Amtrak Service and Fares - # 10 - Fares, basic principles

This chapter is brief, but sets out the fundamental principles that govern Amtrak fares.

Presenting these first without further explanation or nuance lets us move forward to specific examples in upcoming chapters where you'll see how they apply.

• Each person pays a rail fare which entitles him or her to a coach seat 
• For service higher than coach (business class, first class on Acela Express, sleeping accommodations) an accommodation charge is added on top of the rail fare 
• Accommodation charges for upgraded seats (business class, first class on Acela Express) are charged per person and therefore per seat
• Accommodation charges for sleeping accommodations are charged per room, regardless of whether one, two, or more persons are in the room
• Rail fares can be discounted by passenger type (child, senior, and others)
• Accommodation charges are almost never discounted by passenger type

The next chapter will examine the application of fares on trains in short-distance markets where the seats are sold as unreserved.


Amtrak Service and Fares - navigational links
Backward to # 9 - Introduction to fares
Forward to # 11 - Fares, unreserved coach
Introduction

Amtrak Service and Fares - # 9 - Introduction to fares

In my extensive series entitled Airline Fare School, my goal was to draw back the curtain for those not in the travel industry on the underlying structure that powers how airline fares work.

From this point on in the Amtrak Service and Fares series, the goal is the same.  And what I wrote at the beginning of the airline fare series also applies here: nothing that I am going to convey is secret or something that Amtrak doesn't want you to know.  It is simply the nuts and bolts of how Amtrak fares work.

In the airline fare series, it took me twelve chapters (in addition to the introduction and conclusion) to do that complex subject some level of justice.  Likewise there will be plenty of chapters about Amtrak's fares, but I expect them to be shorter than those in Airline Fare School.

Availability, Los Angeles to Seattle, 10 November (Sabre)

As with the airline series, I will use screen-captures from a travel agency GDS (global distribution system) that look very similar to what Amtrak employees see in their own Arrow computerized reservation system.  These images help to illustrate concepts.

Toward the end of Airline Fare School I included a couple of sources where non-travel industry people could see actual tariff and availability displays much like what airline and travel agency personnel see.  However as far as I know, there isn't a mechanism that allows "civilians" to see raw Amtrak fare or availability displays.  You'll need to become friends with a travel agent that sells Amtrak in order to see those.

As always, I welcome corrections, updates, and additional information from readers.  Comment away!

First, some background.

When Amtrak began its existence in May 1971, it inherited the individual reservations offices of the private railroads that up until then made reservations and sold tickets on their own trains.  I haven't any knowledge of the chronology, but Amtrak consolidated the individual railroad reservations offices into regional call centers of which now, more than 40 years later, there are just two: one near Philadelphia and the other near Riverside in southern California.

Amtrak's first computerized reservation system, ARTS, was introduced in June 1973, but replaced by Arrow in October 1981.  Arrow remains the backbone of Amtrak's reservations and ticketing system, although two graphical user interfaces (GUI) were developed in the late 1990s to eliminate the need for employees to learn cryptic commands.  STARS is the GUI front-end system that agents at train stations use, and RailRes is used in reservation call centers.

Arrow is similar to airline systems, and it's not surprising because it was originally developed for Amtrak as a derivative of Braniff Airlines' Cowboy system.  Amtrak applies the same tools of yield management that the airlines do.  They offer multiple fares for the same product by slicing and dicing inventory, though the complexity is far less than that of their brothers and sisters in the air.  Arrow is also ultimately where reservations made on Amtrak's website (Amtrak.com) are created and reside.

Starting in 1984, Amtrak began to take part in what were then called the computerized reservations systems (CRS) used by travel agents in order to make it easier for them to reserve rail space and issue tickets.  (They now go by the more highfalutin term, GDS, but they're fundamentally the same thing.)  These four systems are Apollo, Sabre, Worldspan, and Amadeus. 

Travel agents can sell most of the same products that Amtrak can, though except for a few top-notch rail specialists, most travel agents lack familiarity with Amtrak because it represents too small an amount of their business.  As with the airlines that eliminated nearly all domestic and most international travel agency commissions years ago, Amtrak eliminated commission payments for short-haul corridor trains, but continues to pay commission for agency issued tickets on long-distance trains.

