also given one of the e-Ticket scanning devices which can pull up the latest itinerary.


----------



## printman2000

deathcabforchristina said:


> Ok so this morning at penn station baltimore, the baggage counter would not accept my e-ticket and made me print one at the quik trak machine!


That is quite incredible that an employee knows nothing about an e-ticket. Then again, it is Amtrak.


----------



## AmtrakBlue

printman2000 said:


> deathcabforchristina said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok so this morning at penn station baltimore, the baggage counter would not accept my e-ticket and made me print one at the quik trak machine!
> 
> 
> 
> That is quite incredible that an employee knows nothing about an e-ticket. Then again, it is Amtrak.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you were typing this as JIS was making his post.

She didn't say the employee knew nothing about it, but that the employee would not accept it.


----------



## printman2000

AmtrakBlue said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> deathcabforchristina said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok so this morning at penn station baltimore, the baggage counter would not accept my e-ticket and made me print one at the quik trak machine!
> 
> 
> 
> That is quite incredible that an employee knows nothing about an e-ticket. Then again, it is Amtrak.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Perhaps you were typing this as JIS was making his post.
> 
> She didn't say the employee knew nothing about it, but that the employee would not accept it.
Click to expand...

I HIGHLY doubt the guy at the baggage desk was just making sure the itinerary had not changed. I am betting he has had customers show up with just there reservation printouts(pre e-tickets) and is just use to telling people with printouts to go print their tickets.

If someone had their paper tickets printed out 11 months before they travel, their itinerary could have changed since then. You really think the baggage guy made them do anything?


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> I HIGHLY doubt the guy at the baggage desk was just making sure the itinerary had not changed. I am betting he has had customers show up with just there reservation printouts(pre e-tickets) and is just use to telling people with printouts to go print their tickets.


Isn't that a somewhat extreme position based on per-conceived notions and next to zero evidence? At least I think so.



> If someone had their paper tickets printed out 11 months before they travel, their itinerary could have changed since then. You really think the baggage guy made them do anything?


But they could not travel a different itinerary from that on the ticket using that ticket, no matter when they printed it. Things are different with e-ticket. The same PNR could have a very different itinerary under it at one time from another. A ticket once printed is not changeable without substitution with a new set of tickets.


----------



## printman2000

jis said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I HIGHLY doubt the guy at the baggage desk was just making sure the itinerary had not changed. I am betting he has had customers show up with just there reservation printouts(pre e-tickets) and is just use to telling people with printouts to go print their tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't that a somewhat extreme position based on per-conceived notions and next to zero evidence? At least I think so.
Click to expand...

Not sure I would use the word "extreme"? Just from my experience dealing with Amtrak. Do YOU really think the guy was worried that that her e-ticket was not correct? Or does it make more sense that he is use to sending people with printouts to the QT machine?



jis said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> If someone had their paper tickets printed out 11 months before they travel, their itinerary could have changed since then. You really think the baggage guy made them do anything?
> 
> 
> 
> But they could not travel a different itinerary from that on the ticket using that ticket, no matter when they printed it. Things are different with e-ticket. The same PNR could have a very different itinerary under it at one time from another. A ticket once printed is not changeable without substitution with a new set of tickets.
Click to expand...

You do have a point. I wonder, though, how much change can happen before a new reservation number would be generated.

I still do not think there is much chance that this person was simply being sure of the itinerary. I would like to think so, but experience just does not dictate that.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I HIGHLY doubt the guy at the baggage desk was just making sure the itinerary had not changed. I am betting he has had customers show up with just there reservation printouts(pre e-tickets) and is just use to telling people with printouts to go print their tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't that a somewhat extreme position based on per-conceived notions and next to zero evidence? At least I think so.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not sure I would use the word "extreme"? Just from my experience dealing with Amtrak. Do YOU really think the guy was worried that that her e-ticket was not correct? Or does it make more sense that he is use to sending people with printouts to the QT machine?
Click to expand...

Without knowing more I have no basis to think this way or that. I don't even know the people involved from Adam to know what their normal behavior is.



> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> If someone had their paper tickets printed out 11 months before they travel, their itinerary could have changed since then. You really think the baggage guy made them do anything?
> 
> 
> 
> But they could not travel a different itinerary from that on the ticket using that ticket, no matter when they printed it. Things are different with e-ticket. The same PNR could have a very different itinerary under it at one time from another. A ticket once printed is not changeable without substitution with a new set of tickets.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You do have a point. I wonder, though, how much change can happen before a new reservation number would be generated.
Click to expand...

There is no reason to create a new PNR at any point. Heck airlines have changed my itinerary from traveling westwards around the world to eastwards without changing PNR number. Why would Amtrak have to be different from that. Afterall their system comes from the same place that the airline ones come from.


----------



## printman2000

Jis, we can go round and round. I am just saying what I believe to be more likely based on my experience with Amtrak. You, apparently, are not willing to make that call based on your experience, and I am cool with that.

It would be nice if deathcabforchristina would post back with some more detail, but in the long run, it does not really matter.

As for e-tickets and changes in the itinerary. If I had a reservation from Lamy to Chicago, called up Amtrak and told them I wanted instead to go from Chicago to Lamy, do you think they would change my reservation? Or would they cancel my reservation and make a new one? I suspect the former, but do not really know for sure.

Now if I called them and wanted to change Lamy to Albuquerque, I would suspect the latter, and again, don't really know for sure.


----------



## E Runs

printman2000 said:


> As for e-tickets and changes in the itinerary. If I had a reservation from Lamy to Chicago, called up Amtrak and told them I wanted instead to go from Chicago to Lamy, do you think they would change my reservation? Or would they cancel my reservation and make a new one? I suspect the former, but do not really know for sure.
> 
> Now if I called them and wanted to change Lamy to Albuquerque, I would suspect the latter, and again, don't really know for sure.


Last summer my travel plans went from GJT-CHI on the CZ to ALB-CHI on the Chief and back to the GJT-CHI on the CZ (long story) and kept the same reservation number throughout. Of course that was before E-ticketing so they may have changed procedure.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> As for e-tickets and changes in the itinerary. If I had a reservation from Lamy to Chicago, called up Amtrak and told them I wanted instead to go from Chicago to Lamy, do you think they would change my reservation? Or would they cancel my reservation and make a new one? I suspect the former, but do not really know for sure.
> 
> Now if I called them and wanted to change Lamy to Albuquerque, I would suspect the latter, and again, don't really know for sure.


Technically there is no reason to change the PNR number. They would need to release each segment that you are not traveling anymore and attach new segments that you want to travel. As for what they may or may not actually do that is a different matter.

Indeed at least in case of some airlines that is exactly how they handle non-refundable tickets. They just book the reuse of the are under the same PNR of course accounting for any additional fare or refund voucher to actually associate the right final fare with the PNR.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

In my experience PNR's rarely change, and unless you're joining or splitting a reservation between two or more people there's really no reason for them to change. In general the original PNR will remain active until the last segment has either been used or has expired. After that the PNR will become inactive for a period of time and then eventually be recycled into someone else's newly activated record. Or at least that is my understanding.


----------



## deathcabforchristina

Sorry connection is spotty, we just hit charlotsville, i handed the baggage man my e-ticket, he said it wasnt a real ticket. So i went to the quik-trak and printed a new ticket.

In other funny news, I got a seat to myself for now because one of the train attendants was flirting with me haha


----------



## jis

Texas Sunset said:


> In my experience PNR's rarely change, and unless you're joining or splitting a reservation between two or more people there's really no reason for them to change. In general the original PNR will remain active until the last segment has either been used or has expired. After that the PNR will become inactive for a period of time and then eventually be recycled into someone else's newly activated record. Or at least that is my understanding.


Yeah once I had a PNR involved in a non-refundable itinerary cancellation which started its life as an MCO - EWR itinerary and transmogrified itself into a EWR - DEL - EWR itinerary! That was pretty dramatic (from two hour flight to two ~15 hour flights!)  Of course it did involve adding a bit more money to it too


----------



## printman2000

deathcabforchristina said:


> i handed the baggage man my e-ticket, he said it wasnt a real ticket. So i went to the quik-trak and printed a new ticket.


To me, that sounds like an employee that does not know what he is talking about. As I guessed before, he is probably use to telling everyone with printouts to go get their "real" tickets.


----------



## amtrakwolverine

Anyone have experience yet using 1 E-ticket with more then 1 name on it? any conductors give you a hard time since the whole E-ticket thing is new to most of them.


----------



## PRR 60

amtrakwolverine said:


> Anyone have experience yet using 1 E-ticket with more then 1 name on it? any conductors give you a hard time since the whole E-ticket thing is new to most of them.


On that same topic, having multiple passengers on one reservation would seem a bit awkward if the passengers were spread around the car, or even different cars, due to crowding. That is not an uncommon problem. You could have four people on the same e-ticket, and it would not be out of the realm of possibility that the only seats open would be in different cars.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

PRR 60 said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone have experience yet using 1 E-ticket with more then 1 name on it? any conductors give you a hard time since the whole E-ticket thing is new to most of them.
> 
> 
> 
> On that same topic, having multiple passengers on one reservation would seem a bit awkward if the passengers were spread around the car, or even different cars, due to crowding. That is not an uncommon problem. You could have four people on the same e-ticket, and it would not be out of the realm of possibility that the only seats open would be in different cars.
Click to expand...

And as I asked earlier:



> A question about groups traveling by eticket: If only one ticket is needed for several people traveling together, what happens if members of a group want to board at different times at a station like WAS where tickets are looked at before going to the platform? Can each member of the party have a copy of the eticket to show?


----------



## Ryan

They can, but once they're on the train once the first one is scanned the rest are done.

Maybe this will be the end of the ticket checks at the gate at WAS. (HA! Like that'll ever happen)


----------



## PRR 60

The Davy Crockett said:


> And as I asked earlier:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A question about groups traveling by eticket: If only one ticket is needed for several people traveling together, what happens if members of a group want to board at different times at a station like WAS where tickets are looked at before going to the platform? Can each member of the party have a copy of the eticket to show?
Click to expand...

It might work at a station gate where the agent is just looking at a print-out or display to assess the right of a passenger to pass, but on the train, as soon as the conductor scans the e-ticket, it is electronically "punched." If another member of the group on the e-ticket is sitting in another car with a copy of the e-ticket, that ticked would scan as "used." Oops.

If I travel with my wife, we'll just book two separate reservations and chalk it up to an "enhancement" that made things a tiny bit harder for us.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

PRR 60 said:


> If I travel with my wife, we'll just book two separate reservations and chalk it up to an "enhancement" that made things a tiny bit harder for us.


I think you are right, separate reservations are now the best bet.


----------



## Aaron

PRR 60 said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> And as I asked earlier:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A question about groups traveling by eticket: If only one ticket is needed for several people traveling together, what happens if members of a group want to board at different times at a station like WAS where tickets are looked at before going to the platform? Can each member of the party have a copy of the eticket to show?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It might work at a station gate where the agent is just looking at a print-out or display to assess the right of a passenger to pass, but on the train, as soon as the conductor scans the e-ticket, it is electronically "punched." If another member of the group on the e-ticket is sitting in another car with a copy of the e-ticket, that ticked would scan as "used." Oops.
> 
> If I travel with my wife, we'll just book two separate reservations and chalk it up to an "enhancement" that made things a tiny bit harder for us.
Click to expand...

This doesn't jibe with my experience on three different trains over the last few days. When a conductor scans a bar code (whether printed or on the app or on the QuikTrak printout), they get a screen with the names of all passengers travelling on that reservation. They can "punch" the ticket for any or all of them at that time.

So, you shouldn't need to make separate reservations unless you're planning to board at separate stations. If you're planning on boarding at the same station but at different times or sitting in different places, then make sure you both have printouts. You can print out the e-ticket as many times as you need if you're doing it at home. Or, if you print out your boarding document from a QuikTrak machine or a ticket counter, the machine automatically prints out as many (seemingly identical) copies as you have people in the reservation.

In my case, despite already having a PDF printout, and the iphone app, and an extra PDF printout for my wife just in case, the agent printed out four more e-Ticket documents out of her printer for my whole family when checking our bags. Maybe that part's automatic; I don't know. Either way, I was swimming in e-Ticket printouts by the time I boarded that train. I could have given each member of my family two boarding documents and had them each lose one and still board the train successfully at a different time for a different seat.


----------



## PaulM

acelafan said:


> I agree with you, I have every ticket stub since 2009 when I started riding amtrak in earnest. Guess that's progress as they say.


Yeh, and when you get to be my age, you will be faced with the dilemma of either getting a dumpster or getting revenge on your kids later.


----------



## Joel

I have just completed the purchase of my two Amtrak tickets for my three days getaway to the US. I think I messed it up with the delivery method. I always prefer to use Quik-Trak, mainly because I like how the tickets look when printed, nice souvenir. When I completed my payment, I was sent an e-mail with a PDF file, that has a 2-dimensional code (such as those that you can scan with your smartphone). That's an e-ticket, right?




Is still possible to print out a "copy" at a Quik-Trak machine when I arrive at the States?


----------



## Misty.

They just automatically email that - you'll be able to print at the Quik-Trak with no problems


----------



## printman2000

What you will print will be a different version of the PDF. It will not be the same ticket you printed in the past.


----------



## Anderson

Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).


----------



## The Davy Crockett

Anderson said:


> Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).


I'm not sure I understand what your driving at, but I would say, sentimentality aside, that it was necassary to bring the ticketing system into the 'Information Age.' The reason Amtrak went with smartphones is cost. Compared to other hardware for similar uses, especially in the not-so-distant past, it was a bargain.

The reason to go to 'print yourself' tickets is one of greater ease of use. There is a reason airlines, theaters, concerts and sports venues have all gone this route. People find it convenient, easy to use, it is one less thing to do at the terminal, and it can mean standing in one less line. In other words, it is popular. It is also cost effective.

Will I miss paper tickets and ticket punchers? Of course.

Does it play havoc with my ticket stub collection? Yes.

But I still get to ride the train. And I can bypass the Quick-Trac now.


----------



## jis

Anderson said:


> Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).


Why wouldn't Amtrak allow use of smartphone? Except in case of the App, one can simply use the same PDF document on smartphone too, the exact same one that you'd print out. Why would they not allow the use of such since it reduces the need for carrying additional paper around?

BTW, the only way I can use a smartphone with a AGR Award Ticket is indeed by using the PDF document, since the Amtrak App seems to still know nothing about them.

BTW, it is not just smartphone. Any device will do. The other day I saw someone bring up his e-Ticket on his iPad and that worked fine too.


----------



## Trogdor

Anderson said:


> Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).


Basically, because it's the 21st century.

As others noted, it allows people to bypass the line needed to pick up a ticket. If someone is running around and making travel arrangements on the fly, visiting a computer terminal and printer isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do (and, many people don't like logging into e-mail accounts using a computer that isn't their own, so unless they're at home or in their own office, printing out an e-mail may not be an easy option, even if they did have access to a printer).

AU probably doesn't have many (if any) people in this demographic, but there are lots of travelers these days who do make last-minute travel plans, running from the office to the airport/train station, booking tickets on the cab ride over. If you get to the station with seven minutes left to departure, are you going to want to wait in line to pick up your ticket, or fumble around with a quiktrak trying to get your reservation?

Whenever I fly United Airlines, I use the electronic boarding pass if available (not yet available on interlined itineraries or international itineraries) and never touch a piece of paper. Never had a problem.

