Interesting Accomodations Situation on #5

[Notelvis]

Just booked a trip for the first weekend in February cashing in some AGR Points BUT in playing with the computer checking different options, I noticed something strange.

#5 is showing all sleeping car space as sold out departing Denver on Saturday, February 2.

However, this same number 5 has bedrooms and roomettes available - all the way to Emeryville if desired - departing Chicago on Friday, February 1.

Anyone ever encounter a situation where is appears inventory has been blocked from passengers seeking to board midway through the route in order to keep it available for passengers making longer trips before?

 

[pdxjim]

Hmm, interesting. If you try a booking from Ft. Morgan, the first stop east of Denver, you'll get room choices.

 

[me_little_me]

I've seen things like significantly lower prices on the Crescent from Anniston north to NYP than Atlanta north even though Atlanta is one stop after Anniston. Probably to keep such rooms available for those before Atlanta.

 

[crescent2]

Not understanding this!

 

[Notelvis]

I've seen things like significantly lower prices on the Crescent from Anniston north to NYP than Atlanta north even though Atlanta is one stop after Anniston. Probably to keep such rooms available for those before Atlanta.

That's what I'm guessing here as well -

Of course if one is booking to the west coast with AGR Points, might as well book from Chicago as opposed to Ft. Morgan, no?

 

[crescent2]

But if you're a no-show, your reservation is cancelled, correct? So you have to book from where you'll actually board. Doesn't seem quite right that passengers at mid points aren't allowed to buy empty rooms.

 

[Notelvis]

But if you're a no-show, your reservation is cancelled, correct? So you have to book from where you'll actually board. Doesn't seem quite right that passengers at mid points aren't allowed to buy empty rooms.

Correct -

In my case, I'm looking at flying to the point where I would board the train.

What I'm saying (though not well) here is that if I need to use a 20,000 point redemption to get on the train, I would fly to Chicago and board there rather than fly to Denver and try to find a way to Ft. Morgan to catch a train at 5:00am......

 

[jebr]

But if you're a no-show, your reservation is cancelled, correct? So you have to book from where you'll actually board. Doesn't seem quite right that passengers at mid points aren't allowed to buy empty rooms.

Correct -

In my case, I'm looking at flying to the point where I would board the train.

What I'm saying (though not well) here is that if I need to use a 20,000 point redemption to get on the train, I would fly to Chicago and board there rather than fly to Denver and try to find a way to Ft. Morgan to catch a train at 5:00am......

Wouldn't it make sense, then, to see if you can't board in Toledo? Early morning, but worth checking into if you can't get the Denver boundary to work.

 

[Notelvis]

Checking Toledo would be an option if one were looking to maximize distance travelled for points spent. Departing from Memphis the evening before would as well now that you mention it.

 

[Henry Kisor]

I recall several years ago the Amtrak agents at Glenwood Springs complaining that they were unable to ticket local coach riders from there to Denver, even though Grand Junction agents could do that for their locals to Denver, until the day of departure. In the summers the trains were full, and many times during the winter they were as well. Asking riders to wait until day of departure was a crapshoot for the poor Glenwood Springs agents, who of course had to absorb the anger of the locals at Amtrak.

 

[Shanghai]

A couple of years ago I was booking a trip to Austin, TX, then the venue of the meeting

was changed to Dallas. The roomette fare from Chicago to Austin was less expensive

than the fare from Chicago to Dallas even though Austin is several hundred miles further

than Dallas.

 

[Henry Kisor]

It would be interesting to learn if any of us on this forum have figured out how to beat the Amtrak ticketing computers. For instance, one could buy a ticket from Glenwood Springs to Fort Morgan, as the agents in my earlier post said was possible, but get off the train at Denver one stop earlier.

I guess one solution would be to book everything with Guest Rewards agents, who presumably can override computer restrictions. (Can they?)

 

[Notelvis]

I recall several years ago the Amtrak agents at Glenwood Springs complaining that they were unable to ticket local coach riders from there to Denver, even though Grand Junction agents could do that for their locals to Denver, until the day of departure. In the summers the trains were full, and many times during the winter they were as well. Asking riders to wait until day of departure was a crapshoot for the poor Glenwood Springs agents, who of course had to absorb the anger of the locals at Amtrak.

That's interesting and does establish a precedence for 'the computer' blocking inventory for passengers wishing to ride the California Zephyr from certain stations as opposed to others.

 

[AlanB]

I guess one solution would be to book everything with Guest Rewards agents, who presumably can override computer restrictions. (Can they?)

An AGR agent would be presented with the same sold out condition that a regular agent would see.

Not sure if they probed deeper to realize why it's sold out if they could then somehow overrride. Of course, if an AGR agent or AGR supervisor could override, then so could a regular agent.

 

[Guest]

This happens often on all routes when demand is high on a short market of a long-distance route. If demand then increases to a different point used to out-smart the inventory controls, then that increased demand in the new city pairs can lead to an inventory control in that market as well. These controls can block out sales all together, or just block out lower fares so you may pay the highest fare while through travelers may get the lowest fare.

This it nothing new, but as ridership increases, you certainly will see it more often.