Now that you know some of the background, let's see what we're going to cover.  As with Airline Fare School, we'll build this brick-by-brick:

- Basic principles
- Coach (unreserved)
- Coach (reserved)
- Business class (non-Acela Express trains)
- Business class (Acela Express)
- First class (Acela Express)
- Sleeping accommodations
- Auto Train and bikes
- Passenger type discounts
- Through fares/connections/stopovers
- Rail passes and multi-ride tickets
- Purchasing tickets - Amtrak.com, 800 USA-RAIL, travel agencies

Stay tuned for the first chapter about basic principles!


Amtrak Service and Fares - navigational links
Backward to # 8 - Service
Forward to # 10 - Fares, basic principles
Introduction

Rail - Amtrak's 40th anniversary train comes west

Since early May, a special train has been circulating around the country offering a free public exhibit celebrating Amtrak's 40th anniversary that took place on 1 May.

The passenger cars and locomotives will sport Amtrak liveries from the past four decades.

Between now and mid December the train will make six stops in the Pacific coast states:

Seattle - 22-23 October
Portland - 29-30 October
Sacramento - 5-6 November
Oakland - 12-13 November
Bakersfield - 19-20 November
San Diego - 3-4 December
Los Angeles - 10-11 December

For details click above on a city name.  If you don't live in one of these cities, but nearby along one of Amtrak's routes, why not consider taking a train ride to and from the exhibit?

I will probably try to take in the exhibit either in Sacramento or Oakland.

Amtrak has a website dedicated to the 40th anniversary that includes information about the exhibit train, as well as a great deal more about the company's history.  Whether you are able to see the exhibit train or not, you'll probably find something worthwhile on the anniversary website if you're at all interested in Amtrak.

I dug around a bit in the "Archives" section, and chanced upon a link to The Museum of Railway Timetables.  This is not curated by Amtrak itself, but rather by two gentlemen associated with the Amtrak Unlimited discussion forum I've mentioned before in my ongoing Amtrak Service and Fares blog series.  It's entertaining (well, for me at least) to look at timetables that chronicle Amtrak's history.

Related link:
- my post noting Amtrak's 40th anniversary on 1 May 2011

Amtrak Service and Fares - # 8 - Service

Amtrak has extensive online and print resources for learning more about their onboard service so this post will be concise and without photos.

For Amtrak's own resources, start with this page on their website for detailed information about onboard service.

And if you want to peruse non-Amtrak sources take a look at the posts at Amtrak Unlimited, an online discussion forum that consists mostly of guys passionate about trains.  You can pose questions, too, though you need to register as a member in order to do that.  My guess is that someone there will take a stab at your question if you don't find the answer first by searching through the existing topics.

For years Amtrak has produced what it used to call the Travel Planner, but now simply calls Amtrak America.  It has always been one of the best travel industry print resources I've seen, and you can order a copy at no charge.  Online information is handy, but I think a printed format is more useful for leisurely research.  Go to this page on Amtrak's website to order Amtrak America, and other useful print publications including a system timetable and Amtrak Vacations (package tours) brochure.

For the full story consult the resources I've suggested above, but I'll provide some basic information below.


Coach

Seating is 2 seats on either side of the aisle.  Amtrak does not preassign specific seats for coach travel, but unlike when you fly, there isn't any chance on Amtrak that you'll get a middle seat because they don't exist.  No other amenities are included, but most short distance trains have offer some form of meal and beverage service for purchase.  (For travel on Auto Train only, meals are included in the price of a coach ticket.)

Coach is sold both as reserved and unreserved.

Reserved coach seating can be considered similar to how Southwest Airlines operates.  Seats are never preassigned, but Amtrak only sells the number of seats that are actually available on the train.  When you board you pick your own seat.  (On some long-distance trains conductors will direct passengers to specific cars depending on the destination.)

Unreserved coach seating is sold on high-frequency short-distance routes including Harrisburg-Philadelphia, Chicago-Milwaukee, Los Angeles-San Diego/Santa Barbara, Sacramento-Oakland-San Jose, among others.  No actually count is maintained of seats sold so in theory it is possible there could be standing passengers.  In practice it happens seldom because Amtrak tries to gauge demand from historical patterns and supply enough equipment to meet that demand.  Still, during busy holiday periods these trains can be very crowded and have standees.  On trains such as the Pacific Surfliners where unreserved coach and reserved business class are offered, it would be wise to pay a little extra and be assured of a seat.


