Bedroom Pricing...

[MccfamschoolMom]

As an experiment, I tried looking up on AmSnag fares for the Texas Eagle for the month of February 2021 (the farthest out I could be sure of getting a full month's worth of prices for). That far out, the prices so far are the same all month. Coach prices for 2 adults are $292 CHI-LAX, $276 JOL or PON-LAX, or $268 BNL-LAX.
Roomette prices for 2 adults are $836 CHI-LAX, $745 JOL-LAX, $693 PON-LAX, or $670 BNL-LAX. Similar pattern for Bedroom and Family Bedroom fares (and the Family Bedroom fares were consistently cheaper than the Bedroom prices.)
By the time my husband and I will have the free time for LD train trips, we'll both qualify for the senior discount (10% of the coach fare, deducted from whatever the total fare is). I showed these calculations to my husband, and he was impressed, especially after learning that the Roomette prices included meals. (And hopefully the "traditional dining" service will have returned to the western routes by the time we're able to travel!)

 

[ET2020]

That wasn't real time pricing, that was inventory consumption. There was only so much inventory in the bucket and when your friend bought the ticket, it consumed the last item in that inventory and the system went to the next set of inventory.

The set amount of inventory in each bucket is relatively static. It changes but it has to be set and once set it stays there until it is reset.

To use the bucket analogy, your friend drank the last cup of water in the bucket. Amtrak grabbed the next bucket that was ready in line to get you yours. It wasn't changing the amount of water in each bucket dynamically.

It isn't a sophisticated algorithm. At heart it is just a counter.

Yuup - I get it. Well said, zephyr17

 

[niemi24s]

Here are those savings on the CHI end of the TE for all the sleepers and buckets offered over the last couple of days:

FYI, it appears that those same fares and percent savings are in effect for departures to LAX all the way down to STL.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Stay home .......

 

[ET2020]

MegaBus also lists the fares on each side of a given date ...

But Megabus actually does have those 41 Fares - it's for the first booking in each direction.
I scored $1-both ways from Balto/NYC/Balto for the Auto Show in 2017 !
& There's a $1 Service Fee, so my round-trip cost me $4
Thought about going again this year - glad I passed on that, as I'd be seeing gurneys instead of hot-rods

 

[niemi24s]

Anybody know what it is about the station in Arcadia, MO (ACD) that makes fares from there in either direction on the TE (to LAX or CHI) a bit cheaper than the fares from stations next along the line in either direction (STL or PBF)? This may better explain this oddity using low bucket Roomette fares:

• Heading Southward on 421 the fares to LAX are $457 from STL, down as expected to $428 from ACD but up (?) to $435 from PBF
• Heading Northward on 422 the fares to CHI are $251 from PBF, down as expected to $202 from ACD but up (?) to $232 from STL

It's not unusual for fares to stay the same for a while the closer you get to the destination, but seeing them rise really seems odd. Don't recall ever seeing anything like this before.

 

[bratkinson]

Considering the article a couple years ago in Trains magazine re: Empire Builder fares, Amtrak could be intentionally trying to discourage sleeper passengers to/from ACD as a means of making more space available to/from STL at higher fares. Revenue maximization algorithms, perhaps?

 

[niemi24s]

While I've not checked sleeper fares to ACD, those from ACD in either direction seem to be encouraging departures from ACD by being a bit lower than neighboring stations either up down down the tracks.

This fare dip (valley) can be seen highlighted in red on this section of the graph in Post #40 with STL added:

While that graph did not show fares for Family Bedrooms, I suspect they would show a similar dip at ACD. The station at Arcadia (ACD) was added to the route of the TE in Nov, 2016 after an absence of 48 years according to this: Amtrak Now Serves Missouri's Arcadia Valley - Amtrak Media Maybe the explanation is a glitch in Arrow created back when it was added? Bribes from the Arcadia Chamber Of Commerce?? A wee little black hole in the basement of the station???

 

[dlagrua]

My recent experience on the EB. Tried to book an August date 10 months out. CHI-GPK bedroom price (one way)was fixed at an outrageous $2067 and the price did not fluctuate until 5 months out. Then the prices started to go all over the place and by chance about 4 1/2 months out the price fell to $767 for a few days and we booked. The fare system now appears to be pull the lever and see what comes up.

 

[Bob Dylan]

My recent experience on the EB. Tried to book an August date 10 months out. CHI-GPK bedroom price (one way)was fixed at an outrageous $2067 and the price did not fluctuate until 5 months out. Then the prices started to go all over the place and by chance about 4 1/2 months out the price fell to $767 for a few days and we booked. The fare system now appears to be pull the lever and see what comes up.

Hot New Game for the Casinos( when they re-open): Amtrak Roulette!!

Super Bonus:Unlimited Bedroom Pass for 2 for a Year on Amtrak!!!

 

[niemi24s]

The fare system now appears to be pull the lever and see what comes up.

That's probably the way it's always been because I don't think any of us really knows what either the supply or demand is or how yield management is set up. Your $2067 is high bucket for two adults and low bucket for two adults is $996 or $762 for one adult. Right now what's being offered for the month of August is 13 high buckets, 8 low buckets with a smattering of other buckets in between.

 

[dlagrua]

That's probably the way it's always been because I don't think any of us really knows what either the supply or demand is or how yield management is set up. Your $2067 is high bucket for two adults and low bucket for two adults is $996 or $762 for one adult. Right now what's being offered for the month of August is 13 high buckets, 8 low buckets with a smattering of other buckets in between.

My bad, I forgot to read my wife's fare. I stand corrected. The fare with two people was $996. Certainly not cheap but better than $2067. From what we have seen, my guess at the "yield management" appears to be just a rotating fare system that can change hour by hour. It doesn't depend on only supply and demand as the fare opens at high bucket as soon as ticketing begins and stays there for at least 6 months. We've also checked fares 5 months out and the comment was "only one bedroom available at this price" and by the next morning the price was less. Then by afternoon the price went up higher. My opinion is that bedroom fares are predicated upon past sales history and by demand starting at a predetermined point on the calendar. Perhaps Amtrak also factors in how many sales were made between stations on the route.

 

[niemi24s]

Unless there's a sale, $996 is as cheap as that trip in a Bedroom gets for two adults. But a Roomette would be 28% less at $721, as if you didn't already know.