Granted, there are some hiccups at Amtrak, but system-wide eticketing is barely a week old, so there will be some teething problems. But those will be resolved in due time, as everyone gets used to the system. By this time next year, people will be wondering how Amtrak managed to survive so long without eticketing.


----------



## amamba

Anderson said:


> Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).


Why not? I love the smartphone app e-ticket. I rarely have paper at home for my printer and some times i am in a hurry.


----------



## The Alchemist

I just wanted to confirm a few things:


I just did an AGW redemption online from Selma, NC to Philly, PA for two people. I got _one_ eTicket in my email (the PDF attachment, just to clarify).
I _modified_ an AGW sleeper redemption over the phone (you can't change sleeper redemptions online) that was originally booked prior to eTicketing (7/22 or so). It was DC to Chicago, IL. I got an eTicket as well. And there are two passengers for the roomette as well.

I can see where it would be an issue if you only printed out the eTicket once but there are two people on the reservation and you got separated from your traveling buddy because of overcrowding in your train car or whatever. Moral of story: everyone in your party should have a printout of the eTicket. Which makes sense, but it's different an those QT machines because if you have two people in your party, you get two print outs (IIRC).


----------



## Acela150

The Alchemist said:


> I just wanted to confirm a few things:
> 
> 
> I just did an AGW redemption online from Selma, NC to Philly, PA for two people. I got _one_ eTicket in my email (the PDF attachment, just to clarify).
> I _modified_ an AGW sleeper redemption over the phone (you can't change sleeper redemptions online) that was originally booked prior to eTicketing (7/22 or so). It was DC to Chicago, IL. I got an eTicket as well. And there are two passengers for the roomette as well.
> 
> I can see where it would be an issue if you only printed out the eTicket once but there are two people on the reservation and you got separated from your traveling buddy because of overcrowding in your train car or whatever. Moral of story: everyone in your party should have a printout of the eTicket. Which makes sense, but it's different an those QT machines because if you have two people in your party, you get two print outs (IIRC).


One eTicket is for multiple people if there is two or more on the reservation.

eTickets were created to be printed as many times by whoever is on the reservation. If you need to print it once or 10 times. Where with the paper tickets if you lost it you were SOL and had to buy new tickets.


----------



## Acela150

Yesterday on 141 the conductor who took tickets in BC either didn't like the scanners or the scanners magically came back online in an hour. He stated the scanners weren't working and they were going to scan them out at WAS. Got on 95 an hour later at BWI and they were working perfectly fine. Go figure.


----------



## lthanlon

I'm going to book a trip in which I transfer from Amtrak to a bus. Not an Amtrak Thruway bus, but a regularly scheduled Greyhound. I figure I should print the e-ticket for this portion, right?


----------



## Misty.

Is it going to be ticketed together to begin with? If so, you won't get e-tickets for either portion (side note, I have found an upside to the STL track work bustitutions now).

(Edited to add a few words from misreading initially)


----------



## Anderson

Trogdor said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, I have to ask...why _did_ Amtrak do the smartphone angle on this? I definitely get the revamp of the voucher policy, and I also get the shift to scannable tickets (which if nothing else could allow, in the event of a lost ticket, the lost one to be "voided out" and replaced with minimal hassle). I just don't get why "print out a piece of paper at a machine" is so difficult (or why the present system for dealing with un-staffed/un-machined stops was insufficient).
> 
> 
> 
> Basically, because it's the 21st century.
> 
> As others noted, it allows people to bypass the line needed to pick up a ticket. If someone is running around and making travel arrangements on the fly, visiting a computer terminal and printer isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do (and, many people don't like logging into e-mail accounts using a computer that isn't their own, so unless they're at home or in their own office, printing out an e-mail may not be an easy option, even if they did have access to a printer).
> 
> AU probably doesn't have many (if any) people in this demographic, but there are lots of travelers these days who do make last-minute travel plans, running from the office to the airport/train station, booking tickets on the cab ride over. If you get to the station with seven minutes left to departure, are you going to want to wait in line to pick up your ticket, or fumble around with a quiktrak trying to get your reservation?
> 
> Whenever I fly United Airlines, I use the electronic boarding pass if available (not yet available on interlined itineraries or international itineraries) and never touch a piece of paper. Never had a problem.
> 
> Granted, there are some hiccups at Amtrak, but system-wide eticketing is barely a week old, so there will be some teething problems. But those will be resolved in due time, as everyone gets used to the system. By this time next year, people will be wondering how Amtrak managed to survive so long without eticketing.
Click to expand...

"Shoot from the hip" trips have been something I've done before, and I can remember one day when a printer jam plus bad traffic left me _running_ to catch the Cap. Likewise, catching the 5 AM Acela having left southern VA at around 2 AM...that was a very nice example of just how quickly Hampton Roads-Washington DC can be done.

Point is, I've done "run to catch the train" before. Still, there's rarely been an issue hitting a Quik-Trak machine, swiping my card/entering my number, and going.

However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.


----------



## lthanlon

If I don't get a printable e-ticket, how do I prove to the bus driver I'm authorized to board the bus? Given the difficulties folks here are reporting with gate agents at major stations, this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.


----------



## jis

lthanlon said:


> If I don't get a printable e-ticket, how do I prove to the bus driver I'm authorized to board the bus? Given the difficulties folks here are reporting with gate agents at major stations, this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.


You get a traditional ticket to give to the bus driver. The bus driver has no way of processing an e-Ticket since s/he is not equipped with an e-Ticket scanner. And as a matter of fact your entire itinerary involving such a bus segment is ineligible for e-Ticket. You get traditional tickets for all segments. So no disaster for you.

OTOH, if all segments are eligible for e-Ticket, I don;t think you have an option any more to get a traditional ticket for such an itinerary. But clearly your itinerary is not one of those.


----------



## Misty.

And as of right now, only a few California Thruway routes are e-ticket capable.


----------



## Aaron

Anderson said:


> Point is, I've done "run to catch the train" before. Still, there's rarely been an issue hitting a Quik-Trak machine, swiping my card/entering my number, and going.
> 
> However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.


Then don't use a smartphone. There's nothing at all preventing you from booking your trip the way you did before, whether it was by phone in advance and printing at the Quik-Trak, or by purchasing the ticket at the Quik-Trak directly. The Quik-Trak machines are all still there. They do the same things they always did.


----------



## NW cannonball

Aaron said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Point is, I've done "run to catch the train" before. Still, there's rarely been an issue hitting a Quik-Trak machine, swiping my card/entering my number, and going.
> 
> However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.
> 
> 
> 
> Then don't use a smartphone. There's nothing at all preventing you from booking your trip the way you did before, whether it was by phone in advance and printing at the Quik-Trak, or by purchasing the ticket at the Quik-Trak directly. The Quik-Trak machines are all still there. They do the same things they always did.
Click to expand...

Exactly so. I just did an AGR trip on the Silver Star. I scanned the bar-code at the Quik-Trak at my local station (900 miles from where I actually boarded the train) and got another piece of paper with a bar code on it. Was this a "traditional" ticket - don't know and nobody cares

When I boarded my train at WUS the conductor looked at my Quik-trak piece of paper, scanned nothing, compared my name to his manifest, and keyed something in -- just like at the airport -- You ID yourself - OR show barcode - your good.

Nothing new -- just that there's a better electronic system to check passengers against tickets.

Nothing new -- at least 10 years ago my son was stranded on the west coast -- I bought him a ticket online from here in mid-america -- he showed at the station with ID and he got his "paper" ticket and got where he needed to go. Nothing really new with the e-ticket thing - it's just a convenience thing for passengers who lose their paper tickets and for the carrier that paper tickets have no value (all that hassle about getting a lost paid ticket is gone because only the reservation has value. and it's keyed on name, credit card, barcode, whatever) -- what has value is a paid fare from A to B that can be traced back to something in the database like "Passenger with id=A" paid from "A to B"

The thing about e-tickets on airlines or Amtrak is that -- *you can't lose your ticket any more -- a stolen paper ticket is no longer worth anything* *--*

* *

That's all what "e-ticket" means --

And it was welcome on the airlines and now an Amtrak -- and I'm totally welcoming the change.


----------



## jis

Anderson said:


> "Shoot from the hip" trips have been something I've done before, and I can remember one day when a printer jam plus bad traffic left me _running_ to catch the Cap. Likewise, catching the 5 AM Acela having left southern VA at around 2 AM...that was a very nice example of just how quickly Hampton Roads-Washington DC can be done.
> 
> Point is, I've done "run to catch the train" before. Still, there's rarely been an issue hitting a Quik-Trak machine, swiping my card/entering my number, and going.
> 
> However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.


So continue using the Quik-Trak's and use printed e-Tickets. Why do you want to prevent others from using something they find convenient just because you have what to many would seem a strange personal problem with smartphones?  Nobody is forcing you to use one.

I was wondering, so does the _Maple Leaf_ require regular tickets for travel into Canada beyond Niagara Falls ON?


----------



## amamba

Anderson said:


> However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.


Then you don't have to use one, problem solved.

A smartphone is incredibly convenient for me. It allows me to conduct my business when not at the office.


----------



## Acela150

amamba said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> However, I'll also concede a rather...low opinion of smartphones more than anything.
> 
> 
> 
> Then you don't have to use one, problem solved.
> 
> A smartphone is incredibly convenient for me. It allows me to conduct my business when not at the office.
Click to expand...

As for myself as well. My Mom who doesn't text needs something and I can't be reached at work she sends me an e-mail and I get that rather quickly. Same with Firehouse business. I also check out many rail fan sites on the go. One of which is HeritageUnits.com. Shows all heritage units in the US. Amtrak, NS, and UP! It goes off of reported locations but it seems to be updated frequently.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

My smart phone is my mobile office. It can find, interact, and store almost anything and can communicate with nearly everything. All my various phone numbers can reach it. It can turn a voicemail into a text or a text into a voicemail or sweep every unwanted message and phone call under the rug without so much as a peep. All of my email accounts are collected and sorted into a single global inbox. All of my various calendars are collected into one master calendar that remembers virtually everything. When I'm lost it finds me. When I'm curious it informs me. When I'm bored it entertains me. And when I'm grouchy it keeps everyone else from bothering me. I never used to be a mobile phone fanatic. My first mobile phone was big and ugly and clunky. The only reason I had it was because my employer provided a huge discount that made it cheaper than owning a landline. However, today's smart phones are thin and light and extremely powerful. When my last smart phone died I was shocked at how much it impacted my ability to be productive away from the office. I guess it's true what they say about you don't know what you've got until it's gone.





< I used to have one of these!


----------



## The Davy Crockett

I had my first e-ticket experience yesterday and the only real change that I noticed was the annoying chirping of the conductor's smartphone as he scanned the tix. Got me thinking.  Amtrak should get an app that makes the sound of a paper ticket being punched when a ticket gets scanned. :lol: Kind of like the 'click' of the 'shutter' on the cameras in smartphones.

On another note, I traveled solo, but asked the conductor out of WAS about whether I should get individual or a combined ticket for me and my wife, if we are boarding the same train at WAS, but I go off to get some breakfast while she gets us seats together. Without skipping a beat, he said "Get seperate tickets." Paused a moment and then added: "For now." I think that to be good advice while the conductors, et al, get use to the new way of doing business and 'the details' get sorted out.


----------



## printman2000

The Davy Crockett said:


> On another note, I traveled solo, but asked the conductor out of WAS about whether I should get individual or a combined ticket for me and my wife, if we are boarding the same train at WAS, but I go off to get some breakfast while she gets us seats together. Without skipping a beat, he said "Get seperate tickets." Paused a moment and then added: "For now." I think that to be good advice while the conductors, et al, get use to the new way of doing business and 'the details' get sorted out.


How exactly would having separate e-tickets change anything? Really, you are suppose to wait in your seat until your tickets have been "taken".

But even if you didn't, your wife would be there to turn in your e-ticket for both of you.

The only circumstance I can see where having different e-tickets MIGHT be helpful is if a group was not seated together. But then, that is the train crews problem to deal with, not ours.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

printman2000 said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> On another note, I traveled solo, but asked the conductor out of WAS about whether I should get individual or a combined ticket for me and my wife, if we are boarding the same train at WAS, but I go off to get some breakfast while she gets us seats together. Without skipping a beat, he said "Get seperate tickets." Paused a moment and then added: "For now." I think that to be good advice while the conductors, et al, get use to the new way of doing business and 'the details' get sorted out.
> 
> 
> 
> How exactly would having separate e-tickets change anything? Really, you are suppose to wait in your seat until your tickets have been "taken".
> 
> But even if you didn't, your wife would be there to turn in your e-ticket for both of you.
> 
> The only circumstance I can see where having different e-tickets MIGHT be helpful is if a group was not seated together. But then, that is the train crews problem to deal with, not ours.
Click to expand...

This was brought up earlier by me in this same thread.

I go get breakfast in WAS (Au Bon Pan has hot egg sandwiches ready to go) while she waits in line (If we are not going through ClubAcela and using a redcap.) They check tix at the gate, they don't scan them, but if she starts to board, I'm playing it safe, 'cause I want to get on the train.


----------



## printman2000

The Davy Crockett said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> On another note, I traveled solo, but asked the conductor out of WAS about whether I should get individual or a combined ticket for me and my wife, if we are boarding the same train at WAS, but I go off to get some breakfast while she gets us seats together. Without skipping a beat, he said "Get seperate tickets." Paused a moment and then added: "For now." I think that to be good advice while the conductors, et al, get use to the new way of doing business and 'the details' get sorted out.
> 
> 
> 
> How exactly would having separate e-tickets change anything? Really, you are suppose to wait in your seat until your tickets have been "taken".
> 
> But even if you didn't, your wife would be there to turn in your e-ticket for both of you.
> 
> The only circumstance I can see where having different e-tickets MIGHT be helpful is if a group was not seated together. But then, that is the train crews problem to deal with, not ours.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> This was brought up earlier by me in this same thread.
> 
> I go get breakfast in WAS (Au Bon Pan has hot egg sandwiches ready to go) while she waits in line (If we are not going through ClubAcela and using a redcap.) They check tix at the gate, they don't scan them, but if she starts to board, I'm playing it safe, 'cause I want to get on the train.
Click to expand...

Ah. If that is the issue, why not just print two copies so each of you has one? Still no need for two reservations.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

printman2000 said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> On another note, I traveled solo, but asked the conductor out of WAS about whether I should get individual or a combined ticket for me and my wife, if we are boarding the same train at WAS, but I go off to get some breakfast while she gets us seats together. Without skipping a beat, he said "Get seperate tickets." Paused a moment and then added: "For now." I think that to be good advice while the conductors, et al, get use to the new way of doing business and 'the details' get sorted out.
> 
> 
> 
> How exactly would having separate e-tickets change anything? Really, you are suppose to wait in your seat until your tickets have been "taken".
> 
> But even if you didn't, your wife would be there to turn in your e-ticket for both of you.
> 
> The only circumstance I can see where having different e-tickets MIGHT be helpful is if a group was not seated together. But then, that is the train crews problem to deal with, not ours.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> This was brought up earlier by me in this same thread.
> 
> I go get breakfast in WAS (Au Bon Pan has hot egg sandwiches ready to go) while she waits in line (If we are not going through ClubAcela and using a redcap.) They check tix at the gate, they don't scan them, but if she starts to board, I'm playing it safe, 'cause I want to get on the train.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Ah. If that is the issue, why not just print two copies so each of you has one? Still no need for two reservations.
Click to expand...