Business class

Business class is offered on Amtrak's Acela Express service in the Northeast, the Northeast Regional service, some other trains in the East and Midwest, the Pacific Surfliner service in southern California, and the Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest.  The amenities vary from route to route, but can include (though not always) more legroom, a newspaper, and some kind of beverage or snack service.

On the Cascades service only, the business class eating configuration is 2-and-1 on either side of the aisle, so single travelers can enjoy both more legroom and a seat by themselves.  In all other markets the seating configuration in business class is 2-and-2 as in coach, though in some markets the pitch (the space between seats) will be greater in business class.


First class

This is akin to first class in the air, and is offered solely on Amtrak's higher-speed Acela Express service in the Northeast between Boston, New York, Washington D.C., and intermediate cities.

Seating is configured on a 2-and-1 basis, providing individual travelers with the opportunity to enjoy a seat by themselves.

At-seat meal and beverage service (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) is included in the price of the ticket.

In Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., first-class passengers have access to the ClubAcela lounge before departure or after arrival.


Sleeping accommodations

Amtrak's overnight trains all offer sleeping accommodations.

On trains west of Chicago the double-decker Superliner equipment offers four types of sleeping accommodations:

- Bedroom   (upper level)
- Roomette   (upper level - rooms 1-10; lower level - rooms 11-14)
- Family Bedroom   (lower level)
- Accessible Bedroom   (lower level)

Most eastern long-distance trains have single-level Viewliner equipment, which includes

- Bedroom
- Roomette
- Accessible Bedroom

Some of the adjoining Bedroom accommodations on both Superliner and Viewliner equipment can be combined to create a two-bedroom suite by removing an interior wall.

On both Superliner and Viewliner sleeping cars, the bedroom has a toilet, sink, and shower within each room.  Both Superliner and Viewliner accessible rooms have a toilet and sink within the room, though only the Viewliner accessible rooms have a shower.

Superliner roomettes do not have a toiler or sink in each room, but the Viewliner roomettes do.  Family bedrooms do not have a toilet, sink, or shower.

On the upper level of Superliner cars, there is a small bathroom with a toiler and sink for the passengers in upper level roomettes, and on the lower level are several bathrooms and changing rooms, as well as a bathroom with a good size shower for the use of all sleeping car passengers.  Viewliner sleepers have a shower for the use of passengers in roomettes.

Rooms are made up for night occupancy by the each sleeping car's attendant, who also sets up coffee and orange juice in the morning for his or her car.  In the morning, bed linens are replaced, and the room remade for day occupancy by the attendant.

All passengers in sleeping car accommodations have their regular meals (not including alcoholic drinks) included in the price of their tickets.  Most passengers take their meals in the dining car, but the sleeping car attendant will also bring meals back to the car on request.  (Sleeping car passengers on the Coast Starlight also have the option of eating in the Pacific Parlour Car, the lounge car unique to this train and only for first-class passengers.)

Sleeping car passengers are allowed access to the ClubAcela first-class lounges in the Northeast, and the Metropolitan Lounge located in Chicago and Portland, Ore.  The lounge in Chicago is especially useful, because this is the only point where long-distance trains from the east and the west make same day connections.  It's a very busy train station, so it's nice to have a quiet place to wait between trains.

If you have never seen Amtrak's sleeping accommodations and are considering a long-distance excursion by train, I recommend that you experience them or at least see them on a short, daytime trip.  The rooms, even the larger ones like the bedroom, are quite small.  By investing a small amount of time and money on a quick reconnaisance trip, you will  be far better prepared for that big overnight or cross-country journey.

For example, if you live in Seattle, then take the train to Portland for the day or a weekend.  Or if you live in the Bay Area, take the California Zephyr to Sacramento or the Coast Starlight to Salinas.  Even though it's not overnight, you could book a sleeper and it might not be that expensive (remember it includes meals), or if you traveled coach you could ask an Amtrak employee if he or she could show you the sleeping accommodations.

It would be money well-spent, not to mention an enjoyable small trip just by itself.


With that I conclude the first part of the Amtrak Service and Fares series.  You should now have a basic understanding of Amtrak's history, routes, and service, so we can move forward to an explanation of how Amtrak's fares work.


Amtrak Service and Fares - navigational links
Backward to Routes - #7 - Short-distance corridors - Western (Pacific coast)
Forward to # 9 - Introduction to fares
Introduction

Running - Whiskeytown Relays 2011

This past Sunday (18 September 2011) the 36th annual Whiskeytown Relays took place.

