BC vs coach question

[jis]

Do you get free non-adult beverages in Acela BC? Newspaper? Pillow and blanket?

No.

OTOH in Acela First Class you get full meals and free adult beverages. Acela is a class unto itself. That is why those accommodations are designated as Acela First, and Acela Business. They have nothing to do with non-Acela any class in any way.

 

[the_traveler]

Acela BC is the equivalent of coach on a "regular" train.

 

[HAL]

Do you get free non-adult beverages in Acela BC? Newspaper? Pillow and blanket?

No they don't. And they could take the newspapers and beverages off the Northeast Regional Business Class and I doubt they would lose any bookings. Very few take a newspaper and not that many partake of the beverages either. They should discontinue the newspapers, they just pile up and get tossed at the end of the day. Leave the beverages. People book business class on the Northeast Regionals to be with what they imagine to be a better strata of passengers, not for the amenities. They don't want to be with the riff raff. Or because their employer books their travel and pays for it. Or they have upgrade coupons. Or when they called up to make a reservation the agent sold them on it. Reservations has contests to where the agents get a bonus for selling it. Whatever the reason there is no reason to change anything in the Northeast about the BC service on Northeast Regional or Acela.

Also there is no reason for the service to be consistent nationwide. Amtrak routes are not consistent nationwide. Surfliner and Northeast Regional don't need to be the same.

 

[iggy]

"Business Class would also include priority boarding"

Depends on station you are traveling out of. Example = St Louis has never given Business class ticket holders Priority Boarding - although they easily could. You get Metropolitan lounge in Chicago but no First Class lounge access in St Louis on same route - Lincoln Service = Amtrak inconsistency. Not even same station experience in a major terminal on same route.

"but I don't think Acela Business class gets access"

Correct only First Class Acela gets lounge access. You pay close to or above a Sleeper price for your Acela Business class ticket - but have to stand in a long line waiting to board. I was lucky in DC and New York to be front of line. Hadn't gotten SELECT+ yet and wasn't traveling Acela same day as my Roomette reservation = so no lounge.

"Do you get free non-adult beverages in Acela BC? Newspaper? Pillow and blanket?"

BIG FAT NOPE!! You pay a huge ticket price for Acela BC and have to purchase anything and everything you want. Acela Cafe car attendants are some of the most unfriendly I have encountered in Amtrak system.

"Also there is no reason for the service to be consistent nationwide."

And you are great example of why things will never change for the better!!

 

[jis]

Acela BC is the equivalent of coach on a "regular" train.

Not in terms of fare class. Other than that such equivalence is somewhat meaningless.

 

[the_traveler]

What I meant was a "regular" train offers coach and BC (with BC as highest), while Acela offers BC and First Class (with BC as lowest). There is no coach on Acela.

 

[oldtimer]

"Business Class would also include priority boarding"

Depends on station you are traveling out of. Example = St Louis has never given Business class ticket holders Priority Boarding - although they easily could. You get Metropolitan lounge in Chicago but no First Class lounge access in St Louis on same route - Lincoln Service = Amtrak inconsistency. Not even same station experience in a major terminal on same route.

"but I don't think Acela Business class gets access"

Correct only First Class Acela gets lounge access. You pay close to or above a Sleeper price for your Acela Business class ticket - but have to stand in a long line waiting to board. I was lucky in DC and New York to be front of line. Hadn't gotten SELECT+ yet and wasn't traveling Acela same day as my Roomette reservation = so no lounge.

"Do you get free non-adult beverages in Acela BC? Newspaper? Pillow and blanket?"

BIG FAT NOPE!! You pay a huge ticket price for Acela BC and have to purchase anything and everything you want. Acela Cafe car attendants are some of the most unfriendly I have encountered in Amtrak system.

"Also there is no reason for the service to be consistent nationwide."

And you are great example of why things will never change for the better!!

This is the reason why the motto of Amtrak is "the only thing that you can count on is the inconsistency".