Sleeper Prices- WOW!!

[niemi24s]

How far in advance would you book this trip?

Book the entire trip as soon as your husband knows when he can get off work. As of now (and it may be different tomorrow).....

• For LAX to SAS, the Roomette upcharge is $272 for 1 - 30 Mar 2019 which is $80 above the low bucket of $192.

• For AUS to LAX, the Roomette upcharge is a low bucket of $192 except for 16 Mar 2019 when it's $80 more or $272. However, this is not a daily train as it departs Aus for LAX only on Tu, Th and Sa

Once you book (to simply insure you have the sleeping accommodations you desire - in spite of price) if the price goes down, call Amtrak and have your ticket modified to the lower fare - and get a full or partial refund. If you try waiting until the Roomette upcharge decreases there's a chance it may never decrease or of it does, the Roomettes may all be sold out by the time you notice or are notified by AmSnag.

 

[cpotisch]

I've a suspicion the average Amtrak sleeper passenger doesn't even know there is such a thing as different prices for sleepers (or buckets).

How could that possibly be the case? If you look at even a few days of sleeper prices, you will almost certainly see that the price varies.

 

[cpotisch]

This is a very interesting thread. I'm more of a date-sensitive traveler, as hubby must ask for the days off work and his job somewhat limits time off. I'm self-employed, so my schedule is open. At any rate, if dates are important, how far in advance do you generally book your trip, particularly if it has multiple stops? Hubby and I are planning a trip in March on the Texas Eagle:

Los Angeles to San Antonio, two nights in SA

San Antonio to Dallas, two nights in Dallas

Dallas to Austin, one night there

Austin back to Los Angeles

Roomettes for every leg. How far in advance would you book this trip? I would of course like the best price, but also worry about roomettes being sold out on one or more of the legs.

For a trip like that, I usually have to book at least five or six months in advance. There are just so many factors, and any closer it's near impossible to make sure everything falls into place.

 

[niemi24s]

I've a suspicion the average Amtrak sleeper passenger doesn't even know there is such a thing as different prices for sleepers (or buckets).

How could that possibly be the case? If you look at even a few days of sleeper prices, you will almost certainly see that the price varies.

You're blithely assuming the average Amtrak sleeper passenger even looks at more than one day of sleeper prices. If their travel is date-sensitive they probably don't. They simply decide on the date and then buy the ticket online or at the station. Of course, most AU members use AmSnag to look at 30 days of sleeper prices but we are far from the average Amtrak sleeper passenger. I think it's a mistake to assume the average Amtrak sleeper passenger knows as much as most AU members know (or think they know) about sleeper price variability.

IMHO, suspect most Amtrak sleeper passengers don't have the time or inclination to fritter away countless hours on this website and are ignorant (aka not knowledgeable) in these matters.

 

[RSG]

I've a suspicion the average Amtrak sleeper passenger doesn't even know there is such a thing as different prices for sleepers (or buckets). That suspicion is based on conversations in the dining car. If I brought up Amtrak's bucket pricing system, others were all surprised and most seemed shocked when informed of it.

One was even a travel agent!!!

I feel sorry for the people who might rely on travel agents to book travel on Amtrak, since I've never encountered one who says they specialize or even have an interest in rail travel. (Most seem to specialize in cruises, since that's where a large part of their business comes from in the current era of non-commissionable travel.) To that end, I'm not surprised about their ignorance.

ETA: I think part of the reason people, including travel professionals, don't understand that fares might vary on Amtrak is because they are the only passenger rail service they believe they operate like a monopolistic provider, similar to the way 'Ma Bell' did with telephone service for decades. If they're lucky, they might see some marketing for fare sales but even then might attribute them to seasonal discounts rather than a true sale.

Contrast that to the airlines, with which travelers have been accustomed to expect regular sales, all sorts of discounts and plenty of media-driven tips about when to buy tickets for the "best deal" (even if that deal is not the true cost of traveling with the provider).

 

[cpotisch]

I've a suspicion the average Amtrak sleeper passenger doesn't even know there is such a thing as different prices for sleepers (or buckets).

