Double Days Spring 2016 (former R.I.P.)

[KmH]

Double Days.

 

[Palmetto]

Excuse me? I don't get it.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm guessing he's saying there will no longer be AGR Double Days

 

[TinCan782]

source?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Welcome to AGR half days where you earn half the points during busy travel periods.

 

[TinCan782]

Welcome to AGR half days where you earn half the points during busy travel periods.

And the redemption costs you twice as much!

 

[KmH]

source?

The AGR web site.

See any mention of a Spring, Double Days promotion?

 

[Eric S]

Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence.

Have we had any actual confirmation that Double Days will no longer occur? (Given the way the changes have been rolling out I wouldn't be surprised if it just disappears, but I'm just wondering if there has been any information about this.)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

source?

The AGR web site.See any mention of a Fall, Double Days promotion?

I'd expect to see a spring double days before I'd see a fall double days for 2016. Plus I think it's a little early to see the spring one which usually occurs in May.

 

[TinCan782]

source?

The AGR web site.

See any mention of a Fall, Double Days promotion?

Fall? That is behind us/way ahead in time. I can't recall how early registration begins but, I'm not expecting to see the spring announcement quite yet.

 

[benale]

In the past Double Days have started in mid March. Still a bit too early for an announcement. With the new AGR in place, it might not happen at all. I used to love Double Days when the 100 point minimum still existed. By taking weekly $11 round trips on the Keystones I would get 450 points. With the new system it would be 60 during the promotion.. I understandAmtrak's reasoning for dropping the 100 point minimum, but it will certainly affect me. This will be my last year as Select. .

 

[Acela150]

This is how bad rumors start. Let's not jump on the no more double days promotion band wagon yet. As mentioned they normally kick in around Mid to Late March with the announcement coming a week or so before hand. Let's not start bad info.

 

[jis]

Yup. This falls in the particularly egregious unfounded rumor category for now.

 

[KmH]

My bad. Meant Spring.

IIRC, last year Spring Double Days ran from March 16 to May 16.

So they would be advertising/promoting Spring Double Days now.

 

[TinCan782]

My bad. Meant Spring.

IIRC, last year Spring Double Days ran from March 16 to May 16.

So they would be advertising/promoting Spring Double Days now.

I recall Spring DD running into May...one of my spring trips was to LAUS for National Train Day which was held early May.

Last fall's DD still shows up on my account...I registered on 9/8/15 and the fall promo ran 9/21 to 11/21. Don't recall when registration began.

 

[the_traveler]

And I registered on 9-9-15, so maybe 2-3 weeks before it began does registration open. If the Spring DD period begins on (say) 3/21/16, it's still beyond the 2-3 weeks beforehand!

 

[rtabern]

Welcome to AGR half days where you earn half the points during busy travel periods.

Half?? That is being generous. Maybe one-tenth!!

Glenview to Chicago used to earn me 100 points. It is now worth 9 points. More than a 90% reduction.

Yep... just about done with AGR... just waiting until 1/1/17 to transfer most of my remaining points in another batch over to Choice Hotels (and then over to Southwest Airlines)

 

[jebr]

Where are you getting $4.50 tickets for Chicago - Glenview? I've always gotten it for $9 or so, which should earn 18 points.

 

[the_traveler]

I think he means $9 each way. (He did say GLN-CHI and 100 points not 200 points.)

 

[jebr]

Still, $9 each way should earn 18 points. Two points per dollar, if I remember correctly.

 

[Manny T]

I assume the purpose of Double Days was to promote extra travel during slow periods. Why would Amtrak not want to do that now, especially when a leaner AGR program will not cost it as much in doubled points? I'm guessing there will be Double Days. And hoping.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I assume the purpose of Double Days was to promote extra travel during slow periods. Why would Amtrak not want to do that now, especially when a leaner AGR program will not cost it as much in doubled points? I'm guessing there will be Double Days. And hoping.

I don't think we know for certain what is going to happen with double days as of yet. That being said, nearly everything Amtrak has done over the last few years has left me riding less and less. Higher fares, higher mileage requirements, reduced amenities, lower service levels, lower earning levels, and worse scheduling have really taken a toll on my Amtrak travel. On the plus side Amtrak staff turnover seems to have increased of late and resulted in younger and friendlier staff, at least in my experience.

Here on AU the conventional wisdom is that no matter how many members Amtrak disappoints there will be a nearly inexhaustible supply of new passengers ready and willing to take their place. While I suppose anything is possible I actually think AU members are some of the least demanding and most understanding passengers on Amtrak when it comes to general expectations. Sometimes we get kind of crazy about esoteric logistical analysis and Monday morning quarterbacking, but when it comes to basic service satisfaction our members are probably among the easiest for Amtrak to please.

In my view any sincere heartburn felt here on AU is likely to be amplified elsewhere. Or at least that would be my expectation. I would imagine the commuter operations side of Amtrak is likely to enjoy a more loyal following over time, but out here on the LD network Amtrak does not match up well with alternatives such as driving and flying. Nor does Amtrak do much of anything to promote or recognize loyalty in any practical sense.

If my position is correct then I would imagine that over time Amtrak is likely to begin reversing course and seeing continued reductions in passenger miles as passengers revisit their assumptions and reevaluate their options. In any case things are likely to get a lot more interesting as Amtrak tries to budget cut their way to breaking even.

 

[Carolina Special]

If passenger traffic is falling as noted in the recent infamous Boardman letter, it seems likely that they would try to increase traffic with promotions like Double Days. But we'll see in a couple of weeks if this is the case.

 

[tonys96]

I assume the purpose of Double Days was to promote extra travel during slow periods. Why would Amtrak not want to do that now, especially when a leaner AGR program will not cost it as much in doubled points? I'm guessing there will be Double Days. And hoping.

I don't think we know for certain what is going to happen with double days as of yet. That being said, nearly everything Amtrak has done over the last few years has left me riding less and less. Higher fares, higher mileage requirements, reduced amenities, lower service levels, lower earning levels, and worse scheduling have really taken a toll on my Amtrak travel. On the plus side Amtrak staff turnover seems to have increased of late and resulted in younger and friendlier staff, at least in my experience.

Here on AU the conventional wisdom is that no matter how many members Amtrak disappoints there will be a nearly inexhaustible supply of new passengers ready and willing to take their place. While I suppose anything is possible I actually think AU members are some of the least demanding and most understanding passengers on Amtrak when it comes to general expectations. Sometimes we get kind of crazy about esoteric logistical analysis and Monday morning quarterbacking, but when it comes to basic service satisfaction our members are probably among the easiest for Amtrak to please.

In my view any sincere heartburn felt here on AU is likely to be amplified elsewhere. Or at least that would be my expectation. I would imagine the commuter operations side of Amtrak is likely to enjoy a more loyal following over time, but out here on the LD network Amtrak does not match up well with alternatives such as driving and flying. Nor does Amtrak do much of anything to promote or recognize loyalty in any practical sense.

If my position is correct then I would imagine that over time Amtrak is likely to begin reversing course and seeing continued reductions in passenger miles as passengers revisit their assumptions and reevaluate their options. In any case things are likely to get a lot more interesting as Amtrak tries to budget cut their way to breaking even.

^THIS^

 

[KmH]

Last year I got Spring Double Day points for a short, same day round trip on March 30.

Double days gave a minimum of 100 pts. So any fare under $50 fare would garner 100 pts.

Spring Double Days last year was from March 16 to May 16.