Three-zones vs. two-zones

[rms492]

Okay a little confused:

LAX to NYC is three zones, but LAX-CHI is two zones, and CHI-NYC is two zones, would not that be four zones?

I would like to do redeem a bedroom LAX to CHI, but a roomette CHI to NYC (don't need a shower for one night).

Can I do that? I see that that costs 30,000 for LAX to CHI bedroom, and 20,000 for roomette CHI to NYC. (total 50,000)

BUT, this is the same as three zone BEDROOM all the way, which is 50,000 points. What gives??

I guess my question is this: is it really TWO zones from CHI to NYC??

 

[Ispolkom]

Okay a little confused:
LAX to NYC is three zones, but LAX-CHI is two zones, and CHI-NYC is two zones, would not that be four zones?

I would like to do redeem a bedroom LAX to CHI, but a roomette CHI to NYC (don't need a shower for one night).

Can I do that? I see that that costs 30,000 for LAX to CHI bedroom, and 20,000 for roomette CHI to NYC. (total 50,000)

BUT, this is the same as three zone BEDROOM all the way, which is 50,000 points. What gives??

I guess my question is this: is it really TWO zones from CHI to NYC??

The direct answer to your question is yes.

The answer you want is to structure your trip differently. Remember than an AGR zone reward is good for the whole width of the zone. If you want a roomette for the last night, you want a two-zone AGR reward LAX-TOL, the edge of the central zone (30k points). Then you book your roomette TOL-NYP (15k points). That way you save 5,000 points, and your sleeping car attendant might not want to wake you up and move you 3:20 a.m., and you could luxuriate in your bedroom until God knows when.

Two other options:

1) Bedroom LAX-TOL, then coach TOL-NYP. That would cost you 35,500 points, and you could get some of a night's sleep on the last night before you move to coach.

2) Roomette LAX-TOL, then Bedroom TOL-NYP. This would cost 40k points, and has the great advantage that you improve your class of travel over the trip, rather than decrease it. I know that I really don't enjoy as much journeys where my class of travel declines over the course of the trip. And hey, you might be able to negotiate with the sleeping car attendant or the conductor about enjoying the bedroom all the way from Chicago.

Oh, one other possibility. If you plug in LAX-CHI, you find that you can also travel via PDX. The routing doesn't come up if you put in Toledo or New York, but you might consider that trip worth 30k points. You could always pay for the CHI-NYP leg, taking a roomette to Pittsburgh and then business class to NYP on the Pennsylvanian. ALC Rail Writer is quite eloquent about the charm of the latter train's business class.

I'm sure the real AGR artists can come up with even better ideas.

 

[Rail Freak]

More Food For Thought!

AGR Artists, that's funny B) !!!

Traveler, you there? :lol:

DR. RF

 

[AG1]

Okay a little confused:
LAX to NYC is three zones, but LAX-CHI is two zones, and CHI-NYC is two zones, would not that be four zones?

I would like to do redeem a bedroom LAX to CHI, but a roomette CHI to NYC (don't need a shower for one night).

Can I do that? I see that that costs 30,000 for LAX to CHI bedroom, and 20,000 for roomette CHI to NYC. (total 50,000)

BUT, this is the same as three zone BEDROOM all the way, which is 50,000 points. What gives??

I guess my question is this: is it really TWO zones from CHI to NYC??

Yes, I ran into the 4 zone AGR charge for a 3 zone trip last year. I complained to 5 AGR agents and the top supervisor at different times trying to find one who would recognize and correct this anomaly in the system. I didn't win. If you change your accommodation level in Chicago you pay twice for the center zone. In my case both trains were sold out so I couldn't do as Mr.Ispolkom suggested.

 

[AlanB]

RMS,

Please note that even though there wouldn't be a shower in the roomette, there is a public shower available to you in the sleeping car. Therefore, unless you feel the need for a private shower, you could save 15,000 points and just book a 35,000 point roomette from LAX-NYP.

Otherwise you might just as well spend the 50,000 points for a bedroom the whole way, as there would be no point savings by booking a bedroom from LA to Chicago and a roomette from Chicago to NY. The only other option is that suggested by Ispolkom to switch in the middle of the night at Toledo.

And it's three zones across the country, but if you stop in a zone (and changing accomodations in Chicago counts as a stop), then you pay a penalty as it were. Instead of 1 - three zone award, you end up with 2 - two zone awards. So again, I'd just stay with a three zone award, be it a bedroom or a roomette award.

 

[Rail Freak]

If you had a sleeper from LAX to CIC & coach from CIC to PDX, would the SCA let you slide til Breakfast????

 

[AlanB]

If you had a sleeper from LAX to CIC & coach from CIC to PDX, would the SCA let you slide til Breakfast????

Highly unlikely.

But why would you book a one zone sleeper award from LAX to CIC, and then book a coach award from CIC to PDX? :unsure: That would cost you 20,000 points, assuming the sleeper is a roomette, when you could just pay 15,000 to book the roomette the whole way.

 

[Rail Freak]

If you had a sleeper from LAX to CIC & coach from CIC to PDX, would the SCA let you slide til Breakfast????

Highly unlikely.

But why would you book a one zone sleeper award from LAX to CIC, and then book a coach award from CIC to PDX? :unsure: That would cost you 20,000 points, assuming the sleeper is a roomette, when you could just pay 15,000 to book the roomette the whole way.

There ya go, see how easily I'm confused! I wasn't thinking AGR. I was thinking of $$$$ & Shower Privleges! I can't go without a shower or I'll be miserable!

 

[the_traveler]

I can't go without a shower or I'll be miserable!

How can you tell the difference? :lol:

As far as breakfast, last month I had an AGR award with the CS connecting to tbe CZ. Because the connection would be in SAC at 6:15 AM (and I would not get breakfast and I'd have a 5 hour wait), I bought a coach ticket to/from EMY to stay on the CS and eat. With the approval of the conductor, I could stay in the room, but I would have to buy breakfast. I agreed, but as it turned out the CS was running 40 minutes late, but they still made me buy breakfast! :angry:

As it turned out, if I didn't purchase the coach ticket and agree with the request, and just changed in SAC - I would have received a free meal! :angry: