Unable to take route I wanted

[BeckysBarn]

I am going from Springfield, IL (SPI) to San Jose, CA (SJC) in November. I want to take Lincoln Service #302, Empire Builder #27 & Coast Starlight #11. I called AGR to book today, but they would not / could not use my requested routing. They said that they use "the most efficient" routing for reward travel.

I can get around this by paying for SPI to CHI segment - it's only $24. No big deal & 100 pts. Should I call back & get another agent's "opinion"?

 

[the_traveler]

Definently! As long as one of the routings shown on amtrak.com for CHI-SJC is the EB->CS!

That's what I did in March. I wanted to take the SWC/CS to PDX, but from TOL (the zone boundry), it only offered a routing of LSL/EB via CHI. However, from CHI-PDX, one of the routings was SWC/CS! So I bought a TOL-CHI ticket - and began the award in CHI! (And also earned more AGR points for the purchased ticket! )

 

[BeckysBarn]

I've talked to AGR 3 times & Julie once. Julie said that AGR should be able to "force" the SPI to CHI segment. AGR concluded that they could add that segment for 1000 more points. (That was after talking to a supervisor).

What I really don't understand, is why the only 2 options for SPI to SJC (according to AGR) is either CZ or TE. CZ makes sense, but TE being "more efficient"? Oh, well. I'm going anyway!

 

[the_traveler]

The TE doesn't make any sense at all! :blink: It would require either a forced overnight in LA or an Ambus connection via BFD. Connecting from the SWC would make more sense, being a 2 hour connect at LAX to the CS.

 

[jmbgeg]

I am going from Springfield, IL (SPI) to San Jose, CA (SJC) in November. I want to take Lincoln Service #302, Empire Builder #27 & Coast Starlight #11. I called AGR to book today, but they would not / could not use my requested routing. They said that they use "the most efficient" routing for reward travel.
I can get around this by paying for SPI to CHI segment - it's only $24. No big deal & 100 pts. Should I call back & get another agent's "opinion"?

I ran in to the same thing on a planned AGR trip. I wanted to take the CZ west from Chicago and connect with the CS northbound from LA and the EB eastbound to Spokane from Portland. My reasons were (1) there were no deluxe bedrooms available on the Chicago-Spokane EB when I wanted to travel and (2) I wanted to experience the CZ start to finish westbound. The time buffer on all connections was "legal" and there were no overnights. AGR said "no" several times, so I abandonded the Chicago trip and went to LA. It should have been an allowable two zone trip.

 

[AlanB]

I ran in to the same thing on a planned AGR trip. I wanted to take the CZ west from Chicago and connect with the CS northbound from LA and the EB eastbound to Spokane from Portland. My reasons were (1) there were no deluxe bedrooms available on the Chicago-Spokane EB when I wanted to travel and (2) I wanted to experience the CZ start to finish westbound. The time buffer on all connections was "legal" and there were no overnights. AGR said "no" several times, so I abandonded the Chicago trip and went to LA. It should have been an allowable two zone trip.

Nope, in your case that's not a valid trip since you reversed directions and there was an alternative routing. Had you been trying to do this from say Denver to Spokanne, that would have been allowed since there is no alternative way to get from A to B without reversing direction. But put Chicago into the mix, and that kills things.

Had you perhaps brought a ticket from Chicago to Burlington, IA; then you might have gotten away with it as going east to Chicago would require an overnight, whereas going west would be one continuous trip.

 

[jmbgeg]

I ran in to the same thing on a planned AGR trip. I wanted to take the CZ west from Chicago and connect with the CS northbound from LA and the EB eastbound to Spokane from Portland. My reasons were (1) there were no deluxe bedrooms available on the Chicago-Spokane EB when I wanted to travel and (2) I wanted to experience the CZ start to finish westbound. The time buffer on all connections was "legal" and there were no overnights. AGR said "no" several times, so I abandonded the Chicago trip and went to LA. It should have been an allowable two zone trip.

Nope, in your case that's not a valid trip since you reversed directions and there was an alternative routing. Had you been trying to do this from say Denver to Spokanne, that would have been allowed since there is no alternative way to get from A to B without reversing direction. But put Chicago into the mix, and that kills things.

Had you perhaps brought a ticket from Chicago to Burlington, IA; then you might have gotten away with it as going east to Chicago would require an overnight, whereas going west would be one continuous trip.

Noted.