USA Rail Pass questions

[Asher]

On top of that, even tho Amtrak will eventually get you there you still have the next days plans that are all jacked up.

 

[Northwestern]

I wonder if the Amtrak Rail Pass could work not just for coach travel over a set number of days. Could Amtrak offer a Rail Pass for sleeping accommodations, on LD trains if you book 2 or more trains back to back, at the same time?

Lets say you book a sleeper in 3 different connecting Amtrak trains, say the Coast Starlight from the Bay Area to Seattle, the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, and the Zephyr from Chicago back to the Bay Area. Considering the cost if you book sleepers on those 3 trains, I wonder if Amtrak could devise a discounted rail pass if you take 2 or more successive long distance trains with sleepers included?. A greater discount for 3 successive trains, even greater for 4. Have no requirement for travel times as long as you book each train, back to back, during the same year with booking at the same time. Allow several day layovers between each train. It might be difficult for peak season travel, but how about for the off season?

 

[caravanman]

I wonder if the Amtrak Rail Pass could work not just for coach travel over a set number of days. Could Amtrak offer a Rail Pass for sleeping accommodations, on LD trains if you book 2 or more trains back to back, at the same time?

I assume the rail pass is or was a way of trying to get passengers aboard the trains, rather than having empty seats?

Given the demand and high fares currently for sleeper rooms, I can't see Amtrak offering them instead for a discounted rail pass fare.

 

[zephyr17]

I wonder if the Amtrak Rail Pass could work not just for coach travel over a set number of days. Could Amtrak offer a Rail Pass for sleeping accommodations, on LD trains if you book 2 or more trains back to back, at the same time?

Lets say you book a sleeper in 3 different connecting Amtrak trains, say the Coast Starlight from the Bay Area to Seattle, the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, and the Zephyr from Chicago back to the Bay Area. Considering the cost if you book sleepers on those 3 trains, I wonder if Amtrak could devise a discounted rail pass if you take 2 or more successive long distance trains with sleepers included?. A greater discount for 3 successive trains, even greater for 4. Have no requirement for travel times as long as you book each train, back to back, during the same year with booking at the same time. Allow several day layovers between each train. It might be difficult for peak season travel, but how about for the off season?

Until the Pass was reintroduced after COVID, sleeper upgrades were allowed on the USA Rail Pass on payment of the accommodation charges.

Amtrak has absolutely no incentive to discount sleepers. That their yield management has grown so aggressive in the last few years reflects the fact that the severely constrained sleeper inventory gives them almost completely unrestrained pricing power. That's been the subject of endless posts here, btw.

Discounts, such as RPA and Senior, only apply to rail fare, never the much greater accommodation charge. The relatively few sleeper sales are BOGO sales on rail fare only, they never offer sales on accommodation charges.

In short, Amtrak introducing a Pass program for discount sleeper access is improbable in the extreme. There is absolutely no reason to and every reason not to, at least unless sleeper inventory increases dramatically. At best, it is possible they could allow upgrades on the Pass again someday. Even that is probably unlikely since they've also jacked up the sleeper rail fares the last few years. They used to be the same as lowest coach Value fare. No longer.

 

[Northwestern]

I agree that Amtrak would have no incentive to discount sleepers. Why should Amtrak offer a discounted sleeper to a passenger when the sleeper is occupied by a passenger paying the normal (exorbitant) cost. However, how often do roomettes and bedrooms go unoccupied on a given train? Especially during off months such as late Sept. through early May. I think Amtrak would accept a passenger with a sleeper discount over having no occupancy in that sleeper. I guess it could depend on just how much of a discount would be acceptable to Amtrak.

 

[zephyr17]

I think Amtrak would accept a passenger with a sleeper discount over having no occupancy in that sleeper. I guess it could depend on just how much of a discount would be acceptable to Amtrak.

Otherwise known as BidUp.

Also helps to have good yield management that opens inventory in lower buckets when sales are not supporting higher buckets. Ideally, that happens enough in advance that inventory does not have to be fire saled through BidUp or a last minute drops to lowest bucket.