That was the original question. Why not use two copies? See above.


----------



## printman2000

This is a 10 page thread. Not going to search through them all to find a post.

IMHO, the conductor was wrong to suggest two reservations. No need for it.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

printman2000 said:


> This is a 10 page thread. Not going to search through them all to find a post.


 That wastes other peoples's time.



> IMHO, the conductor was wrong to suggest two reservations. No need for it.


Thank you for your opinion.


----------



## printman2000

The Davy Crockett said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is a 10 page thread. Not going to search through them all to find a post.
> 
> 
> 
> That wastes other peoples's time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMHO, the conductor was wrong to suggest two reservations. No need for it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thank you for your opinion.
Click to expand...

Okay, went back and read. No where did you or anyone else give a reason why separate reservations are needed or better. So it is not like we are covering information already covered so there is no fear of wasting other people's time as you suggest.

I am open to being wrong. Can anyone give me a reason why a husband and wife would be better off with two separate reservations? I just cannot think of any.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

printman2000 said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is a 10 page thread. Not going to search through them all to find a post.
> 
> 
> 
> That wastes other peoples's time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMHO, the conductor was wrong to suggest two reservations. No need for it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thank you for your opinion.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Okay, went back and read. No where did you or anyone else give a reason why separate reservations are needed or better. So it is not like we are covering information already covered so there is no fear of wasting other people's time as you suggest.
> 
> I am open to being wrong. Can anyone give me a reason why a husband and wife would be better off with two separate reservations? I just cannot think of any.
Click to expand...

Dude, you really need to chill. Point is, as was discussed earlier, *IF *my wife's ticket gets scanned and they scan it for the two of us, my copy is useless.

Just *ONE* reason? It does not apply in my case, but some husbands and wives are *happier* with seperate reservations! :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## printman2000

The Davy Crockett said:


> Dude, you really need to chill. Point is, as was discussed earlier, *IF *my wife's ticket gets scanned and they scan it for the two of us, my copy is useless.
> 
> Just *ONE* reason? It does not apply in my case, but some husbands and wives are *happier* with seperate reservations! :lol: :lol: :lol:


First off, I am perfectly chilled. ^_^ Sorry if I came across un-chilled. I was just responding to you comments that I was wasting other peoples time in trying to understand the situation.

Back to the discussion. If your wife's gets your combined e-ticket scanned, it is true another cannot be scanned. You can just simply tell the conductor that your wife provided them with your ticket or even tell them that and then show them your printout. He can then either go on from there or even confirm the information on his device. This would apply to spouses and even groups traveling together.

So again, I still see no reason why two separate reservations would be better or needed.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dude, you really need to chill. Point is, as was discussed earlier, *IF *my wife's ticket gets scanned and they scan it for the two of us, my copy is useless.
> 
> Just *ONE* reason? It does not apply in my case, but some husbands and wives are *happier* with seperate reservations! :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> First off, I am perfectly chilled. ^_^ Sorry if I came across un-chilled. I was just responding to you comments that I was wasting other peoples time in trying to understand the situation.
> 
> Back to the discussion. If your wife's gets your combined e-ticket scanned, it is true another cannot be scanned. You can just simply tell the conductor that your wife provided them with your ticket or even tell them that and then show them your printout. He can then either go on from there or even confirm the information on his device. This would apply to spouses and even groups traveling together.
> 
> So again, I still see no reason why two separate reservations would be better or needed.
Click to expand...

Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.


----------



## printman2000

jis said:


> Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.


So when the conductor scans a code, he then has the option to check in each individual separately on the iPhone?

If that is the case, and he only checks in one of the people on the e-ticket, can the code be scanned again for the second person?


----------



## PerRock

I haven't traveled yet with e-tix (will be doing so at the end of the month) when one has a printout, does the conductor 'collect' these at all? I would presume not, however I can see some of the Conductors on Amtrak doing so because that's what their used to doing. How does this effect the smoking stops & the re-checking some conductors used. It used to be you were told to keep your ticket stubs on you at all times. If the conductor took my paper printout, how do I prove I got off that train for a smoke & I'm not a Hobo? Come to think about it, the same is true on the ap. Can you re-pull up your reservation info after it's been scanned?

peter


----------



## Ryan

They don't take your paper. That wold really cause a problem if you have a connecting train, as you only get one bar/QR code for the entire reservation. Also, the app should have no way of knowing if your ticket has been scanned or not.


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> They don't take your paper. That wold really cause a problem if you have a connecting train, as you only get one bar/QR code for the entire reservation. Also, the app should have no way of knowing if your ticket has been scanned or not.


Unless of course the App gets an update with that info from the Mother Ship. Who knows that the App actually has access to?


----------



## printman2000

jis said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> 
> They don't take your paper. That wold really cause a problem if you have a connecting train, as you only get one bar/QR code for the entire reservation. Also, the app should have no way of knowing if your ticket has been scanned or not.
> 
> 
> 
> Unless of course the App gets an update with that info from the Mother Ship. Who knows that the App actually has access to?
Click to expand...

Seems I remember someone saying somewhere that your trip will disappear from the main screen after a set number of days after your departure. I think they also said you could still access it for several days after that.


----------



## hessjm

printman2000 said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.
> 
> 
> 
> So when the conductor scans a code, he then has the option to check in each individual separately on the iPhone?
Click to expand...

Yes, one or all of the passengers can be selected/lifted at one time.


----------



## printman2000

hessjm said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.
> 
> 
> 
> So when the conductor scans a code, he then has the option to check in each individual separately on the iPhone?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, one or all of the passengers can be selected/lifted at one time.
Click to expand...

So if they do not checkin everyone, can they rescan the code to pull it up for the next person?

If this is the case, then the assumption made earlier in this thread was wrong and would be even more reason there is no need to make separate reservations.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> hessjm said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.
> 
> 
> 
> So when the conductor scans a code, he then has the option to check in each individual separately on the iPhone?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, one or all of the passengers can be selected/lifted at one time.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So if they do not checkin everyone, can they rescan the code to pull it up for the next person?
> 
> If this is the case, then the assumption made earlier in this thread was wrong and would be even more reason there is no need to make separate reservations.
Click to expand...

Yes. That is exactly the point.

However, I am sure we will need another 40 posts before this simple fact gets through everyone' skull


----------



## NorthCoastHiawatha

I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).


----------



## jis

NorthCoastHiawatha said:


> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).


That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on


----------



## The Davy Crockett

jis said:


> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hessjm said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> printman2000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, it would be the Conductor's mistake to mark both travelers as checked in when only one is present. If he makes the mistake he should be able to unwind it by not trying to check in the second traveler a second time.
> 
> 
> 
> So when the conductor scans a code, he then has the option to check in each individual separately on the iPhone?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, one or all of the passengers can be selected/lifted at one time.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So if they do not checkin everyone, can they rescan the code to pull it up for the next person?
> 
> If this is the case, then the assumption made earlier in this thread was wrong and would be even more reason there is no need to make separate reservations.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes. That is exactly the point.
> 
> However, I am sure we will need another 40 posts before this simple fact gets through everyone' skull
Click to expand...

Yes, that was established many, many post ago, but getting it through the skulls of the users of the technology (i.e. Amtrak employees), that this function exists may take a while. That was the point the conductor was making - almost as many posts ago. :lol:


----------



## PaulM

jis said:


> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
Click to expand...

Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?


----------



## OBS

PaulM said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?
Click to expand...

Revenue, my friend... revenue.


----------



## jis

PaulM said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is a business policy design problem, that is exposed by the unforgiving nature of IT implementation of the same.

It is a business policy copied from airlines, where it does not face any problems because no one can get onto a plane without checking in first. That critical invariant in the airline industry that makes the policy work there is not met at Amtrak, and therefore something has to give. But how this problem is to be addressed is not something that the IT system designer can handle unilaterally. It is a business process designer who has to decide the fix and give modification requirements to the IT system designer to incorporate.


----------



## NorthCoastHiawatha

jis said:


> PaulM said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, it is a business policy design problem, that is exposed by the unforgiving nature of IT implementation of the same.
> 
> It is a business policy copied from airlines, where it does not face any problems because no one can get onto a plane without checking in first. That critical invariant in the airline industry that makes the policy work there is not met at Amtrak, and therefore something has to give. But how this problem is to be addressed is not something that the IT system designer can handle unilaterally. It is a business process designer who has to decide the fix and give modification requirements to the IT system designer to incorporate.
Click to expand...

Fortunately train staff or station will reauthorize your reservation without charge.


----------



## PRR 60

NorthCoastHiawatha said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PaulM said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, it is a business policy design problem, that is exposed by the unforgiving nature of IT implementation of the same.
> 
> It is a business policy copied from airlines, where it does not face any problems because no one can get onto a plane without checking in first. That critical invariant in the airline industry that makes the policy work there is not met at Amtrak, and therefore something has to give. But how this problem is to be addressed is not something that the IT system designer can handle unilaterally. It is a business process designer who has to decide the fix and give modification requirements to the IT system designer to incorporate.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Fortunately train staff or station will reauthorize your reservation without charge.
Click to expand...

I think a worst-case scenario would be a passenger on a corridor train connecting to a sleeper on a sold-out long distance train. It is not improbable that a missed or incorrect scan on a BFD-SAC San Joaquin could cancel a roomette on a sold-out Zephyr SAC-CHI . With the roomette now released, it could be resold EMY-CHI resulting in no way to reinstate the original reservation. The passenger arrives SAC and has nowhere to go.

As *jis* said, Amtrak's ability to ensure that everyone on board was properly scanned-in is much more limited than an airline. They have to rethink this policy. It seems that in some ways Amtrak planners did not explore all the ramifications of the way e-ticketing was implemented.


----------



## Fin

I purchased my tickets in March, will I need to print my tickets when I get to the station in November


----------



## city of miami

On NER 154. Conductor seemed not interested in barcode in my confirmation email on my tablet screen. He asked for ID and seemed to enter something into his scanner from that. He said bwi, right....And all was well. He didn't point his scanner at the tablet as I expected.


----------



## printman2000

Fin said:


> I purchased my tickets in March, will I need to print my tickets when I get to the station in November


If you have an Amtrak account AND you bought your tickets on the website, you should be able to log in and have the e-ticket emailed to you. Otherwise, you will need to get your e-tickets printed at the station either by an agent or a quick track machine.


----------



## PRR 60

city of miami said:


> On NER 154. Conductor seemed not interested in barcode in my confirmation email on my tablet screen. He asked for ID and seemed to enter something into his scanner from that. He said bwi, right....And all was well. He didn't point his scanner at the tablet as I expected.


The confirmation barcode is not the e-ticket barcode. It is only used to pull-up your reservation if you use a Quik Trak kiosk. The conductor was able to access your e-ticket by manually entering your six-digit reservation code from your confirmation.


----------



## yarrow

i haven't been following this thread too closely. being a luddite anything with "e-" in front of it worries me. anyway, we are going spk-chi, chi-was, was-atl and return next month. got an e-mail from amtrak this morning with a link to our e-ticket. so, do i just print this piece of paper and have it scanned by the conductor on each of the six legs of our trip? thanks


----------



## jis

yarrow said:


> i haven't been following this thread too closely. being a luddite anything with "e-" in front of it worries me. anyway, we are going spk-chi, chi-was, was-atl and return next month. got an e-mail from amtrak this morning with a link to our e-ticket. so, do i just print this piece of paper and have it scanned by the conductor on each of the six legs of our trip? thanks


Yup


----------



## Anderson

You know, the situation PRR mentioned above makes me...well, rather nervous given rising load factors, to say nothing of the fact that holiday-time trains tend to sell out regardless. I'm /really/ worried that my sleeper reservations on the Cap around Christmas could get FUBARed by this, and wishing that I'd just bitten the bullet and had them printed before. Yes, it's a teething problem...I'd just rather not be the one who gets chewed up by it.

The other thing that seems worrisome: AGR postings. If you don't show up as having been on board, do you get your points?


----------



## printman2000

PRR 60 said:


> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PaulM said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jis said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthCoastHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have traveled on a number of times since the 31st and Ive noticed something that was maybe mentioned earlier in this thread. First it seems there is a issue with some conductors not scanning or not scanning a ticket correctly and if a person had a connection their reservation gets cancelled (it happened to me).
> 
> 
> 
> That is indeed a very significant potential problem. As usual human ingenuity can undermine almost anything no matter how obscure. Afterall, no matter how godly a conductor might feel, computers are terribly unforgiving, something that we in the IT business learn very early on
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Sounds like a design problem to me. Even an ungodly conductor could miss a passenger, or some "glitch" occur. So why would the system do something as draconian as cancel the next segment?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yes, it is a business policy design problem, that is exposed by the unforgiving nature of IT implementation of the same.
> 
> It is a business policy copied from airlines, where it does not face any problems because no one can get onto a plane without checking in first. That critical invariant in the airline industry that makes the policy work there is not met at Amtrak, and therefore something has to give. But how this problem is to be addressed is not something that the IT system designer can handle unilaterally. It is a business process designer who has to decide the fix and give modification requirements to the IT system designer to incorporate.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Fortunately train staff or station will reauthorize your reservation without charge.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I think a worst-case scenario would be a passenger on a corridor train connecting to a sleeper on a sold-out long distance train. It is not improbable that a missed or incorrect scan on a BFD-SAC San Joaquin could cancel a roomette on a sold-out Zephyr SAC-CHI . With the roomette now released, it could be resold EMY-CHI resulting in no way to reinstate the original reservation. The passenger arrives SAC and has nowhere to go.
> 
> As *jis* said, Amtrak's ability to ensure that everyone on board was properly scanned-in is much more limited than an airline. They have to rethink this policy. It seems that in some ways Amtrak planners did not explore all the ramifications of the way e-ticketing was implemented.
Click to expand...

It is hard for me to imagine this issue did not come up in the testing phase. You would think somewhere while being implemented on test trains, something similar would have happened and hopefully Amtrak addressed it. Maybe not, but you would hope.


----------



## jis

printman2000 said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think a worst-case scenario would be a passenger on a corridor train connecting to a sleeper on a sold-out long distance train. It is not improbable that a missed or incorrect scan on a BFD-SAC San Joaquin could cancel a roomette on a sold-out Zephyr SAC-CHI . With the roomette now released, it could be resold EMY-CHI resulting in no way to reinstate the original reservation. The passenger arrives SAC and has nowhere to go.
> 
> As *jis* said, Amtrak's ability to ensure that everyone on board was properly scanned-in is much more limited than an airline. They have to rethink this policy. It seems that in some ways Amtrak planners did not explore all the ramifications of the way e-ticketing was implemented.
> 
> 
> 
> It is hard for me to imagine this issue did not come up in the testing phase. You would think somewhere while being implemented on test trains, something similar would have happened and hopefully Amtrak addressed it. Maybe not, but you would hope.
Click to expand...

One would think so. However, it should be noted that in the trial phase I don't think it was ever tested in a scenario presented by PRR above either.

I think in general dispensing with the separate boarding document for each segment possibly has other unintended consequences that have not been thought through fully too. But as I said, they will all be discovered relatively quickly, at least those that really matter. As to whether they will be fixed or not and how, that is a separate matter.


----------



## yarrow

this has probably already been answered. almost always, in my experience, the sca takes our ticket. will the sca take the e-ticket, have the conductor scan it and then bring it back or what?


