Reserved specific seats. Do we have them?

[Bill Haithcoat]

This might be kind of a stupid question for an old-timer like me, but is there anywhere today, in any kind of business class (or any other name for a special class) where you genuinely receive an actual seat number and car number when you make your reservation? As an actual part of your ticket?

I mean just as the airlines do it, and as a sleeper does it. Actual car number and room number.

It seems business class today it really just means the car attendant will assign you a seat when you board, etc..

But does it ever, any more, mean a specific seat? I'm asking about business class, not coach.

In the past anything like what was then usually called a parlor car did have specifically reserved seats.

In fact, even coaches had specific reserved seats in advance, i.e.. car number and seat number. But not all trains had reserved coach seats-usually just the streamliners. The other trains had no sense of reserved coach seats at all. They just ran with the number of cars past usage had justified.

 

[AlanB]

Bill,

I'm not aware of any trains today within the Amtrak system, that give you seat numbers for business class.

When the Acela Express trains were first introduced, there was a plan for assigned seating. It originally only applied to the first class car, and one could actually pick one's seat from a diagram of the car using the on-line reservation system.

My first few trips on Acela did indeed have my seat number on the ticket. However, the attendants never forced anyone to sit in their assigned seats. They just handled it the way that they used to handle the Metroliner FC.

The assigned seating program was supposed to have eventually been expanded to the BC sections of the train. However, all of this was dependent upon an electronic ticket scanning system. The conductors were supposed to be issued a small ticket scanner. They would pass the ticket through that scanner.

Once scanned two things were supposed to happen. One a light on the panels where the seat numbers are displayed was supposed to light up. This would indicate that the seat was occupied so that passengers boarding at a new station would know that the seat was occupied, plus the conductor would know that he had already collected or scanned that person’s ticket. The light would also go out once the train reached your stop, this way the conductor would know if you were cheating by only buying a ticket for part of your trip.

The second thing that was to happen was that the data collected along the way would reach the central booking computers. That way stations further up the line would know if there were any no shows, and could therefore resell the seats. They could also tell if the passenger was only riding from WAS to say WIL. That would then allow that seat to be sold to another passenger at any station from WIL on up the line. The idea of course was to increase the number of seats sold.

From what I understood at the time, due to several technical difficulties with the electronics along with some protests from the conductors (they didn't want to have to carry the scanners), the whole system was scrapped.

Once the project was cancelled, they stopped assigning seats in FC and of course they never even started assigning seats in BC. Personally, I kind of wish that they would return to at least assigning seats. I like knowing that I will get a window seat for sure. Instead now I have to listen to my scanner so that I know when the boarding will start and can be first in line at the door or gate, so I can get a window seat.

I also wish that Amtrak would take the booking software that they used for the FC seating and modify it so that I could pick my bedrooms in the sleepers. Right now the only way to know what room I've been assigned if I've used the on-line booking system is to call Amtrak and speak to a live person.

 

[Superliner Diner]

I'm pretty sure if this was a rare occurance.... When my son and I rode the Carolinian (Train 80) a few years ago from Raleigh, NC to Metropark, NJ, I booked us in "Carolina Business Class". While I did not reserve a specific pair of seats, we had seats already reserved for us as the train came in from Charlotte. The crew had our last name assigned to a pair of seats, our name actually written on the seat check over "our" seats before we even had boarded. Obviously they got it from the manifest I have not seen this anywhere else. Needless to say I was quite impressed with the "personal" service.

As for first class sleepers, can't you get your car and room number from the ticket, if you pick it up in advance?

 

[battalion51]

There is a train where coach cars are assigned when you book, that being Auto Train. The ticket reciept shows the Coach car they are in that way passengers are distributed among each of the attendants, and Lower Level seats can be limited to the maximum of seats on the train. I'll try to get pictures of the signs that show coach car numbers or even a PAX reciept. While the attendant still assigns specific seats this is as close as I think you will get.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Thanks for that insight B51. That is an especially interesting and different sort of concept, it being consistently done that way. But considering the "special" nature of the Auto-train,I can see how it, all of all trains, would have such a system....as close to it as we can get, as you say.

