Booking FL to Montreal, QC

[Shawn Nielson]

I want to take the train from FTL to MTR but I just get an error from the reservation system, and I want to use my points. Being that it is not a published route will I have to book to completly different segments?

 

[pennyk]

I have done it using points once. I spoke to an AGR agent on the phone and she was able to obtain permission to include the segment from NYP to Montreal as part of my one zone redemption. The overnight in New York was on me. This was several years ago, but the rules may still be the same. You will need to speak to an agent.

 

[Shawn Nielson]

Okay, great PennyK. I know the layover has to be under 23 hours but I have friends I could stay with so that would be fine.

 

[the_traveler]

The problem is that the train from FL arrives into New York well after the train to Montreal departs in the morning.

 

[zephyr17]

The "published route" rule that AGR instituted last year may get in the way. That rule was good in many ways as it took out a lot of the variability that AGR agents kind of tended to make up (like only the most direct route qualified), but it also took out flexibility.

That rule pretty much means if you can pull the route up on the website without resort to the multi-city option you can book it as an AGR award. If you can't, it isn't a "published route" and probably ineligible.

With that said, it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[willem]

That rule pretty much means if you can pull the route up on the website without resort to the multi-city option you can book it as an AGR award. If you can't, it isn't a "published route" and probably ineligible.

Except for the circle route exclusion, which means if you can pull it up, you can book it, except when you can't.

One example is Chicago-Portland-Los Angeles-New Orleans-New York, which does show up (at least it did recently) as a published route on days when the Sunset Limited schedule aligns properly. That cannot be booked because of the circle route exclusion. But Chicago-Portland-Los Angeles-El Paso and El Paso-New Orleans-New York cannot be booked because at least one half is not published. So rather than two 2-zone redemptions, one must make a 2-zone and a 3-zone redemption. At least, that's the story I got from AGR.

 

[PaulM]

I don't see why the 23.5 hour rule shouldn't apply here. Moreover, I see no valid reason why MIA to MTR shouldn't be published. It is a direct route (and relatively straight as Amtrak routes go) between two major cities.

And no, if operations refuses to publish it, the complaint is with AGR. It made the arbitrary rule.

* 23.5 hour rule - this is a longtime Amtrak tariff rule for what constitutes a valid transfer as opposed to a stopover for pricing purposes (on the revenue side of the house), and it carries over to what is allowed for AGR redemption itineraries. There are some itineraries which are automatically generated with a <=23.5 hour overnight connection, and such an itinerary would be valid on a single redemption. If an itinerary follows the guidelines and should be published, but isn't, tell an agent to escalate to supervisor, or send to me and it will be passed along to train operations for review.