----------



## printman2000

yarrow said:


> this has probably already been answered. almost always, in my experience, the sca takes our ticket. will the sca take the e-ticket, have the conductor scan it and then bring it back or what?


No idea what is actually being done now. But I suspect the conductor will now be coming by. Especially when people only have their code on their phone.


----------



## yarrow

printman2000 said:


> yarrow said:
> 
> 
> 
> this has probably already been answered. almost always, in my experience, the sca takes our ticket. will the sca take the e-ticket, have the conductor scan it and then bring it back or what?
> 
> 
> 
> No idea what is actually being done now. But I suspect the conductor will now be coming by. Especially when people only have their code on their phone.
Click to expand...

could be kind of a pain if you are required to wait at your accomodation for the conductor. when we board the cs in pdx, the sca takes our ticket as we board, we throw our stuff in our roomette and head for the diner for lunch. if we have to wait we may well miss it. same thing nb out of la. the sca takes the tickets, we deposit our stuff and head for a good seat in the ppc.


----------



## EB_OBS

yarrow said:


> this has probably already been answered. almost always, in my experience, the sca takes our ticket. will the sca take the e-ticket, have the conductor scan it and then bring it back or what?


Not anymore. A policy update just came out last week. Train attendants are not allowed to collect any e-ticket documents from passengers, even with the conductors permission. Basically the conductor can no longer even permit a train attendant to collect tickets.


----------



## PRR 60

Over at Flyertalk, a British couple on a USA tour reports getting an e-mail from Amtrak today advising that their on-going Amtrak reservations have been canceled due to a no-show on an Acela trip. They were, in fact, not a no-show, and rode the Acela. Someone or something fouled up with the scanning. Now they are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.

Amtrak really has to put an end to this "no-scan, cancel" nonsense. Amtrak is not an airline.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

PRR 60 said:


> Over at Flyertalk, a British couple on a USA tour reports getting an e-mail from Amtrak today advising that their on-going Amtrak reservations have been canceled due to a no-show on an Acela trip. They were, in fact, not a no-show, and rode the Acela. Someone or something fouled up with the scanning. Now they are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.
> 
> Amtrak really has to put an end to this "no-scan, cancel" nonsense. Amtrak is not an airline.


I've got a trip coming up that involves six different trains. Suddenly I'm very glad that I booked seperate reservations whenever I'm boarding a sleeper, only making 'guaranteed' connections to coach. With 'no-scan cancel,' even if they screw up and cancel a segment, it will be a lot easier to get a seat than a room when I show up at the ticket window at my connecting station, because I did, in fact, board the train to that station.

Amtrak needs to solve this problem, ASAP. I know hindsight is a dangerous thing, but it is really hard to believe that no one picked up on this 'minor' detail.


----------



## Anderson

The Davy Crockett said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Over at Flyertalk, a British couple on a USA tour reports getting an e-mail from Amtrak today advising that their on-going Amtrak reservations have been canceled due to a no-show on an Acela trip. They were, in fact, not a no-show, and rode the Acela. Someone or something fouled up with the scanning. Now they are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.
> 
> Amtrak really has to put an end to this "no-scan, cancel" nonsense. Amtrak is not an airline.
> 
> 
> 
> I've got a trip coming up that involves six different trains. Suddenly I'm very glad that I booked seperate reservations whenever I'm boarding a sleeper, only making 'guaranteed' connections to coach. With 'no-scan cancel,' even if they screw up and cancel a segment, it will be a lot easier to get a seat than a room when I show up at the ticket window at my connecting station, because I did, in fact, board the train to that station.
> 
> Amtrak needs to solve this problem, ASAP. I know hindsight is a dangerous thing, but it is really hard to believe that no one picked up on this 'minor' detail.
Click to expand...

First, I'd _really_ like to know what dingbat thought a system-wide rollout coming on the heels of the main trial being on an isolated line was a good idea.* That's probably why this wasn't caught...you just didn't have that many connections, and in all likelihood, any and all connections required a non-e-ticket.

Second, and I know I'm being harsh here, but I would_ love_ to know if that person still has a job with Amtrak, and if so, why.

*There are no direct connections to/from the Downeaster.

Edit: Another thoguht, but IIRC most airlines had an extended period where they had both e-tickets and paper tickets (the latter eventually got surcharged and then phased out). I'm guessing that this helped "paper over" any issues in this vein. Why Amtrak didn't consider something like this for a year or two is beyond me.

Also, while we're on this /lovely/ topic, I'm actually going to contact an attorney preemptively to see if a botched scan (or a ditzy conductor missing me in a sweep) resulting in a cancelled reservation is grounds for a lawsuit (I think there's a pretty good case that Amtrak is the negligent party in such a situation). Don't get me wrong, I love Amtrak dearly and will fight to keep them around...but God Almighty help me if this happens in the middle of a trip, I will gladly sue them over this.


----------



## jis

PRR 60 said:


> Over at Flyertalk, a British couple on a USA tour reports getting an e-mail from Amtrak today advising that their on-going Amtrak reservations have been canceled due to a no-show on an Acela trip. They were, in fact, not a no-show, and rode the Acela. Someone or something fouled up with the scanning. Now they are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.
> 
> Amtrak really has to put an end to this "no-scan, cancel" nonsense. Amtrak is not an airline.


A prudent thing to do until Amtrak gets its act together might be to call Amtrak several hours into each segment to verify that Amtrak thinks you actually are on the train that you are on, and if they don't, inform them that you are on the train. What a bloody pain! Of course if you have separate reservations for each segment then this is unnecessary, as also it is for the last segment of an itinerary. After they get sufficient number of such calls they may decide that there is a cost associated with this oversight.

This is a typical example of what happens when IT processes are put in place without adequately thinking through failure modes in the environment within which the IT process is supposed to operate. Too often people just think through the main path while failing to take into consideration the various exception/failure paths adequately.

BTW, the prudent workaround covering most cases is also very simple. Do not cancel anything until there are two no shows, assuming of course that it is highly unlikely that someone would be missed twice. Alternatively after the first no show send an email notifying of the no show and asking for verification if the segment was traveled from the ticket holder. If no response is forthcoming and there is no show on the second segment, then proceed to cancel. Not perfect, but should catch almost all.


----------



## Anderson

jis said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Over at Flyertalk, a British couple on a USA tour reports getting an e-mail from Amtrak today advising that their on-going Amtrak reservations have been canceled due to a no-show on an Acela trip. They were, in fact, not a no-show, and rode the Acela. Someone or something fouled up with the scanning. Now they are trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.
> 
> Amtrak really has to put an end to this "no-scan, cancel" nonsense. Amtrak is not an airline.
> 
> 
> 
> A prudent thing to do until Amtrak gets its act together might be to call Amtrak several hours into each segment to verify that Amtrak thinks you actually are on the train that you are on, and if they don't, inform them that you are on the train. What a bloody pain! Of course if you have separate reservations for each segment then this is unnecessary, as also it is for the last segment of an itinerary. After they get sufficient number of such calls they may decide that there is a cost associated with this oversight.
> 
> This is a typical example of what happens when IT processes are put in place without adequately thinking through failure modes in the environment within which the IT process is supposed to operate. Too often people just think through the main path while failing to take into consideration the various exception/failure paths adequately.
> 
> BTW, the prudent workaround covering most cases is also very simple. Do not cancel anything until there are two no shows, assuming of course that it is highly unlikely that someone would be missed twice. Alternatively after the first no show send an email notifying of the no show and asking for verification if the segment was traveled from the ticket holder. If no response is forthcoming and there is no show on the second segment, then proceed to cancel. Not perfect, but should catch almost all.
Click to expand...

Remind me why I am taking the train again? Oh, right..._to relax on the way_. Seriously, while I know that is a prudent course to take, that sort of effort makes me want to just not travel. Or give someone else my business until Amtrak gets their act together.

The problem with your (not bad, I might note, and atually pretty well thought-out) way of handling things is that on LD trains, email is spotty-at-best, and even on corridor trains with Wi-Fi...well, let's just say that the Acela certainly seems to be _trying _to imitate dial-up much of the time.


----------



## jis

Anderson said:


> Remind me why I am taking the train again? Oh, right..._to relax on the way_. Seriously, while I know that is a prudent course to take, that sort of effort makes me want to just not travel. Or give someone else my business until Amtrak gets their act together.


I would recommend a cross country bicycle trip instead :lol: healthier and slower, more time to take in the scenery and all that  and no tickets to buy and get scanned and what not 

An automobile could work too. Other than that your only choice would be those dreaded airlines or the Hound!


----------



## Ryan

Anderson said:


> First, I'd _really_ like to know what dingbat thought a system-wide rollout coming on the heels of the main trial being on an isolated line was a good idea.* That's probably why this wasn't caught...you just didn't have that many connections, and in all likelihood, any and all connections required a non-e-ticket.
> Second, and I know I'm being harsh here, but I would_ love_ to know if that person still has a job with Amtrak, and if so, why.


My memory may be a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure that e-tickets rolled out on other routes before the system-wide rollout.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

Ryan said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> First, I'd _really_ like to know what dingbat thought a system-wide rollout coming on the heels of the main trial being on an isolated line was a good idea.* That's probably why this wasn't caught...you just didn't have that many connections, and in all likelihood, any and all connections required a non-e-ticket.
> Second, and I know I'm being harsh here, but I would_ love_ to know if that person still has a job with Amtrak, and if so, why.
> 
> 
> 
> My memory may be a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure that e-tickets rolled out on other routes before the system-wide rollout.
Click to expand...

In either case, the no-scan cancel issue is a real cluster  !


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> First, I'd _really_ like to know what dingbat thought a system-wide rollout coming on the heels of the main trial being on an isolated line was a good idea.* That's probably why this wasn't caught...you just didn't have that many connections, and in all likelihood, any and all connections required a non-e-ticket.
> Second, and I know I'm being harsh here, but I would_ love_ to know if that person still has a job with Amtrak, and if so, why.
> 
> 
> 
> My memory may be a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure that e-tickets rolled out on other routes before the system-wide rollout.
Click to expand...

The issue is that they were introduced in isolated route segments, which did not cover the possibility of transferring from one train to another on the same itinerary using e-tickets too much, and especially so involving high value, hard to get accommodation. So the consequence of mis-scans and consequent cancellation of an itinerary was minimal and hence unlikely to be detected or affect anyone. The worst that could happen was someone does not get credited AGR points for a segment, and frankly, it is not clear if there are a significant number of people who are not either on this forum or FlyerTalk who give a rats rear and about such a fiasco.

OTOH people do care if the rest of their itinerary gets canned due to a conductor's or system's mistake, and one that is not that hard to make either.

BTW, I believe Anderson is being a bit melodramatic and over the top when he talks of continued employment or not of the one responsible etc., and I bet he knows it too  In any case such an action won't help solve the problem nor prevent something like this from happening again. It would only make Anderson feel good.


----------



## Ryan

Oh, I don't disagree that the testing could have been more extensive and the rollout done somewhat slower.

But if you're calling for people to be fired and preemptively talking to lawyers, it's important to get the facts right, and the jump wasn't directly from "single route not physically connected to the rest of the network" -> "systemwide rollout", which is what Anderson seems to think.


----------



## jis

Ryan said:


> Oh, I don't disagree that the testing could have been more extensive and the rollout done somewhat slower.
> 
> But if you're calling for people to be fired and preemptively talking to lawyers, it's important to get the facts right, and the jump wasn't directly from "single route not physically connected to the rest of the network" -> "systemwide rollout", which is what Anderson seems to think.


In that you are correct. As I said I think he is going a bit over the top.


----------



## PRR 60

Ryan said:


> My memory may be a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure that e-tickets rolled out on other routes before the system-wide rollout.


The trials were first on the Downeaster, then later on the Capitol Corridor, the San Joaquins, Pacific Surfliner, and the City of New Orleans. While it is possible to transfer between the Capitol Corridor to the San Joaquin, it likely does not happen very often. With the others, the trial offered no opportunity to transfer to another trial route. The ability to test the process for transferring passengers was quite limited.

Sometimes in the planning for work like this, the people involved in the planning make assumptions that certain actions are 100% certain with no allowance for real world variences. It sounds like that assumption was made for scanning of boarding documents. That is a good assumption for airline travel, but is certainly is not a good assumption for rail travel with sometimes haphazard ticket collection and scanning. The problem is that the consequences of a failure in the scanning process was laid on the passenger.

Amtrak at times is not very nimble in reacting to problems like this. I'm hoping they move out of character and get this fixed.


----------



## Trogdor

PRR 60 said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> 
> My memory may be a little foggy, but I'm pretty sure that e-tickets rolled out on other routes before the system-wide rollout.
> 
> 
> 
> The trials were first on the Downeaster, then later on the Capitol Corridor, the San Joaquins, Pacific Surfliner, and the City of New Orleans.
Click to expand...

The Surfliner was not part of the trial. It rolled out with the rest of the system.

Still, I agree there is a problem with the fact that connections weren't really tested before the auto-cancel issue occurred. I know this issue was raised, including at a NARP meeting of some sort with an Amtrak representative present (I wasn't at that meeting, but a friend discussed the meeting with me afterwards).

I always thought the auto-cancel after a missed scan was a dangerous thing, for this very issue.


----------



## yarrow

Anderson said:


> Remind me why I am taking the train again? Oh, right..._to relax on the way_.


we have a cross country amtrak rt coming up in 4 weeks. our first train trip since taking the canadian cross canada and return in april. after the level of service and customer concern via offered i'm a little leery of placing myself in amtrak's hands again


----------



## jis

yarrow said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Remind me why I am taking the train again? Oh, right..._to relax on the way_.
> 
> 
> 
> we have a cross country amtrak rt coming up in 4 weeks. our first train trip since taking the canadian cross canada and return in april. after the level of service and customer concern via offered i'm a little leery of placing myself in amtrak's hands again
Click to expand...

In all likelihood you will do just fine, like most passengers do. The sample of discussions you see here is one among knowledgeable people who are informed about things that did not work, and analysis of why it is so and how it could be fixed. That should not suggest that it works in most cases. In addition if you take a few prudent steps like I suggested above, there should be no reason to fear that things will not work out. So relax and enjoy, would be my recommendation, which is what I do on my trips, and so far I haven;t had any [problem this year in the 7,000 or so miles that I have traveled so far in over a dozen segments, including many connecting ones.


----------



## yarrow

jis said:


> yarrow said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Remind me why I am taking the train again? Oh, right..._to relax on the way_.
> 
> 
> 
> we have a cross country amtrak rt coming up in 4 weeks. our first train trip since taking the canadian cross canada and return in april. after the level of service and customer concern via offered i'm a little leery of placing myself in amtrak's hands again
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> In all likelihood you will do just fine, like most passengers do. The sample of discussions you see here is one among knowledgeable people who are informed about things that did not work, and analysis of why it is so and how it could be fixed. That should not suggest that it works in most cases. In addition if you take a few prudent steps like I suggested above, there should be no reason to fear that things will not work out. So relax and enjoy, would be my recommendation, which is what I do on my trips, and so far I haven;t had any [problem this year in the 7,000 or so miles that I have traveled so far in over a dozen segments, including many connecting ones.
Click to expand...

well, i have 77,000 amtrak miles. have had my share of good trips and bad. i admit to not being knowledgeable about e-ticketing but regard myself as somewhat knowledgeable about passenger trains and amtrak. so don't give me your little lecture


----------



## jis

yarrow said:


> well, i have 77,000 amtrak miles. have had my share of good trips and bad. i admit to not being knowledgeable about e-ticketing but regard myself as somewhat knowledgeable about passenger trains and amtrak. so don't give me your little lecture


Oh my! Testy aren't we?  OK Sorry. Withdrawn. :help:


----------



## CHamilton

Wow. I missed this discussion while at the PDX micro-gathering this past weekend. I can attest that it would be easy to miss having one's ticket scanned. When I got on 508 last night, I was hungry, since the train left PDX an hour late. Experienced passengers are used to not waiting for having tickets lifted before heading to get food. I high-tailed it to the bistro to beat the line that I knew would form, and ate a burger in the table area of the bistro between PDX and VAN. I heard the assistant conductor tell the conductor that all of the tickets in business class had been scanned, even though she hadn't gotten mine. But when I walked by her, she recognized that she hadn't yet scanned my ticket, and did so on the spot.

