Fare Buckets discussion 2023 Q4 - 2024
- Thread starter pennyk
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kangforpres
Train Attendant
Yep and that's a 1 meal service 9 hour trip. Lunch, leaves after breakfast service hours and arrives RNO before Dinner service hours. So no free drink for the $424 since that only comes with dinner service. By Comparison SWA is having a $59 one way sale from OAK to RNO for the same dates.
Most people wouldn't for a day trip and that is deliberate. Amtrak has always priced day use segments of sleepers high, in the same range as longer, overnight use. This is intended to discourage day use to avoid blocking them for overnight passengers.
Making it an overnight run to Salt Lake City for 10/15-11/15 yielded roomette prices EMY-SLC ranging from $332 to $442. EMY-RNO for the same dates range from $397 to $424.
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Amtrak coach, the "apples to apples" comparison to SWA, is $36 EMY-RNO most dates 10/15-11/15.
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NEPATrainTraveler
Service Attendant
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Was looking at Cardinal roomette prices for a potential trip in the fall and usually WAS to CHI is way cheaper than say BAL to CHI, but I happened to find a day where getting on at BAL ($477) was cheaper than WAS (over $600). Super tempted to book it, but hate to gamble if it turns out I can’t go. Also, I have to factor in the cost of staying at a hotel the night before. And I would miss out on Fall Double Days, assuming Amtrak is doing that this year.
You know the Fall Double Days are based on the date of travel, not the date of booking? I have done several trips in November that were usually booked by May or June, long before the Double Days promotion was announced or set. I got the double points for those trips since the travel were within the Double Days promotion window, despite the fact they were booked months before the promotion appeared.
If you decide to go and book it before the promotion is announced you'll still get the extra points if they run it. That doesn't need to be a factor in your decision.
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NEPATrainTraveler
Service Attendant
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Ended up snagging it. This is a trip I really want to take and I don't want to pay high bucket roomette fares like I did last year. Will have to do coach going back to the northeast though. I'll use the CL for the eastbound trip due to it working better for my schedule this year than the eastbound Cardinal or LSL. It's a shorter coach ride than the others too.
Random Dates:LAX- MSY
Southwest Airlines: $140 Low Fare
Several Heritage Airlines: $400-$500 First Class
PeeweeTM
Lead Service Attendant
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- May 9, 2011
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- 265
Yeah, I know. I like traveling in the USA and Canada and it became more expensive in the last few years. I hope the people working the trains had an likewise increase in income.
But this one I thought was missing from Niemi24s "bucket list", so this post is also a bit of a heads up.
Ow, and this is about 2025; should I have started a new topic?
But this one I thought was missing from Niemi24s "bucket list", so this post is also a bit of a heads up.
Ow, and this is about 2025; should I have started a new topic?
Something seems goofy here: this reported $519 fare is $7 LESS than the old low bucket 1 adult Roomette fare offered last year before the most recent fare increase.
FWIW, about 7 hours after your post, Arrow shows your fare to be $898 for 1 adult in a Roomette on 15 Jan LAX - NOL.
I'm stumped.
As you mentioned, probably an increase in the Rail Fare.
What's the source of the image in the previous post? I've not seen one like it before.
Its $800 summation differs from my previous low bucket estimate by only $19, but after a bit of searching found that Arrow offered Roomette fares of $800 and $898 as the two lowest buckets.
Will update the fare bucket chart in the not-too-distant future.
Its $800 summation differs from my previous low bucket estimate by only $19, but after a bit of searching found that Arrow offered Roomette fares of $800 and $898 as the two lowest buckets.
Will update the fare bucket chart in the not-too-distant future.
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PeeweeTM
Lead Service Attendant
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The image is a cut out from a printscreen from an 'eTicket and receipt' email from Amtrak received on my mobile on gmail in dark modus. So directly from Amtrak.
Just mend to send an update for your great list, thanks for keeping it up to date!
Just mend to send an update for your great list, thanks for keeping it up to date!
Thanx for the kind word!