How could that possibly be the case? If you look at even a few days of sleeper prices, you will almost certainly see that the price varies.

You're blithely assuming the average Amtrak sleeper passenger even looks at more than one day of sleeper prices. If their travel is date-sensitive they probably don't. They simply decide on the date and then buy the ticket online or at the station. Of course, most AU members use AmSnag to look at 30 days of sleeper prices but we are far from the average Amtrak sleeper passenger. I think it's a mistake to assume the average Amtrak sleeper passenger knows as much as most AU members know (or think they know) about sleeper price variability.

IMHO, suspect most Amtrak sleeper passengers don't have the time or inclination to fritter away countless hours on this website and are ignorant (aka not knowledgeable) in these matters.

Most people have at least some date flexibility if they're planning a vacation. And you don't need to be a brilliant train buff or AU member to comprehend that there seem to be certain specific prices for a certain itinerary. I was eight years old when I first wanted to take Amtrak long distance, and it didn't take me long at all to notice that prices vary, and I had very minimal knowledge about trains back then. I doubt that most people don't have any flexibility and are too "ignorant" to understand this stuff.

 

[jebr]

IMHO, suspect most Amtrak sleeper passengers don't have the time or inclination to fritter away countless hours on this website and are ignorant (aka not knowledgeable) in these matters.

I'd agree with the point that most Amtrak passengers (including sleeper passengers) don't know the intricacies of Amtrak's pricing mechanisms, and perhaps may not realize how much the prices vary between days. I'm sure there's even more potential customers for Amtrak that look at a date, see it's expensive, perhaps look at one other date to see if it varies, and if the price stays the same or stays "high" they write off Amtrak (likely forever, or at least for years) and book their flight or fill up their gas tank and drive. That person wouldn't know to go to AmSnag, see the lower fares on certain days, and schedule their trip around that if they can (or at least have the knowledge that sometimes Amtrak is within budget, so they'll come back for another trip and see if that's within budget.) However, if Amtrak had a clear "calendar view" tool, that same person would click on that, take a look, and see that the prices can vary a lot, and maybe a few days are within budget so they plan around those days.

 

[railiner]

IIRC, doesn't VIA Rail have a "calendar tool" to search for the best fares? If so, wonder why Amtrak doesn't do likewise.....

 

[cpotisch]

IIRC, doesn't VIA Rail have a "calendar tool" to search for the best fares? If so, wonder why Amtrak doesn't do likewise.....

I'm looking on the site now, and I don't see it. It's more than likely that it's there and I'm staring straight at it, but I don't see a tool like that.

 

[Maglev]

Why are sleeper prices so high right now? I always book a year ahead of time, and I have never seen prices so high for the same route I have always taken. Fullerton, CA to Kansas City. Right now a roomette is running $647 one way. Yikes!

Based on LAX-CHI prices, this appears to be the second lowest of five bucket prices. The fare would only go about $130 lower, but could also go $400 higher. Also, in monitoring prices for SEA-LAX, LAX-CHI, and MSP-PDX (for one particular day in January) ; I have seen a great deal of variation in prices on other trains, but the SWC prices have not changed in six months--they have remained at the second bucket for both Roomettes and Bedrooms.

 

[zephyr17]

IIRC, doesn't VIA Rail have a "calendar tool" to search for the best fares? If so, wonder why Amtrak doesn't do likewise.....

Not that I know of and I am pretty familiar with VIA

 

[Kenneth]

While checking prices to go round trip St. Louis, MO to San Antonio, TX. I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio. Round trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

While checking prices to go round trip St. Louis, MO to San Antonio, TX. I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio. Round trip.

Yep, Amtrak often does this to keep space open for the Longer Haul LD Passengers.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

While checking prices to go round trip St. Louis, MO to San Antonio, TX. I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio. Round trip.

Yep, Amtrak often does this to keep space open for the Longer Haul LD Passengers.