My team ("Team IPA") of four guys (three in their fifties, one youngster in his forties), finished the 19.9 mile course in 2 hours 40 minutes 36 seconds, taking first in our age group (combined age of 200-239), but we were also the only men's team in this bracket!

Last year two men's teams competed in this age range. 

l-r: Bryan ("the kid"), Greg, John, Dave  (photo courtesy of Tori Parks)

Overall we finished 25 out of 119 teams though I should point out that one "team" consisted of a solo runner, Ryan Ghelfi, who finished second overall with a time of 2:01:48 (only a minute behind the winning team of four men).  Amazing, and especially considering how tough a lot of the course is.

Here are links to the overall results and the results by age and other categories.

Three other teams from Chico, each consisting of four women, took part.  In years gone by many more teams from Chico have participated in the relay.

The weather was beautiful for the race and the event was, as always, well-organized by the Redding's SWEAT running club Whiskeytown race director: Tori Parks.  Tori wasted no time in putting the date for next year's Whiskeytown Relays on the website!  (It's 23 September 2012.)

Whether you're a veteran relay runner or someone who's never dipped a toe in the relay waters, this is an event that always delivers a good time.

Car rental - Should you buy the insurance?

(Image: Ambro)

If you've ever rented a car then you probably have experienced a pitch by the rental car company's customer service agent to buy the optional insurance coverage they sell, in particular the LDW (loss and damage waiver) or the CDW (collision damage waiver).

For frequent business travelers the pitch is more muted or avoided altogether for renters who belong to programs like Hertz # 1 Gold, and have already indicated their insurance preferences in a customer profile, and can pick up the car directly and bypass the counter.  For less frequent renters, however, the sell-job can range from concise and polite to lengthy and fear mongering.  (Or sometimes concise and fear mongering to lengthy and polite...)

The good part about these waivers is that subject to the limitations of the vehicle you rent, you can return the car with damage and not be subject to the costs of repairs should something happen.  (No, it doesn't cover you if you trash the inside of the car, or if you use a vehicle for a dump run, etc.)  An additional benefit of LDW/CDW is that even if you have outside coverage (personal auto insurance, credit card, travel insurance), the paperwork following a mishap will be relatively swift because the matter is only between you and the rental company.

The bad part is that LDW or CDW coverage is expensive.

A friend and client of mine recently rented a car in Phoenix for 5 days during the spring training period.  When he picked up the car, the agent asked him if he wanted "full coverage".  He answered "yes" (doesn't everyone want full coverage?) but neglected to ask what that would cost.  When he returned the vehicle the total fee for the rental plus insurance coverages was $700.  Lesson learned for him.  ("Full" coverage probably included additional liability coverage and coverage for loss or damage to the contents of the vehicle, in addition to the LDW/CDW.)

Whether or not the car rental company's appeal to you to buy the insurance is pleasant or annoying, you owe it to yourself to come equipped beforehand with the knowledge to decide if you should or should not take out the coverage.  This way you can make an informed and confident decision, not a hasty one under pressure.

When I'm asked by clients as to whether they should buy the insurance I am careful to never give a definitive answer for the simple reason that I am not their insurance agent.  However I suggest they consider what follows below.


First check with your insurance agent

You can also read your policy - it may state it clearly there - but if isn't clear then you should contact your agent to find out exactly what your personal auto insurance covers when you rent a car.  If you rent cars outside of the U.S. and Canada then you need to get details for the coverage you receive - if any - overseas.

If your coverage does extend to rented vehicles, but has high deductibles for damage and/or you do not carry collision insurance at all because your car, like mine, is too old to merit it, then know that you may be exposed.

One other thing to consider If you rent cars fairly often, is to ask your agent if the insurance carrier offers an add-on to your policy to cover rental cars, and which goes beyond the coverage you carry for your own vehicles.


Coverage by your credit card

Some cards have coverage for rental cars, but as a rule it is secondary coverage.  What that means, is that it kicks in when your own insurance does not cover all or part of damage to a rental car.  As with your personal insurance, it pays to know what it will and will not cover.

For example, here is a link to the VISA Signature page that details the benefit of that credit card's program.  This is just the current (August 2011) program of coverage offered by one type of VISA card.  You need to determine whether your credit card provides protection, and if so, exactly what it covers.