In my case, it would not have been a disaster if my ticket hadn't been scanned, since it was the last leg of the reservation, but I sure wouldn't want to lose a reservation in the middle of a complex itinerary!

FYI, here's what e-tickets look like as printed from the ticket counter at SEA.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

This sounds like an issue with Amtrak having a little too much confidence in the staff's ability to process everything exactly as intended and/or not making use of determined testers who have mapped out as many potential complications as possible and are intentionally trying to expose as many problems as possible. If all you test are soft and easy examples then all you'll get are soft an easy results. Proper testing requires more than just following the business process flow chart. You need testers who are willing and able to subvert the normal process and throw as many wrenches into the works as possible. Not every potential problem needs to be fixed before deployment, and no system is truly error free, but there is no reason this should have not be discovered during the design stage and resolved during the testing stage. An issue this big making it into the production roll-out is both surprising and unfortunate.


----------



## johnny.menhennet

Texas Sunset said:


> An issue this big making it into the production roll-out is both surprising and unfortunate.


I agree. It sure does reflect poorly on Amtrak. I would hope for some vouchers at least for distress and negligence. Very unfortunate, but in all honesty, there would not be many ways to have figured out issues like this in the testing phase that occurred. There were two corridor trains in Cali that participated, the CONO, and the Downeaster. When you had any segment on one of those but also on another without eticketing, you would receive paper tix for the whole trip. If you focused the initial testing to a specific hub area, then it might've worked better because you could see how it would handle connections. For example, if they wante to do it on the Cap Corridor and the SJs, then they could roll it out on the CS and CZ as well. Or do it on all of the trains operating out of Chicago or something along these lines.


----------



## Shanghai

I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both

legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,

which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my

ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that

the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points

show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does

not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.


----------



## The Davy Crockett

Shanghai said:


> I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both
> 
> legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,
> 
> which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my
> 
> ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that
> 
> the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points
> 
> show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does
> 
> not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.


That is a new angle. Hopefully the conductor knows what he is talking about!

As for the monetary amount of the ticket not being on an e-ticket, I'm thinking that Amtrak would say it is not there because, unlike paper tickets, e-tickets have no cash value.


----------



## Aaron

The Davy Crockett said:


> That is a new angle. ...


Not really. I've posted a couple of times on this forum, including at least once in this thread regarding a question you asked about multiple e-ticket printouts and whether or not they're available or necessary. To recap: When you print out tickets from a Quik-Trak or a ticket window, the printer automatically spits out one for each passenger on the reservation. However, *the code on each ticket printout is the same. *The code that's scanned on the e-ticket, whether from the smartphone app or the PDF that's emailed to you or the tickets picked up from a Quik-Trak or a ticket counter is just your reservation number. When the conductor scans the code, that reservation number is used to lookup your reservation on his phone. A screen then pops up listing *all* the passengers on the reservation. The conductor can check in one or all passengers from that screen.

I assume that the ticket printers print out individual tickets just to avoid any possible issues with separated parties and overzealous gate agents and things like that. However, every ticket that's printed out for your party is virtually identical. On my last trip, we had multiple e-tickets, but my wife's ticket wasn't any more her ticket than my ticket was mine. They were both tickets for *our* reservation, and either would have worked equally well for "getting our tickets lifted" on the train.

_Disclaimer 1: Now, I'm making the big assumption that Shanghai was saying he had two ticket printouts, one with his name and one with his wife's name, but that they were both purchased together as part of the same reservation. If he was saying that he purchased the two tickets separately, like separate reservations at different times, paid for separately, and the conductor could scan them both in with one scan, yes, that is a new angle, indeed. In that case, nothing I said above is applicable, and I'm a real ass for making the assumptions that I did._

_Disclaimer 2: For the pedantic: I'm glossing over the slight differences between the types of e-ticket printouts, like the fact that the Quik-Trak and ticket window printouts have bar codes and the PDF and smartphone apps have QR codes. Also, the PDF has the purchase date encoded into the QR code also, but that seems like irrelevant information as far as lifting your ticket on the train goes._


----------



## The Davy Crockett

Aaron said:


> _Disclaimer 1: Now, I'm making the big assumption that Shanghai was saying he had two ticket printouts, one with his name and one with his wife's name, but that they were both purchased together as part of the same reservation. If he was saying that he purchased the two tickets separately, like separate reservations at different times, paid for separately, and the conductor could scan them both in with one scan, yes, that is a new angle, indeed. In that case, nothing I said above is applicable, and I'm a real ass for making the assumptions that I did._


And I am assuming they had separate reservations...

...but I'm not going to be as hard on myself as you are on yourself. :lol:

EDIT: But then again, if they were in a sleeper, yes, they should be the same reservation... Ooops! :blush:


----------



## johnny.menhennet

Shanghai said:


> I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both
> 
> legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,
> 
> which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my
> 
> ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that
> 
> the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points
> 
> show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does
> 
> not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.


Luckily for me I never need to worry about how many points I get. I've never had points deposited in my account over 100, so my balance is still on a hundreds. After I registered, my grandma had thrown away our stubs from the Colorado trip, and since then all of my trips around SoCal have been less than $50. The trip between Chicago and Boston did not get credited to my account and despite filing multiple missing points requests never came, and it would've turned out to be 100 points as well, so I didn't worry too much. In the past year, I've had three trips that haven't been credited.


----------



## Shanghai

johnny.menhennet said:


> Shanghai said:
> 
> 
> 
> I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both
> 
> legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,
> 
> which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my
> 
> ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that
> 
> the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points
> 
> show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does
> 
> not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Luckily for me I never need to worry about how many points I get. I've never had points deposited in my account over 100, so my balance is still on a hundreds. After I registered, my grandma had thrown away our stubs from the Colorado trip, and since then all of my trips around SoCal have been less than $50. The trip between Chicago and Boston did not get credited to my account and despite filing multiple missing points requests never came, and it would've turned out to be 100 points as well, so I didn't worry too much. In the past year, I've had three trips that haven't been credited.
Click to expand...

Johnny, you should call AGR and ask them to credit your account. Often times they can key up your info

and find your ticket number and post your points. I keep a spreadsheet of my travels and if they are paid

or AGR. I hate to think you did not get proper credit for your paid travels.

Check you PM's.


----------



## PaulM

johnny.menhennet said:


> Texas Sunset said:
> 
> 
> 
> An issue this big making it into the production roll-out is both surprising and unfortunate.
> 
> 
> 
> Very unfortunate, but in all honesty, there would not be many ways to have figured out issues like this in the testing phase that occurred.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Long before testing, the minute a suit came up with the idea of cancelling a downstream segments if a prior one was not scanned or it did not correctly update the system, what used to be called a systems analyst should have asked what if ....? You really don't have to test this. You know it will occur.

Incidentally, when I used the word system, I was not making a distinction between business and IT. A system is a system.


----------



## jis

PaulM said:


> johnny.menhennet said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Texas Sunset said:
> 
> 
> 
> An issue this big making it into the production roll-out is both surprising and unfortunate.
> 
> 
> 
> Very unfortunate, but in all honesty, there would not be many ways to have figured out issues like this in the testing phase that occurred.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I disagree. Long before testing, the minute a suit came up with the idea of cancelling a downstream segments if a prior one was not scanned or it did not correctly update the system, what used to be called a systems analyst should have asked what if ....? You really don't have to test this. You know it will occur.
Click to expand...

I agree with your position on this. This is a clear test case that should have been addressed more adequately and was not apparently.



> Incidentally, when I used the word system, I was not making a distinction between business and IT. A system is a system.


Yup, as long as one is not trying to figure out which part needs fixing, there is no need to dissect the problem into its parts. It is an overall system problem.


----------



## yarrow

jis said:


> PaulM said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> johnny.menhennet said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Texas Sunset said:
> 
> 
> 
> An issue this big making it into the production roll-out is both surprising and unfortunate.
> 
> 
> 
> Very unfortunate, but in all honesty, there would not be many ways to have figured out issues like this in the testing phase that occurred.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I disagree. Long before testing, the minute a suit came up with the idea of cancelling a downstream segments if a prior one was not scanned or it did not correctly update the system, what used to be called a systems analyst should have asked what if ....? You really don't have to test this. You know it will occur.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I agree with your position on this. This is a clear test case that should have been addressed more adequately and was not apparently.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Incidentally, when I used the word system, I was not making a distinction between business and IT. A system is a system.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yup, as long as one is not trying to figure out which part needs fixing, there is no need to dissect the problem into its parts. It is an overall system problem.
Click to expand...

so, i wonder who at amtrak is now aware of this issue and what it will take to fix it? probably a bunch more top level administrative powwows. unless a top level person has been personally affected, in which case, it will be fixed today


----------



## acelafan

Shanghai said:


> johnny.menhennet said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shanghai said:
> 
> 
> 
> I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both
> 
> legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,
> 
> which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my
> 
> ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that
> 
> the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points
> 
> show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does
> 
> not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Luckily for me I never need to worry about how many points I get. I've never had points deposited in my account over 100, so my balance is still on a hundreds. After I registered, my grandma had thrown away our stubs from the Colorado trip, and since then all of my trips around SoCal have been less than $50. The trip between Chicago and Boston did not get credited to my account and despite filing multiple missing points requests never came, and it would've turned out to be 100 points as well, so I didn't worry too much. In the past year, I've had three trips that haven't been credited.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Johnny, you should call AGR and ask them to credit your account. Often times they can key up your info
> 
> and find your ticket number and post your points. I keep a spreadsheet of my travels and if they are paid
> 
> or AGR. I hate to think you did not get proper credit for your paid travels.
> 
> Check you PM's.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing and keep a spreadsheet of all my travels and points. One thing I noticed with the ETickets is besides not having the monetary value, the full electronic ticket number is not displayed on the QT or the PDF printout. I guess this could potentially be problematic if you have to call AGR and ask for missing points. AGR should be able to find your ticket number through your reservation - but on more than one occasion I've had to provide them the actual 13-digit number so they could cross-check things on their end and give me credit.


----------



## Acela150

acelafan said:


> Shanghai said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> johnny.menhennet said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shanghai said:
> 
> 
> 
> I recently took the Silver Meteor (97 & 98) to Florida and back. I had an E-Ticket that contained both
> 
> legs of the trip. We had separate tickets for my wife and I. When the conductor scanned my wife's ticket,
> 
> which was on top of my ticket, I watched and he did not scan my ticket. I advised the conductor that my
> 
> ticket was under my wife's ticket and he told me that it was not necessary for him to scan my ticket that
> 
> the scan of my wife's ticket would record both tickets. I am monitoring my AGR account to see if my points
> 
> show up for the trip. Also, the monetary amount of the ticket that previously was printed on the stub does
> 
> not show up on the E-Tickets which makes it unhandy to determine the point value for AGR on paid tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Luckily for me I never need to worry about how many points I get. I've never had points deposited in my account over 100, so my balance is still on a hundreds. After I registered, my grandma had thrown away our stubs from the Colorado trip, and since then all of my trips around SoCal have been less than $50. The trip between Chicago and Boston did not get credited to my account and despite filing multiple missing points requests never came, and it would've turned out to be 100 points as well, so I didn't worry too much. In the past year, I've had three trips that haven't been credited.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Johnny, you should call AGR and ask them to credit your account. Often times they can key up your info
> 
> and find your ticket number and post your points. I keep a spreadsheet of my travels and if they are paid
> 
> or AGR. I hate to think you did not get proper credit for your paid travels.
> 
> Check you PM's.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I do the same thing and keep a spreadsheet of all my travels and points. One thing I noticed with the ETickets is besides not having the monetary value, the full electronic ticket number is not displayed on the QT or the PDF printout. I guess this could potentially be problematic if you have to call AGR and ask for missing points. AGR should be able to find your ticket number through your reservation - but on more than one occasion I've had to provide them the actual 13-digit number so they could cross-check things on their end and give me credit.
Click to expand...

I just put check marks on my tickets. If after 3 weeks no credit I call up and give them my ticket number. They often ask for a Credit Card number that I used which I'm not comfortable giving. But now I have no need to worry. I have seen them post in 3 days minimum and 5 days max.


----------



## transit54

acelafan said:


> I do the same thing and keep a spreadsheet of all my travels and points. One thing I noticed with the ETickets is besides not having the monetary value, the full electronic ticket number is not displayed on the QT or the PDF printout. I guess this could potentially be problematic if you have to call AGR and ask for missing points. AGR should be able to find your ticket number through your reservation - but on more than one occasion I've had to provide them the actual 13-digit number so they could cross-check things on their end and give me credit.


On the AGR site, there is now a different form to request your points depending on whether you had an eticket or a paper ticket. The eticket form does not request the ticket number, simply the reservation number, dates and endpoints. So I would imaging that AGR will be switching their processes and won't even be asking about the ticket number - though with all transitions, this may take some time for the agents to get used to.


----------



## jis

transit54 said:


> On the AGR site, there is now a different form to request your points depending on whether you had an eticket or a paper ticket. The eticket form does not request the ticket number, simply the reservation number, dates and endpoints. So I would imaging that AGR will be switching their processes and won't even be asking about the ticket number - though with all transitions, this may take some time for the agents to get used to.


I think just requiring the PNR is a good change. Sometimes the ticket number got printed in such a way on the ticket that all of it was not on the stub returned to you, and then it was a royal pain to go hunting elsewhere for it to provide the number to AGR. The PNR is something that is nice and short and easily available at multiple places.


----------



## Blackwolf

For the foreseeable future, there will be one last bastion for the traditional paper ticket. I just completed a reservation utilizing my $75 travel voucher from earlier this spring, and like always it required a conversation with a Customer Service Agent over the phone in order to apply it. I was surprised to hear that, because I was actually making the reservation through her and not just applying the voucher to an existing reservation, that we would be issued paper tickets (due to "manual entry" as she called it) and that they would have to be mailed to us.

Yes. we got the standard e-mail with the bar code and itinerary printed. But she confirmed that any CS-issued tickets will still be on old-fashioned paper and would be issued only through the mail; no station agent pick-up and no QuikTrak pick-up.

Call me amused!