What is the point of overpricing intermediate space if they're just going to squander their leverage on a cheaper fare over a longer distance? How does Amtrak's financial position benefit from this example?

 

[niemi24s]

While checking prices to go round trip St. Louis, MO to San Antonio, TX. I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio. Round trip.

If by ". . .I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio." you actually booked the CHI to SAS round trip, if you fail to board the train in Chicago your entire booking will be cancelled. Hopefully, you were just looking - without booking.

 

[cpotisch]

While checking prices to go round trip St. Louis, MO to San Antonio, TX. I got a roomette cheaper booking Chicago to San Antonio. Round trip.

Sorry, so your ticket says that you'll be boarding in Chicago but you'll actually board in St. Louis? I wouldn't do that. If you don't board from where you're ticketed, there's a very high chance that they mark you as a no show and cancel your ticket.

EDIT: Darn, just saw that niemi24s beat me to it.

 

[railiner]

IIRC, doesn't VIA Rail have a "calendar tool" to search for the best fares? If so, wonder why Amtrak doesn't do likewise.....

Not that I know of and I am pretty familiar with VIA

I went back to their site, and could not find it. I thought that I did see it recently, when I received an email from them pushing their Tuesday special's, and when following the link provided, eventually got to a point where I could select different dates at different fares....could not find that otherwise, since then...

Perhaps I was looking at something else entirely, and just got them confused....

 

[zephyr17]

Ah yes, I know what you are talking about. Their "Tuesday Sale" and related "Sleeper Plus Deals" sale site does have multiple days, but only for the "clearance sale" type deals that they are offering deep discounts on. It lists the city pairs there are sales on (like "Toronto-Vancouver 16 deals") and it will show you all the the dates and accomodations there are sale deals for. Note it is ONLY for the deals that are available right then, and does not show anything resembling a comprehensive selection of prices, dates, and accommodations, only the super specials. It is not integrated with their regular or discount fares. Amtrak used to have similar page that only had special deals, but I don't see it any more.

Via is a whole lot simpler anyway. They don't do extensive yield management. Aside from the special Tuesday and Sleeper Plus deals, they only have regular and discount fares, which don't vary except by season. So there are regular and discount fares for Summer (high), Shoulder, and Winter. And you choose whether you want regular or discount quoted. It is very transparent and simple, so they don't really multiple day options like the airlines offer or Amsnag shows, because aside from the special deals, the fares don't change.

They are leaving money on the table by not doing much yield management, but I hope they don't change it any time soon. It makes planning much simpler.

 

[GBNorman]

Could what Zephyr17 immediately notes be a reason VIA hardly delivers the same value to its taxpayers as does Amtrak to theirs?

 

[cpotisch]

Could what Zephyr17 immediately notes be a reason VIA hardly delivers the same value to its taxpayers as does Amtrak to theirs?

What do you mean by that?

 

[railiner]

Ah yes, I know what you are talking about. Their "Tuesday Sale" and related "Sleeper Plus Deals" sale site does have multiple days, but only for the "clearance sale" type deals that they are offering deep discounts on. It lists the city pairs there are sales on (like "Toronto-Vancouver 16 deals") and it will show you all the the dates and accomodations there are sale deals for. Note it is ONLY for the deals that are available right then, and does not show anything resembling a comprehensive selection of prices, dates, and accommodations, only the super specials. It is not integrated with their regular or discount fares. Amtrak used to have similar page that only had special deals, but I don't see it any more.

Via is a whole lot simpler anyway. They don't do extensive yield management. Aside from the special Tuesday and Sleeper Plus deals, they only have regular and discount fares, which don't vary except by season. So there are regular and discount fares for Summer (high), Shoulder, and Winter. And you choose whether you want regular or discount quoted. It is very transparent and simple, so they don't really multiple day options like the airlines offer or Amsnag shows, because aside from the special deals, the fares don't change.

They are leaving money on the table by not doing much yield management, but I hope they don't change it any time soon. It makes planning much simpler.

Thanks so much for that explanation....I was worried that I "was losing it", searching high and low for that...now I can relax....