It's been a few years since taking the train which probably explains my unfamiliarity with that kind of price breakdown (rail fare + accommodation fare = total fare).
The following fare bucket chart was just posted in that other thread:
As always, any updates or corrections are welcomed, especially SS fares following those dates in the note when the SS's Northern end is changed from NYP to WAS (according to Arrow).
It's been a few years since taking the train which probably explains my unfamiliarity with that kind of price breakdown (rail fare + accommodation fare = total fare).
The following fare bucket chart was just posted in that other thread:
As always, any updates or corrections are welcomed, especially SS fares following those dates in the note when the SS's Northern end is changed from NYP to WAS (according to Arrow).
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The lowest roomette fares on the Eagle from LA to Chicago are the fourth bucket at $989. Last week I checked every date for the next eleven months. It’s easier when there are only three and not seven days a week to check.
Last year around this time the low bucket $623 was available on many dates for the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle.
Hi, I am buying a ticket for PDX to SEA. I noticed that the Flex fare for the 5:55 pm train is $36. However, there is a possibility that I may be done in time to take the 2:05 pm train. What are the restrictions on the flex fare ticket? Can it be used on any train (does that include an earlier train)? THanks!
The "flex" is referring to the no cost change option, as well as the full refund if you cancel. It cannot be used on "any" train, unless you actually change your train.
Flex and Value tickets are the same as far as reservations are concerned. They are both only valid for the train reserved. You cannot just hop on an earlier train with either fare type.
There are very, very few trains with "unreserved" ticketing where a ticket is good on any train. The Cascades service is not one of them.
The full cost of your ticket can be applied to switch the reservation to an earlier train with a Flex ticket, but you will be paying the current bucket for that modification. Your price won't be held. Value tickets don't allow changes and have a 25% cancellation penalty.
If you think you may want to change your ticket to an earlier train, Flex would probably be a better choice. You won't get hit with a cancellation penalty to change it. But you'll be paying any difference between the price you paid and the current price for the train you change to.
There are very, very few trains with "unreserved" ticketing where a ticket is good on any train. The Cascades service is not one of them.
The full cost of your ticket can be applied to switch the reservation to an earlier train with a Flex ticket, but you will be paying the current bucket for that modification. Your price won't be held. Value tickets don't allow changes and have a 25% cancellation penalty.
If you think you may want to change your ticket to an earlier train, Flex would probably be a better choice. You won't get hit with a cancellation penalty to change it. But you'll be paying any difference between the price you paid and the current price for the train you change to.
I booked the family room for 2 seniors on the SW Chief for this coming October for $1127 both ways-- from Chicago to LAX. I booked 11 months out. Good thing, as the family room has now almost doubled in price--actually more than doubled for two-- on all the dates I've checked lately. Happy and thankful with the rates I got last fall!
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I see, thanks. Btw, the Amtrak ticket for Flex says the following:
Flex
- Full refund if canceled before departure.
- Changes permitted with no change fee.
Airlines have different classes for the same seat. I am assuming the Amtrak has the same, but they do not write about this anywhere? How do I figure out this fare difference if I want to jump to an earlier train?
You look it up on the app or website when you decide you might like to do it. Amtrak has multiple yield management buckets and inventory is allocated to them. Both Flex and Value step up through the buckets as the inventory allocated to each bucket sells out and the next one up opens.
Airlines are not particularly forthcoming, either, about their yield management practices on fares when the same restrictions apply. Since all Amtrak fares are either Flex or Value, the same restrictions apply to all fare buckets. It appears to me under current practices that they share the same inventory buckets, with an upcharge for Flex. I think that is a change from their former practice when there were much greater fare differences, a highly restricted fare type called Saver could sell out and Flex appeared pretty much fixed at high bucket. Now it looks to me like both Flex and Value are available now at all bucket price points with a relatively small price difference between them and Saver was eliminated.
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But once Amtrak sells that seat doe a relatively short ride they can’t sell it for the longer one. So I hate to admit it but I can understand their reasoning.
