Getting on further down the line-Are additional charges warranted?

[diesteldorf]

Just wanted some advice from anyone that has been in such a scenario within the past 1-2 years.

I am planning a trip to NOLA in December and planning to take the EB to Chicago and the City of New Orleans the rest of the way.

I was originally planning to get on in La Crosse, but decided to board in Tomah. The agent said they would need to cancel my trip and rebook at a higher cost--$31.00.

My nephew is also planning to join me and he is on an open sleeper ticket under a separate reservation.

I'm actually leaving for the Gathering tomorrow and will be in a station. Should I expect that a station agent can modify both reservations with little or no cost? I don't want to be the male equivalent of a "Karen."

What should I expect? I would think this sort of thing is even more common on the Corridor between BOS and WAS. I used to always book from BOS to WAS and get on in PVD for extra points, back in the good old days.

Part of me is tempted to just leave things as they are and try really hard to board in LSE or just ask the station agent to tell the conductor he has passengers that will be boarding in Tomah under reservation XXXX.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Just wanted some advice from anyone that has been in such a scenario within the past 1-2 years.

I am planning a trip to NOLA in December and planning to take the EB to Chicago and the City of New Orleans the rest of the way.

I was originally planning to get on in La Crosse, but decided to board in Tomah. The agent said they would need to cancel my trip and rebook at a higher cost--$31.00.

My nephew is also planning to join me and he is on an open sleeper ticket under a separate reservation.

I'm actually leaving for the Gathering tomorrow and will be in a station. Should I expect that a station agent can modify both reservations with little or no cost? I don't want to be the male equivalent of a "Karen."

What should I expect? I would think this sort of thing is even more common on the Corridor between BOS and WAS. I used to always book from BOS to WAS and get on in PVD for extra points, back in the good old days.

Part of me is tempted to just leave things as they are and try really hard to board in LSE or just ask the station agent to tell the conductor he has passengers that will be boarding in Tomah under reservation XXXX.

Good idea to check with the Agent Chris, but you can always call AGR to get help with this!

Sorry to miss seeing you @ the Gathering, hope to see you next year in San Diego!!!

 

[zephyr17]

No, the agent will not be able to modify the ticket at no cost. They access the same reservation system, Arrow, as the phone agents and have no different authority to override or different skills

Changing your endpoints on an existing reservation always causes a reprice to the current price.

Are you in a sleeper out of La Crosse or in coach?

While it is not a comfortable option, reservations aren't cancelled automatically until 2 hours after departure from the ticketed station or two stops on LD trains, although I don't know which takes precedence. So you shouldn't lose the reservation if you board at Tomah.

Let the agent at La Crosse know and they can communicate with the conductor to open up your sleeper at Tomah.

Frankly, rather than mess with it, I'd just drive the 40 miles from Tomah to La Crosse and not fool around with it

 

[diesteldorf]

Hey Jim,

I decided to take your advice and gall AGR and was given the same info about the additional charge. I guess I'll check with the agent tomorrow.

 

[diesteldorf]

No, the agent will not be able to modify the ticket at no cost. They access the same reservation system, Arrow, as the phone agents and have no different authority to override or different skills

Changing your endpoints on an existing reservation always causes a reprice.

Are you in a sleeper out of La Crosse or in coach?

While it is not a comfortable option, reservations aren't cancelled automatically until 2 hours after departure from the ticketed station or two stops on LD trains, although I don't know which takes precedence. So you shouldn't lose the reservation if you board at Tomah.

Let the agent at La Crosse know and they can communicate with the conductor to open up your sleeper at Tomah.

Frankly, rather than mess with it, I'd just drive the 40 miles from Tomah to La Crosse and not fool around with it

Thanks for the advice. I am actually in a sleeper. I'm planning to take an Uber from Eau Claire to catch the train and it's a little cheaper to go to Tomah than La Crosse. It also provides an additional 45 minutes of padding to make the train.

In the end you're right, it may be easier just to board in LSE, but your info about the 2 stop rule is interesting. If I knew how reliable it was, I may be willing to risk it.

If I have time tomorrow, I may just ask the conductor for his or her thoughts.

Regardless, thanks for the reply.

 

[me_little_me]

I'd call back and ask for a supervisor.

 

[BCL]

While it is not a comfortable option, reservations aren't cancelled automatically until 2 hours after departure from the ticketed station or two stops on LD trains, although I don't know which takes precedence. So you shouldn't lose the reservation if you board at Tomah.

We went on a short trip on the CS starting from EMY booked with points and actually missed the train. I had my iPhone and was able to cancel and rebook, but fortunately my entire round trip wasn't cancelled before I could cancel myself and get most of my points back before rebooking.

But we weren't the only ones to miss the train. One station agent suggested that we could all catch up to the CS at OKJ (which is a long service stop) by taking Uber. So at the very least they would have accommodated that if they made it there in time. I opted against it because the trip wasn't really all that critical for me, but this family's luggage was already headed to LA.