 

[seajay]

As for first class sleepers, can't you get your car and room number from the ticket, if you pick it up in advance?

I shouldn't speak for Alan but I'm guessing he was talking about actually selecting specific sleeper rooms when ordering on-line. I'd love to be able to do that, too.

seajay

 

[AlanB]

As for first class sleepers, can't you get your car and room number from the ticket, if you pick it up in advance?

I shouldn't speak for Alan but I'm guessing he was talking about actually selecting specific sleeper rooms when ordering on-line. I'd love to be able to do that, too.

seajay

You are correct Seajay, I want to know what room I've been assigned before I pick up my tickets. Once I pick up my tickets, I have to pay a fee to have my room changed. So currently what I will do is to book on line as it's simpler and there is less chance of a mistake being made by an Amtrak agent.

Then what I do is to immediately call the 800 number to find out what room(s) I was assigned. If I don't like that room, then I'll have the agent change the reservation in the computer. That way since the tickets haven't been issued, I don't have to pay a fee for the change. Then I can go to the station at my leisure and pick up the tickets.

 

[battalion51]

I usually have to do mine through the 800 number or in person since I don't ticket myself between MIA and JAX (PNS if I'm on the Sunnyset) thanks to ye olde Rail Pass

 

[Amfleet]

I have never been assigned a seat in coach or business class. B-51 is right in that the Auto Train ticket will have a car number you will go to, we were also assigned seat numbers. Ironicly, for the 4 trips we made in Coach we always got the same car. Once boarding was cut off the attendants allowed us to spread out anywhere in the coach.

 

[Guest]

Then what I do is to immediately call the 800 number to find out what room(s) I was assigned.  If I don't like that room, then I'll have the agent change the reservation in the computer.  That way since the tickets haven't been issued, I don't have to pay a fee for the change.  Then I can go to the station at my leisure and pick up the tickets.

AlanB, I did that last fall for a Dec. 2002 Calif Zephyr trip. Then, when I went to p/u the ticket, I changed my destination from Roseville to Sacramento, and got a different car and different BR from the agent (the system did it).

Wish we could pick 'em online.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Chief

 

[AlanB]

AlanB, I did that last fall for a Dec. 2002 Calif Zephyr trip. Then, when I went to p/u the ticket, I changed my destination from Roseville to Sacramento, and got a different car and different BR from the agent (the system did it). Wish we could pick 'em online.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Chief

Hey maybe one day Amtrak will have e-ticketing just like the airlines.

 

[Steve4031]

You guys would be impressed with Europe. On all of the Eurocity trains and many others, you can request window or aisle, smoking or no smoking. Almost always you get a full window that gives a panoramic view of the scenery. The exception is on some high speed trains, you could get a "window" seat next to the wall between two windows. This really sucks. This appened to me on the TGV on several occasions.

 

[battalion51]

One of the things that always amazes me in some way is this. We have passengers that get on the train and are assigned an even numbered seat (aisle seat). They find there seat, come back to the door and say "I requested a window seat when I bought my ticket." About all that can be done for these passengers is a simple "Sorry but seats cannot be requested as we are running a full train." It breaks my heart that our agents don't know that they can't make guarantees that can't be kept.

 

[jccollins]

I enjoy the freedom of being able to choose where I would like to sit when I board a train. Unlike the airlines that book you in a specific seat number, you can move around and choose your own coach seat (usually) on Amtrak. This is nice for those situations when you sit next to someone who just won't stop talking or someone with a baby that is screaming. I still can't figure out why anyone would want to be "locked" into a specific seat...

 

[Amfleet]

Now aren't some seats reserved for two passengers (couples) traveling together, families, and groups?

 

[tubaallen]

No. But on most long distance trains, the attendants to tend to try to save seats in a section of the car for couples and families. For instance, in the superliner coaches, I usually tried to save all the seats in front of the stairwell for couples and families...but it was still sort of first come first served.