----------



## amamba

Blackwolf said:


> For the foreseeable future, there will be one last bastion for the traditional paper ticket. I just completed a reservation utilizing my $75 travel voucher from earlier this spring, and like always it required a conversation with a Customer Service Agent over the phone in order to apply it. I was surprised to hear that, because I was actually making the reservation through her and not just applying the voucher to an existing reservation, that we would be issued paper tickets (due to "manual entry" as she called it) and that they would have to be mailed to us.
> 
> Yes. we got the standard e-mail with the bar code and itinerary printed. But she confirmed that any CS-issued tickets will still be on old-fashioned paper and would be issued only through the mail; no station agent pick-up and no QuikTrak pick-up.
> 
> Call me amused!


Was this a voucher for a customer relations issue?

I had a voucher for that, and my tickets have been decidedly e-tickets. I was told I would have to get a paper ticket and pick it up at the ticket window, but low and behold, when I went to the ticket window, the ticket agent printed me out an "eticket travel voucher."

But, with amtrak, YMMV.


----------



## CHamilton

Here's some trivia for you. I got curious as to exactly what is encoded in the barcodes that Amtrak uses. As near as I can tell, there are two answers.

1. If you print the reservation confirmation screen at amtrak.com, or if you receive an email confirmation from a phone or AGR reservation, you'll get a document with the older "1D" barcode (like the ones you see in the supermarket). These are attached to the email as PNG files. The data encoded will be your six-digit reservation number (like ABC123) plus the city code of the origin of your trip (like NYP). So in this example, the code would read ABC123NYP.

2. For the newer eTickets, the PDF file attached to your reservation email will include a square "QR code" which contains your reservation number, a dash, and the date you made the reservation. (This information is actually printed in text directly below the QR code.) An example might look like ABC123-01JAN2012.

By the way, I'm not giving away any secrets, since the data involved is actually printed in human-readable form on the documents involved. If you want to test this out yourself, just print the email, then use a "barcode scanner" app to read the code. It will display the information I describe above. But you won't be able to do anything with the results.

This might explain why some reservations can be completely changed and keep the same reservation number, while others need new ones -- it probably has to do with whether the origin station of the trip has changed.


----------



## NW cannonball

CHamilton said:


> Here's some trivia for you. I got curious as to exactly what is encoded in the barcodes that Amtrak uses. As near as I can tell, there are two answers.
> 
> 1. If you print the reservation confirmation screen at amtrak.com, or if you receive an email confirmation from a phone or AGR reservation, you'll get a document with the older "1D" barcode (like the ones you see in the supermarket). These are attached to the email as PNG files. The data encoded will be your six-digit reservation number (like ABC123) plus the city code of the origin of your trip (like NYP). So in this example, the code would read ABC123NYP.
> 
> 2. For the newer eTickets, the PDF file attached to your reservation email will include a square "QR code" which contains your reservation number, a dash, and the date you made the reservation. (This information is actually printed in text directly below the QR code.) An example might look like ABC123-01JAN2012.
> 
> By the way, I'm not giving away any secrets, since the data involved is actually printed in human-readable form on the documents involved. If you want to test this out yourself, just print the email, then use a "barcode scanner" app to read the code. It will display the information I describe above. But you won't be able to do anything with the results.
> 
> This might explain why some reservations can be completely changed and keep the same reservation number, while others need new ones -- it probably has to do with whether the origin station of the trip has changed.


Thanks - that is useful information


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## SubwayNut

Well I just went on my first complicated multi-city eTicking itinerary this past week (the source of most of the Amtrak Stations on my website and all the AGR points to put a Select Card in my wallet) to visit a friend renting a house near St Albans, VT and much to my surprise eTicketing was flawless. I was successfully scanned on all seven trains. I should also add that I found a loophole in Amtrak's reservation and fare system that means you can add a segment for a less than 24 hour layover in New York City from as far south as Philly at least for the same price as the rest of your ticket on the Adirondack.

Reservation 1: MET-EWR-NYP (Monday) NYP-SDY-Port Kent (Tuesday): I discovered that the iPhone app as a bug in it. It will only display the first two tickets of an itinerary so it made it look like beneath the QR code I had spent $57.60 just to go from Metropark to Penn Station via the Airport to NYP. I did stop and print out Quick-Trak copies of my tickets mainly for my stub collection, and also because I realized i would need one to flash to the gate agent when I boarded the Maple Leaf.

On #174 the conductor luckily came by on the 10 minute MET-EWR ride didn't even say next stop or anything. The PANYNJ Red Coat who you need to flash your ticket stub (it was announced as your "travel documents") to board the monorail looked at my iPhone said "I'm still getting used to these" and let me through (had I had a paper ticket I would have gotten a green highlighter park) the fare gates. Had a nice time finally photographing the monorail

I stopped at a QuikTrack machine to make sure the first trip went through (a great way to check) and got a new itinerary with just my final 3 segments. Showed this to the gate agent (who didn't bother to mark it) and he let me back through the fare gates telling me "Track 1." Although all seat checks had been collected on Train #186 the conductor took the time to walk up and find me (otherwise I would have found him)

On Tuesday taking the Maple Leaf NYP-SDY and then SDY to Port Kent on the Adirondack I flashed the QR code both times even through if the conductor had scrolled down my iPhone there was no confirmation I was on this train. Didn't need to dig my paper tickets out for the gate agent in New York because I skipped the line and boarded the Maple Leaf through the Exit Concourse

Coming back was a St Albans to Windsor Locks on the Vermonter for an hour to a Shuttle to the Regional, I was traveling with a friend but we bought separate tickets. We just used our iPhones, they scanned fine all 3 times. Going through Vermont on the Vermonter I was surprised at how many paper tickets were being issued. I even saw the conductors using their old, clunky credit card readers from passengers with reservations already written, writing and punching tickets on their old pads (Like nothing in that department had changed). We were the only two getting off at Windsor Locks and the new conductors that got on in Springfield referred to us by last name I guess making sure they found the right passengers. On the Shuttle the Conductor asked me for my ID saying* the iPhone had selected me for the random ID check* and how much he hated having to do this. On the Regional we could only find a booth in the cafe car (couldn't find two seats together on the entire train boarding in New Haven) and the conductors (sitting right behind us) scanned our iPhones and handed us seat checks.

I overheard two interesting iPhone adventures, on the Vermonter a passenger boarded trying to go from Springfield to Hartford without a ticket (or was in the process of buying one and didn't finish the transaction). The crew told him to buy one for the next Shuttle and then scanned his iPad when the Ticket finally arrived in his eMail (Amtrak needs to just include the codes on the confirmation screens) to process it for the Vermonter. I believe this was all being done via the onboard wifi There was also a lady with the older version of the Amtrak app on the Shuttle and the conductor said he needed to see the bar code, not just the itinerary. I overheard this and told her she needed to update the app while she fished in her eMail for the confirmation.


----------



## acelafan

I love it when new technology works - glad you had a good trip! I was on the Crescent WAS > ATL Thursday night and the conductor had some trouble scanning the bar code tickets; he had to manually enter the reservation number on several. I asked him how he liked the new technology and he groaned but was good-natured about it and said "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all - so I *love* these new scanners!" And he laughed as he moved on checking more tickets.


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## vickinish

Interesting new wrinkle. I had two tickets purchased at the end of July so both showed in my email and my Amtrak iPhone app as "printed ticket required" with the usual bar code. These were AGR tickets.

I had to modify them by phone with AGR to add a wheelchair access. This resulted in an email with a bar code to be printed at a QuikTrak machine and was followed by another email with eTicket PDFs for scanning.

But now, although both trips still show in my iPhone, when I try to view them the app crashes. So I will need to use the PDF for scanning as I can't bring the necessary code up on the iPhone.

Seems that modifying an eTicket is not handled by the iPhone app.


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## SubwayNut

Amtrak yesterday released an update to the app saying that now you can modify a return trip directly in the app, after departing on your first outbound leg. My multi-city tickets though can be scanned fully in the app but not modified or canceled because the app doesn't support those tickets even for booking. It also only displays the first two segments of a four segment journey. On the first leg of Tuesday's trip I was listed as Departing from Metropark to Newark Airport, returning Newark Airport to New York Penn Station. Nowhere did it list my final and main two legs of the trip in the view screen. In the first screen every portion of your trip is there except if departure times change they dont appear there, only when you click View (discovered this when the Capital Limited's schedule was changed on me).


----------



## transit54

SubwayNut said:


> Going through Vermont on the Vermonter I was surprised at how many paper tickets were being issued. I even saw the conductors using their old, clunky credit card readers from passengers with reservations already written, writing and punching tickets on their old pads (Like nothing in that department had changed).


That's interesting. I wonder if you call 1-800-USA-RAIL and hit zero to make a reservation if they are still issuing reservation numbers for payment on board the train. I figured they'd just issue an eticket instead. Due to the Vermont ticketing situation, most riders are just very familiar with the routine of calling the 1-800 number before boarding and unless they have really been paying attention, they likely don't even realize eticketing is an option.

The other reason is that the state offers a $12 fare when traveling within Vermont. The state does not release the promotional code, and while one can obtain the discount by clicking a like on a particular website, the procedure is not very well known or obvious. As a result, most people are used to calling, not worrying about the fare, and paying the $12 on the train. I have gotten in touch with the appropriate people on the state level and explained the situation and they are working within their channels to get the promotion code released and publicized.

But overall, I'm pretty surprised that Amtrak Reservations even allows the ticket to be written on the train. I wonder what the correct procedure is if someone is leaving from an unstaffed station and claims not to have a computer or a printer or not be comfortable printing their own ticket? Do they instruct you to pay on the train or are they supposed to issue you an eticket and have the conductor look you up on board (which is still likely much faster than writing out a handwritten paper ticket)? If it's the former, I wonder what the long term plan is, and if it' the latter, I wonder if the reason they are still doing it in VT is because of the promotional code.

When I rode with an eticket a few weeks ago, the Vermonter conductor said he loved the system and couldn't wait until everyone was using them. As it was the first week of deployment, I figured he'd only have to wait another week or two until he was getting mostly etickets (and the occasional printed paper ticket), but apparently it's not going to happen right away.


----------



## alanh

I believe the conductor can look up your reservation with just the number. The barcode is just to (in theory) make it easier and quicker.

Although I haven't heard anything specifically about it, I don't think there's anything to stop you from buying a ticket on board if boarding at an unstaffed/no QuikTrak station. The conductor should still be able to sell you a ticket. Although Amtrak has discouraged it (since it's more work for the conductor), you've always been able to buy a ticket by just showing up and boarding where there's no agent. You do run the risk of the train being sold out.


----------



## transit54

Another eTicketing update: I boarded the northbound Vermonter in Bridgeport today, although I was ticketed out of Stamford. The conductor came by about 10 minutes after we left Bridgeport and scanned my ticket with no issues. I would imagine that conductors are not hitting the "all done" button at each stop to allow for people to board a station or two downline. At the same time, I don't know if I'm comfortable enough to do this regularly, and I usually don't know whether I am leaving from Bridgeport or Stamford when I book, so I always book from Stamford.

What Amtrak ultimately needs to do is to allow me to indicate via the web or my phone that I will be boarding at a downline station, so my ticket isn't canceled. This should be done without a change of fare - it's not so much that I'm modifying my reservation as I'm just indicating a downline boarding location). At the moment, the site doesn't seem to allow the change of the start or end station of a reservation without canceling it and I would imagine if I called to change it I would be charged a higher fare, especially because I used a promotion that required a minimum 3 day advance purchase.


----------



## amamba

transit54 said:


> Another eTicketing update: I boarded the northbound Vermonter in Bridgeport today, although I was ticketed out of Stamford. The conductor came by about 10 minutes after we left Bridgeport and scanned my ticket with no issues. I would imagine that conductors are not hitting the "all done" button at each stop to allow for people to board a station or two downline. At the same time, I don't know if I'm comfortable enough to do this regularly, and I usually don't know whether I am leaving from Bridgeport or Stamford when I book, so I always book from Stamford.
> 
> What Amtrak ultimately needs to do is to allow me to indicate via the web or my phone that I will be boarding at a downline station, so my ticket isn't canceled. This should be done without a change of fare - it's not so much that I'm modifying my reservation as I'm just indicating a downline boarding location). At the moment, the site doesn't seem to allow the change of the start or end station of a reservation without canceling it and I would imagine if I called to change it I would be charged a higher fare, especially because I used a promotion that required a minimum 3 day advance purchase.


That is great that it worked out for you to board downline today. I am too nervous to do it myself! It would be great if one could modify to board downline without having to buy a whole new ticket.


----------



## rrdude

Prolly been posted already (didn't re-read all 14 pages in thread) but when I made a rez on Cap from BWI to TOL, thence on to ARB, Via Thruway Bus Conx, the e-ticket was NOT an option.


----------



## fillyjonk

Well, I just bought my first-ever e-tickets. (For Thanksgiving travel....I figured if I wanted a roomette, I better jump on it early). No problems in booking or printing (I don't own a smartphone so I'll have to use the printed paper, I guess.)

Hopefully boarding will go smoothly once November rolls around. I think I'll print an extra copy and keep it in my suitcase just in case something happens to the original copy. Nowhere does it say you are not allowed to print and have multiple copies...


----------



## AlanB

fillyjonk said:


> Nowhere does it say you are not allowed to print and have multiple copies...


That's actually one of the best parts of the entire system, the fact that you can have multiple copies just in case. And even if you lose everything, the conductor can still look up your reservation now on his phone and still check you in after you provide suitable ID to prove that it's really you.


----------



## Ispolkom

I just got my first eVoucher, and I'm confused.

I canceled a reservation on train #7, so that I could rebook it at a lower accommodation charge on train #27. I didn't think things through, so I didn't do it the easiest way: call Amtrak and have them change the reservation and issue me an eVoucher. Instead I first canceled my old reservation on #7 and then called Amtrak. The process of canceling a ticket on-line is straight-forward. You choose either a 90% refund to your credit card, or an eVoucher for the whole amount. I did the latter.

I assumed that you have to use the eVoucher for future travel, but instead I find this:



> If this eVoucher is refundable (see below) and you wish to receive the refundable amount shown rather than apply the total value of the eVoucher towards future travel, please mail in a refund request to: [Philadelphia address]


Below on the e-mail, I find two lines:



> Total Value: $190.70
> Refundable Amount: $190.70


So I can cancel a sleeper reservation, request an eVoucher, then request a refund?

Seems odd.

Another odd thing. The eVoucher expiration date is 8/20/13, but the refundable expiration date is 6/10/13, 365 days after I bought the ticket originally.


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## PerRock

an E-Ticket isn't the same as an E-Voucher. An E-Ticket is an ticket for the train you can print off at home or have in your iOS ap for traveling on a train. It is just like the old paper tickets just electronic-capable. The E-Voucher is for refunds in rail travel and cannot be used on board as a travel document. Someone else is going to have to answer your questions on it however.

peter


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## printman2000

Ispolkom said:


> I just got my first eVoucher, and I'm confused.


While I have no information to help, thank you for reporting here. Looks like they really are going to start collecting the 10% penalty.

I assume eVouchers cannot be used online, huh? Can a reservation agent accept it or do you have to go to customer service to use it?


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## amamba

printman2000 said:


> Ispolkom said:
> 
> 
> 
> I just got my first eVoucher, and I'm confused.
> 
> 
> 
> While I have no information to help, thank you for reporting here. Looks like they really are going to start collecting the 10% penalty.
> 
> I assume eVouchers cannot be used online, huh? Can a reservation agent accept it or do you have to go to customer service to use it?
Click to expand...

eVouchers can ONLY be used at a ticket window. From http://www.amtrak.com/evouchers-your-travel-credits-stored-electronically

Where and How to Redeem an eVoucher

For now, eVouchers may only be redeemed at an Amtrak ticket office, not at Quik-Trak, online at Amtrak.com or by phone. Make sure to bring the eVoucher receipt (or the information necessary for the agent to locate the eVoucher) and proper identification to the ticket office for redemption.

If your eVoucher is issued by a station agent as part of a downgrade exchange or cancellation and part or all of its value is refundable, the refund can be processed at the station by the same agent at the same station on the same day only. Otherwise, send the eVoucher receipt or a printout of your e-mail notification, and your name, address and phone number, to:

Amtrak Customer Refunds

Box 70

30th St. Station

2955 Market Street,

Philadelphia, PA 19104-2898

If you do not have your eVoucher receipt or a printout of your e-mail notification, include information about the transaction in a letter that will enable the refund office to locate your eVoucher.


----------



## printman2000

amamba said:


> eVouchers can ONLY be used at a ticket window.


Well that stinks. Since the closet station to me is four hours away. Hopefully they will get that fixed soon. The wording on the page implies there will be other options eventually.


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## amamba

Link is fixed.


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## fillyjonk

AlanB said:


> fillyjonk said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nowhere does it say you are not allowed to print and have multiple copies...
> 
> 
> 
> That's actually one of the best parts of the entire system, the fact that you can have multiple copies just in case. And even if you lose everything, the conductor can still look up your reservation now on his phone and still check you in after you provide suitable ID to prove that it's really you.
Click to expand...

Another best part was that I had my ticket <15 minutes after ordering it, unlike with the old mailed paper tickets (I live nowhere near a manned station...) that you could wait 2 weeks or more for.

If the e-ticketing works smoothly when it comes to boarding, it will be FANTASTIC. So much easier than the old way.


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## NJgirl

Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?

I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.

Thanks!


----------



## amamba

NJgirl said:


> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!


Yes, they should be able to do that for you via phone. As you have already stated, it is very easy to get the e-ticket document for a reservation you made online.


----------



## Anthony

NJgirl said:


> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!


If you already paid for the reservation, the agent would have to refund it, then book a new reservation at the now-prevailing price. so, probably a bad idea.


----------



## amamba

Anthony said:


> NJgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> If you already paid for the reservation, the agent would have to refund it, then book a new reservation at the now-prevailing price. so, probably a bad idea.
Click to expand...

I don't think this is the case, because all of the reservations seem to have been converted to e-tickets. Even if you go to the ticket window to get tickets for something reserved prior to July 30, the agent prints out an eticket boarding document/pass. That makes me think that it should be as easy as the phone agent sending you an email with teh boarding document attached without having to rebook the ticket.


----------



## PRR 60

amamba said:


> Anthony said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NJgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> If you already paid for the reservation, the agent would have to refund it, then book a new reservation at the now-prevailing price. so, probably a bad idea.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I don't think this is the case, because all of the reservations seem to have been converted to e-tickets. Even if you go to the ticket window to get tickets for something reserved prior to July 30, the agent prints out an eticket boarding document/pass. That makes me think that it should be as easy as the phone agent sending you an email with teh boarding document attached without having to rebook the ticket.
Click to expand...

That is my understanding as well. Regardless, it is worth a phone call to ask.


----------



## johnny.menhennet

printman2000 said:


> 1345644312[/url]' post='388786']
> 
> 
> amamba said:
> 
> 
> 
> 1345643750[/url]' post='388783']eVouchers can ONLY be used at a ticket window.
> 
> 
> 
> Well that stinks. Since the closet station to me is four hours away. Hopefully they will get that fixed soon. The wording on the page implies there will be other options eventually.
Click to expand...

Not very "e-" of Amtrak where you have to be at a station to make it work IYAM.


----------



## Anthony

amamba said:


> Anthony said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NJgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> If you already paid for the reservation, the agent would have to refund it, then book a new reservation at the now-prevailing price. so, probably a bad idea.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I don't think this is the case, because all of the reservations seem to have been converted to e-tickets. Even if you go to the ticket window to get tickets for something reserved prior to July 30, the agent prints out an eticket boarding document/pass. That makes me think that it should be as easy as the phone agent sending you an email with teh boarding document attached without having to rebook the ticket.
Click to expand...

The official communications on this topic have been numerous and conflicting -- so it certainly can't hurt to call and try to have the agent email you a travel document, but no promises.


----------



## Misty.

amamba said:


> Anthony said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NJgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone had any luck calling to ask them to convert a phone reservation made before the eticket system was active (that I was supposed to pick up at a quick track) into an eticket?
> 
> I love the idea of etickets. I was able to get an eticket for an old reservation I made online, but just wanted to know if I could get them to give me an eticket for an old reservation i made via phone.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> If you already paid for the reservation, the agent would have to refund it, then book a new reservation at the now-prevailing price. so, probably a bad idea.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I don't think this is the case, because all of the reservations seem to have been converted to e-tickets. Even if you go to the ticket window to get tickets for something reserved prior to July 30, the agent prints out an eticket boarding document/pass. That makes me think that it should be as easy as the phone agent sending you an email with teh boarding document attached without having to rebook the ticket.
Click to expand...


Might be slightly different for AGR, but I made a redemption by phone a little before etickets went live. I had to change it after they went live, and I got an eticket document automatically after that phone call. It took slightly longer to get to me compared to a different reservation, where I had the reservation summary email before hanging up, but it still got to me without going the cancel and rebook route.


----------



## Nathanael

rrdude said:


> Prolly been posted already (didn't re-read all 14 pages in thread) but when I made a rez on Cap from BWI to TOL, thence on to ARB, Via Thruway Bus Conx, the e-ticket was NOT an option.


Apparently the following are still true:

(1) If you have any leg of your trip which is not e-ticket-ready, all your tickets will be paper stored-value tickets

(2) Most Thruway buses are not e-ticket ready.

I am not sure which Thruway connections are e-ticket ready. Certain "Amtrak California" buses are. Amtrak has promised e-Ticketing for the rest of the *California* Thruway connections by later this year, but I have heard of no date for the rest of the Thruway buses.

I don't know about NJT's Atlantic City Line, for that matter, which is technically a "Thruway connection" in Amtrak's system.


----------



## jis

You don't get AGR points for riding NJT on the ACY Line using an Amtrak issued ticket. NJT does not handle Amtrak e-Tickets either. It has to be a paper ticket.


----------



## Cristobal

I was just on the CS from SJC to OXN (a nice little weekend getaway) and I became concerned after reaching SLO that no conductor had been by to scan my eticket. I mentioned this to George (my SCA) at SLO and he told me that some crews just ask the SCA if everyone on the manifest got onboard at each stop and then have a way of entering that info into the system.

I guess that might work with the sleeper pax but maybe not so easily in coach.

I don't have an email telling me that my return leg has been canceled because I was a 'no-show' on my out-bound segment so I'm hoping that George was right.


----------



## CHamilton

Cristobal said:


> I was just on the CS from SJC to OXN (a nice little weekend getaway) and I became concerned after reaching SLO that no conductor had been by to scan my eticket. I mentioned this to George (my SCA) at SLO and he told me that some crews just ask the SCA if everyone on the manifest got onboard at each stop and then have a way of entering that info into the system.
> 
> I guess that might work with the sleeper pax but maybe not so easily in coach.
> 
> I don't have an email telling me that my return leg has been canceled because I was a 'no-show' on my out-bound segment so I'm hoping that George was right.


Ah, that's interesting. I didn't get my ticket scanned in the sleeper from GPK to SEA the other week. The SCA looked at my printout, but that was it. Since it was the return leg of a round-trip, I didn't have to worry about getting my reservation cancelled, but my AGR points didn't post until I submitted the "missing points" form on the website, after which they showed up the next day. It seems like the system isn't totally reliable yet.


----------



## SubwayNut

If your worried about your ticket having not been scanned you can always stop at a QuikTrak Machine, insert your AGR or credit card and it will issue an updated itinerary with only your remaining segments on it, assuming your ticket has been scanned. If your ticket hasn't been scanned I assume it won't list your reservation or have an error message. (I done some complex multi-city trips on eTickets and have been found by the conductors fine each time, no problems).


----------



## Cristobal

For yesterday's return the conductor stopped by my room as we started rolling out of Oxnard and said "Do you have your ticket?". When I pulled the folded printout out of my pocket he said "Eticket?", I said "yes" and then he says "Hold on..." while thumbing his device. Then he said "To San Jose, right?". "Yup". "I gotcha". He never scanned the eticket printout. I guess that they each do whatever seems the most efficient to them. I have seen some conductors on the CC struggle to make the scanner part work so that may be part of the problem.


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## amtkstn

I'm halfway though my first trip with a E-ticket. Most passenger I have seen have used the e-ticket printed on old ticket stock from the Q-trck.


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## printman2000

About a week ago I was to board the Texas Eagle in Fort Worth and get to use my very first e-ticket. I had planned on having a printout but forgot it at home so I just had my iPhone to present. A conductor asked me for my ticket on the platform before the train even pulled in (must be a crew change point). I presented the QR code on my iPhone but she saw that and just asked my name. Never scanned it, just checked us in by name.

I guess some conductors are finding it easier to look up the name instead of scanning.


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## jis

amtkstn said:


> I'm halfway though my first trip with a E-ticket. Most passenger I have seen have used the e-ticket printed on old ticket stock from the Q-trck.


I generally print it out at Q-track since it produces a more compact document to carry.


----------



## E Runs

Just completed a CHI-GJT round trip on the CZ, on the way out I used the QT machine to spit out something tanagible that the conductor scanned in our room. For the trip back the conductor scanned my iPhone in the station. Both processes went equally well.


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## tonys96

So, are all reservations now "e-ticketed"? Making rez for the Eagle for a short trip to LVW on Thanksgiving, and would rather use the QT to print out something tangible for my records.......


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## Misty.

All trains and some select busses are eTicket now, but you can still print eTicket documents at the Quik-Trak - Just Wednesday I printed off all my eTickets for my October travels cuz I was at a Quik-Trak anyway.


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## tonys96

tonys96 said:


> So, are all reservations now "e-ticketed"? Making rez for the Eagle for a short trip to LVW on Thanksgiving, and would rather use the QT to print out something tangible for my records.......


Thanks Misty. So I can just do as before? Get a barcode emailed to me to read at the QT?


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## Misty.

To get the barcode that would scan at the Quik-Trak, I would think you'd have to go into your Amtrak.com account and print from the reservation there - I pull my reservations up by swiping my AGR membership card when I activate the machine.


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## PRR 60

tonys96 said:


> tonys96 said:
> 
> 
> 
> So, are all reservations now "e-ticketed"? Making rez for the Eagle for a short trip to LVW on Thanksgiving, and would rather use the QT to print out something tangible for my records.......
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Misty. So I can just do as before? Get a barcode emailed to me to read at the QT?
Click to expand...

The old barcode that was used at the QuikTrak to pull up the reservation is no longer being attached to the confirmation e-mails. The theory is that if you can print the e-mail, you might as well print the e-ticket.

To work around that, if you swipe the credit card used to pay for the reservation or your AGR card at the QuikTrak, the kiosk will pull up the reservation and allow you to print out a boarding document. Alternatively, you can swipe any credit card in your name at the QuikTrak, then enter the reservation number, and that will work as well.


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## AmtrakBlue

I tried today to get my tickets from the Quik-Track kioak using my AGR card & then my debit card which I used to order the tickets. Neither worked. I'll have to check to see if my AGR # got assigned to the tickets (I was logged in so I assumed it did). Am guessing the "credit card" didn't work because it's a debit card. I didn't try another card w/resevation #.

No big deal. I have my e-tickets. Like Jis, I prefer the smaller tickets.

Do we have to keep the e-tIckes intact or can we tear off the bottom portion?


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## RRrich

AmtrakBlue said:


> . Like Jis, I prefer the smaller tickets.
> 
> Do we have to keep the e-tIckes intact or can we tear off the bottom portion?


I took my 8.5 x11" e-ticket and foldded it so it was pocket-size (in half then in thirds) with the scan thingy showing. C scanned no problem


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## jis

I actually mostly don't print anything. If I do print something it is at a QuikTrak. Chasing down a printer is a hassle unless I am at home, which often I am not, while getting ready for these trips.

For example, I just set up my Dome trip to Montreal sitting in India using my iPhone app.


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## PRR 60

jis said:


> I actually mostly don't print anything. If I do print something it is at a QuikTrak. Chasing down a printer is a hassle unless I am at home, which often I am not, while getting ready for these trips.
> 
> For example, I just set up my Dome trip to Montreal sitting in India using my iPhone app.


Paper boarding documents are so 2000's!


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## Amtrak Cajun

I have an AT&T Avail smartphone. I read somewhere in the thread that the reservation can be pulled up and scanned without having to use Internet to get to your emial. Does the app store the reservation itself? Im a bit confused on that particular point. I dont have the Amtrak app on my phone yet. I should probably get it soon.

Anthony


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## Acela150

Amtrak Cajun said:


> I have an AT&T Avail smartphone. I read somewhere in the thread that the reservation can be pulled up and scanned without having to use Internet to get to your emial. Does the app store the reservation itself? Im a bit confused on that particular point. I dont have the Amtrak app on my phone yet. I should probably get it soon.
> 
> Anthony


Anthony, If you have an iphone then I suggest downloading the App. It makes things easier. Although I just made a ticket purchase yesterday on my new iPhone and the eTicket does not goto passbook like Apple claimed it would when they announced ios 6 in June. You can show the barcode in the App or the PDF in the email. Both are the same and can be scanned.


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## AlanB

Acela150 said:


> Amtrak Cajun said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have an AT&T Avail smartphone. I read somewhere in the thread that the reservation can be pulled up and scanned without having to use Internet to get to your emial. Does the app store the reservation itself? Im a bit confused on that particular point. I dont have the Amtrak app on my phone yet. I should probably get it soon.
> 
> Anthony
> 
> 
> 
> Anthony, If you have an iphone then I suggest downloading the App. It makes things easier. Although I just made a ticket purchase yesterday on my new iPhone and the eTicket does not goto passbook like Apple claimed it would when they announced ios 6 in June. You can show the barcode in the App or the PDF in the email. Both are the same and can be scanned.
Click to expand...

I believe that Amtrak will need to release an update to their App, before that will work.

And Anthony doesn't have an iPhone, unless he went and brought one this week after he got home from his trip.

So he'd have to find some way to get the barcode PDF to his smartphone and then hope that his phone can display PDF's.


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## Eris

I sent the PDF e-ticket to my Kindle device (e-ink), scanned great at the counter they use for checking in at Seattle for the Coast Starlight.

A problem I'm having now, though, is that I'd like to change my return trip, but because the station I leave out of doesn't have a QuikTrak machine, and because the trip is within two weeks, the system won't let me do the change online...



> Limited Ticket Delivery Options: Because of the close proximity of this trip, our online booking system cannot provide a ticket delivery option that will ensure you receive your ticket(s) on time. Please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) for assistance with making your reservation.[Error ID: 613S]


EVEN THOUGH I could totally get an e-ticket for it. (And, also, by the way? There's a Metrolink machine at the station I want to use, which can totally issue the Coast Starlight #14 ticket I'd need).


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## AlanB

Eris,

That doesn't make any sense. Sounds like you hit some odd glitch in the system there. Is the return on the same reservation? If so, then there should be no reason that things can't be changed. Even if its a different reservation number, you should still be able to eTicket it. I almost wonder if somehow the old online controls were left turned on for that station/route because this really doesn't make sense.

I would suggest calling Amtrak at the 800 number, as I'm sure an agent can redo the reservation the way you want it.


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## Amtrak Cajun

Once I move to Syracuse, it wouldnt be a problem, because SYR is staffed. Right now I live in Lafayette, LA *LFT*, with no Quik Trak or anything.

I dont have an Iphone, just an Android smartphone. I havent tried the Amtrak App with my phone yet. Ill have to play around with my phone to see what it can or cant do.

Sorry if I confused anyone.

I hope you are alll having a great weekend.

Ant


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## Eris

It sure does seem odd to me, too, Alan! I don't wannnnnnna call. But it seems that it's the only way in this case, even though it shouldn't be.


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## AlanB

Amtrak Cajun said:


> I dont have an Iphone, just an Android smartphone. I havent tried the Amtrak App with my phone yet. Ill have to play around with my phone to see what it can or cant do.


Currently the Amtrak App is only available for those with an iPhone. Amtrak has not yet released an Android App.


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## TimePeace

AlanB said:


> Amtrak Cajun said:
> 
> 
> 
> I dont have an Iphone, just an Android smartphone. I havent tried the Amtrak App with my phone yet. Ill have to play around with my phone to see what it can or cant do.
> 
> 
> 
> Currently the Amtrak App is only available for those with an iPhone. Amtrak has not yet released an Android App.
Click to expand...

Must be some money or other consideration changing hands there... since lots more people use Android than iPhone.


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## AlanB

Maine Rider said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amtrak Cajun said:
> 
> 
> 
> I dont have an Iphone, just an Android smartphone. I havent tried the Amtrak App with my phone yet. Ill have to play around with my phone to see what it can or cant do.
> 
> 
> 
> Currently the Amtrak App is only available for those with an iPhone. Amtrak has not yet released an Android App.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Must be some money or other consideration changing hands there... since lots more people use Android than iPhone.
Click to expand...

Nope. The Amtrak App was really just an extension of the team developing the eTicketing App that the conductors use on their iPhones. While the team was working doing all the programming for the eTicketing, inventory, bad orders, and other things currently being rolled out to Amtrak staff, they worked on the App for iPhones for we passengers with iPhones.


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## CHamilton

So far on this trip, my ticket was not scanned on the CS, and it has been scanned on the CZ -- which is the second leg of the same reservation. It seems as though different crews are handling the process differently.


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## Eris

CHamilton said:


> So far on this trip, my ticket was not scanned on the CS, and it has been scanned on the CZ -- which is the second leg of the same reservation. It seems as though different crews are handling the process differently.


Did you leave out of Seattle? My ticket was scanned in the station there, not on board the train.


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## Acela150

Maine Rider said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amtrak Cajun said:
> 
> 
> 
> I dont have an Iphone, just an Android smartphone. I havent tried the Amtrak App with my phone yet. Ill have to play around with my phone to see what it can or cant do.
> 
> 
> 
> Currently the Amtrak App is only available for those with an iPhone. Amtrak has not yet released an Android App.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Must be some money or other consideration changing hands there... since lots more people use Android than iPhone.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the iphone 5 press release?? The iphone is the number 1 smart phone in the world.. More people have iPhones then androids..

But please let's not turn this into a whose phone is better then whose...


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## Ryan

There's more than one andriod phone, though, and the number of android phones together is bigger than the number of iPhones.

Still, the "money or consideration" is silly, since the reasons for it being iPhone only at this point have already been explained.


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## Amtrak Cajun

Well, my phone does have a pdf reader, so maybe I can still use e-tickets by sending it from my email via usb cable to my pdf app that can store it. Then I can pull it up from there. The app is called DocsToGo, its really neat. It can read *and store* .doc, .ppt, .xls and .pdf files.

I didnt mean to turn this into a phone debate either, sorry guys. I was just trying to jump into the new e-ticketing setup. Im eager to try it. As an IT guy, I love trying new things when it comes to tech. Haha.

Ant


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## Acela150

Today an iphone app update was released. Quite interesting. It shows the eTicket in a separate page with all the information. Still no eTicket in passbook.


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## Ryan

Another one? I'm still showing v1.2 from the 23rd as the latest.


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## AmtrakBlue

Amtrak Cajun said:


> Well, my phone does have a pdf reader, so maybe I can still use e-tickets by sending it from my email via usb cable to my pdf app that can store it. Then I can pull it up from there. The app is called DocsToGo, its really neat. It can read *and store* .doc, .ppt, .xls and .pdf files.
> 
> I didnt mean to turn this into a phone debate either, sorry guys. I was just trying to jump into the new e-ticketing setup. Im eager to try it. As an IT guy, I love trying new things when it comes to tech. Haha.
> 
> Ant


If you can open the PDF from your email on the phone you may be able to "send it to Docs To Go" then save it. I have Docs To Go on my iPod touch. I can't open attachments in my email when accessing it in the web, but can from the Apple email app. I then save the attachment in DtoG. Of course I have to have WiFi to access the email.


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## Acela150

Ryan said:


> Another one? I'm still showing v1.2 from the 23rd as the latest.


That's what it was.. I just got it.. Strange.


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## Barciur

Just bought my first ever e-ticket online and printed it out from my e-mail. On the print out it does say that for Unreserved service the ticket may be used on any unreserved train on the same route within one year of purchase, and that information is lacking on the print outs from QuikTrak. But anyway, I was reading earlier that people were trying to/could print out their tickets at QuikTrak despite having a print out from the computer? is that right?

I'm going to test it out and see what happens when I put my debit card/ASG card into the quiktrak machine in Lancaster, quite curious to see if there is any chance. Just messing around with the new system, but having the ISIC discount I already see it's gonna be so much more comfortable having to book the ticket 3 days in advance and be able to just do it and print it out at home. This is good stuff.


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## Acela150

Barciur said:


> Just bought my first ever e-ticket online and printed it out from my e-mail. On the print out it does say that for Unreserved service the ticket may be used on any unreserved train on the same route within one year of purchase, and that information is lacking on the print outs from QuikTrak. But anyway, I was reading earlier that people were trying to/could print out their tickets at QuikTrak despite having a print out from the computer? is that right?
> 
> I'm going to test it out and see what happens when I put my debit card/ASG card into the quiktrak machine in Lancaster, quite curious to see if there is any chance. Just messing around with the new system, but having the ISIC discount I already see it's gonna be so much more comfortable having to book the ticket 3 days in advance and be able to just do it and print it out at home. This is good stuff.


The point of eTickets is that your able to print them where and when ever. You print it at home.. If you happen to forget it then you can insert the credit card you paid with or your AGR card and print another eTicket.


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## Barciur

Thanks. Yeah I put in my AGR card into the quiktrak machine here in Lancaster and it displayed my itienary on the screen and gave me an option to print. Quite handy.


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## Acela150

At first I was not enthused about eTickets. But now I'm eN love with them! :wub: I had a print at home version. Decided for the heck of it to print a copy at the station, and got my eTicket scanned on my iPhone, from the Amtrak app. They are amazing!


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## TraneMan

Acela150 said:


> Today an iphone app update was released. Quite interesting. It shows the eTicket in a separate page with all the information. Still no eTicket in passbook.



I am sure Amtrak will be making a program soon to work with the Passbook. I just loaded one up from Target.


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## jackal

SubwayNut said:


> If your worried about your ticket having not been scanned you can always stop at a QuikTrak Machine, insert your AGR or credit card and it will issue an updated itinerary with only your remaining segments on it, assuming your ticket has been scanned. If your ticket hasn't been scanned I assume it won't list your reservation or have an error message. (I done some complex multi-city trips on eTickets and have been found by the conductors fine each time, no problems).


Good to know. That said, it probably won't work with my most common use of multi-segment itineraries, which is on the unreserved Keystone corridor, where I'm often using my tickets long after their original reservation date. Those can't be accessed at a QT machine after the scheduled departure (I'm not sure if it's the first segment's scheduled departure or the last segment's scheduled departure). It would be nice if Amtrak would program their systems to handle unreserved segments a bit better, recognizing that they still need to be accessible after the scheduled departures.

As it is now, I think the ability to reconcile my outstanding, unused e-ticket coupons is to call or visit a station agent and check which coupons have been used. That can get tedious with the number of reservations and segments I often have outstanding at any given time.

Anyway, I did stop by to ask a real question. I traveled today on a Keystone train using an old, pre-e-ticketing paper ticket. The conductor scanned my ticket but didn't collect it. Is this now standard practice?

Since paper tickets have intrinsic value, I would assume that he would have to collect the paper ticket and submit it for accounting. Since I still have the ticket, does that mean I still have possession of the $18 value the ticket holds? Obviously, the system knows I took the trip, since the ticket was scanned, but I do wonder what would happen if I were to hand the ticket to a ticket agent as payment for a new reservation. (Not that I want to engage in unethical practices, but I am curious.)

I also have another, more complicated, question about old pre-e-ticketing unticketed unreserved untraveled reservations, but I'm still formulating exactly what my question is, so I'll wait to post it until I know what the heck I am trying to figure out.


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## Eric S

jackal said:


> Anyway, I did stop by to ask a real question. I traveled today on a Keystone train using an old, pre-e-ticketing paper ticket. The conductor scanned my ticket but didn't collect it. Is this now standard practice?
> 
> Since paper tickets have intrinsic value, I would assume that he would have to collect the paper ticket and submit it for accounting. Since I still have the ticket, does that mean I still have possession of the $18 value the ticket holds? Obviously, the system knows I took the trip, since the ticket was scanned, but I do wonder what would happen if I were to hand the ticket to a ticket agent as payment for a new reservation. (Not that I want to engage in unethical practices, but I am curious.)


Don't ticket agents scan old tickets that are turned in as payment for new tickets? I've only done that a couple of times, but I seem to recall the agent scanning the ticket to check the value, rather than relying on what was printed on the ticket. If that's the case, I would assume the ticket would show a value of $0 when scanned.


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## Trogdor

The conductor is supposed to lift the paper ticket after it's scanned. In fact, their device tells them when they're supposed to physically collect whatever ticket they just scanned. Some, perhaps, ignore that prompt.


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## Amtrak Cajun

When I boarded all of my trains on my recent trip, all of my tickets were lifted. The conductor for the CONO *CHI to NOL* looks at me and says. "Oh, I see you still have the old paper ticket huh!" I was like "yeah, I booked this back in February". He says in response. "You should try Eticketing, its great."

In fact, when I was boarding the Crescent out of NOL, I asked the conductor who was scanning the people in front of me, how she liked the Etickets, she smiled and said "I love it, its so much quicker and easier! I cant wait until everyone starts using them!"


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## jackal

Eric S said:


> Don't ticket agents scan old tickets that are turned in as payment for new tickets? I've only done that a couple of times, but I seem to recall the agent scanning the ticket to check the value, rather than relying on what was printed on the ticket. If that's the case, I would assume the ticket would show a value of $0 when scanned.


True, but the word is that paper tickets are as good as cash, aren't they? Just because someone takes a picture of a $100 bill as payment doesn't mean your $100 bill in your possession is now worth less than $100. Maybe the assumption that they are like cash isn't quite the case. It seems, though, that if the value could be zeroed out that easily, then retrieving a lost paper ticket would be a much more easy process than it is (or was, before e-ticketing), since it could just be remotely zeroed out and reissued. (Instead, they made you wait several months to make sure the paper ticket wasn't used in the meantime.)

Maybe the assumption that they are as good as cash is no longer valid, now that virtually all points in Amtrak's system (at stations _and_ on-board) where they can be used can now check the validity of each ticket in real-time...



Trogdor said:


> The conductor is supposed to lift the paper ticket after it's scanned. In fact, their device tells them when they're supposed to physically collect whatever ticket they just scanned. Some, perhaps, ignore that prompt.


I did notice him do a double-take of his screen and tap "OK" on some pop-up alert that was too small for me to read. Guess that's what that was.


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## BOS-T-Time

Hello,

I booked my first LD train via the APP for iPhone and received the customary email along with the PDF file attached that shows my route, car number, and roomette number. Very cool in my opinion. What I was wondering was when you log onto the app, it conveniently shows your upcoming trip and the attached eticket but does not show your car or roomette number which would be nice. When the conductor scans your iPhone does his/her device tell them what car and room number you are in? I am sure it does show for the crew but it would be nice if the app showed your car and room number.

getting excited.

BOS-T-Time


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## Amtrak Cajun

Yes, I believe it does, because when I was boarding the Crescent to start my trip, the Conductor scanned the lady in front of me and told her, "Ok, its you and your kids, and you are in Bedroom *insert letter here*".


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## Rupen

The Amtrak e-ticketing system is horrible. I had cancelled several e tickets and wanted to find out Evoucher numbers associated with it. The problem is that Amtrak only relies on email. There is no way you can find out that information on website. I believed that I did not receive couple of EVouchers so I called Amtrak to find out about them. They told me that they can not find that information. I have to give them evoucher number and only then they can find out. After pressing them for some time, they told me that Refund research department can find that information. No one picks up the phone there. And when they do, they also have the same answer as the customer service and they can not do anything more. It is like we have to maintain our own information and can not rely on Amtrak to find that information out for customer which they would very easily believe that they should have. So, my advice to people using Amtrak. Make your own database of the trips and evouchers. Do not rely on Amtrak to have that information for you. You will not get it and neither do they care.


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## Shortline

E-vouchers suck. No doubt about that. Nothing "E" about them. Really hoping that's fixed, real flipping quick.


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## Amtrak Cajun

Well, I got my new Droid Razr M today. I got the Amtrak app as well. Cant wait to try it out.


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## Ryan

E-vouchers may suck, but they're better than paper vouchers. I can keep track of an email far easier than I can a single piece of paper.


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## CJB

printman2000 said:


> 'Ryan' said:
> 
> 
> 
> You are correct. QT machines will spit out the same ticket stock with a barcode on it.
> 
> 
> 
> Not to nit pick, but it may be worth pointing out that we might want to change our habit of saying barcode when talking about e-tickets. The e-tickets do not use barcodes, they use QR codes which are the funny looking squares. I do not know how important it is to differentiate, but there could be confusion.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking at mine, the QR code simply contains the reservation number and the date the reservation was made.
> 
> QR Code stands for Quick Response Code. It's the next version after BAR Code. QR Coding is faster to read than BAR Coding for IR machines. The bottom line speed of checking passengers in without compromising accuracy. As long as an Amtrak rep (Gate agent or Conductor) have a BAR/QR Code reading IR Machine, all they need to see is the BAR/QR code and your Photo ID.
Click to expand...


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## chakk

I doubt that Amtrak can go 100% e-ticketing so long as they offer thru ticketing with buses (like Greyhound in Colorado) whose drivers do not have equipment to read e-tickets.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


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## D.P. Roberts

I'm sure there's a reason that this two-year-old thread is being revived, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.


----------



## AmtrakBlue

D.P. Roberts said:


> I'm sure there's a reason that this two-year-old thread is being revived, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.


Boredom? :unsure:


----------



## SarahZ

D.P. Roberts said:


> I'm sure there's a reason that this two-year-old thread is being revived, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.


Since it's a guest, I'd venture they did a Google search for the topic and didn't notice the date of the last post. It happens. /shrug


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## the_traveler

Since no no or current information was added, I'm closing this thread.


----------