The VISA Signature rules are pretty straightforward and common sense, but bear reading.  For example, the benefit only applies for standard vehicles: rare, super-expensive, or vehicles that carry more than eight people are not covered.  Rentals in Israel, Jamaica, or Ireland (both "Republic of" and "Northern") are not coverered.  Also the coverage is only for the vehicle.  It does not cover injuries to the car's occupants or others.

It might seem obvious, but in order to receive the benefit you must use the credit card as the method of payment for the car rental.


Travel insurance

Car rental coverage is either included or can be added as a supplement to travel insurance policies, but usually it is secondary coverage, as with credit card coverage.

One exception to that currently of which I am aware is Access America.  They offer $35,000 colision damage/loss for $9 per day, and it is primary insurance, which means that it would pay first.  You can buy this coverage on a stand-alone basis, or as part of a wider travel insurance policy.

Bear in mind that Access America (or any other travel insurance) is going to have its own exclusions and limitations (for example, they also do not cover rentals in Israel, Jamaica, or Ireland) so read the fine print carefully before buying the policy to be sure that it will apply to the specifics of your use of a rental car.


When should you buy the car rental company's coverage?

Only you can decide this, but I'll give you one example from my experiece where I think it is sensible.

Every year I run the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey, a 178-mile 12-person relay in the Reno-Tahoe area.  My half of the team uses a local teammate's minivan, so rental coverage there is not an issue, but the other half of our team rents a large SUV from Hertz.  Even though the two people that share driving responsibilities have their own insurance and credit card coverage, the six people in the vehicle share the extra cost of LDW (Loss Damage Waiver).

Why?  By doing so it means that if anything happens to the vehicle while they are using it, one person isn't stuck dealing with the bureaucratic aftermath involving the car rental company and other entities.  The couple of bucks extra that each one of the six people in the SUV pays is money well spent.


In conclusion

No one can tell you whether you should or should not take out the car rental company's LDW or CDW policies.  You need to make that decision.  But being well-informed of the coverage you may (or may not) already have, will help you make a good decision when you are at the rental car counter about to pick up your vehicle.

2011 Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Run

In August 2010, I ran in the Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Run from the plaza in downtown Ashland, Ore. up to the top of Mt. Ashland, 13.3 miles and 5600’ (1707 m) later.  Last year my finish was 3:02:20.  Being so close to three hours then, inspired me to give it another go this year with the goal of coming in under that.

I’m happy to report that I made my goal with a time of 2:57:32, not quite five minutes faster.

View of Mt. Ashland from the city

Rather than give the entire blow-by-blow account of the race, I’ll confine this to some observations and include a few new pictures I snapped this year.  For those interested in running the race or anyone who wants to know more about the event, please read last year’s post.

My running of the race was not much different from last 2010.

I ran – no walking - from the start at Lithia Plaza until the third aid station at Bull Gap, about 9 miles into the race.  This is entirely uphill and in some places very steep until approximately 8 miles, but from there to Bull Gap is the only level or at times slight downhill part of the course.  This year I really poured on the speed here to put some money in the bank, knowing I’d need to withdraw it later.

From Bull Gap to the Ski Lodge the road becomes single track and more difficult to negotiate.  I powerwalked twice – once early on and again nearer the end when I felt that fatigue made me clumsy on the steep rutted surface, and powerwalking would be smoother, more comfortable, and nearly as fast as slow-motion running.

Looking back to whence we came:
viewing the valley where Ashland is from the Ski Lodge

I downed some liquids and a few orange slices at the Ski Lodge aid station, then set off on the last, shortest and toughest leg of the run, the ascent of the summit.  I think I may have done this more slowly than last year. 

After the first few semi-level steps one takes upon leaving the aid station. I reverted to walking the steep single track trail to the start of the even steeper scree.  From there it seemed like two steps forward, one step back, rest, and then repeat until I finally made the finish line at the summit.

I can’t say this was any easier for me than last year because it wasn’t.

Looking back toward the Ski Lodge and to where

runners emerge from the forest.

Clearly if I ever want to improve my time further, I’ll need to do better in the last two segments of the run after Bull Gap. But I was happy with this year’s result. After some time resting at the summit, I hopped a ride in a pick-up back to the lodge where the refreshments were, including Standing Stone Brewing’s keg!

Two anecdotes about other runners

From soon after the start as far as the Bull Gap aid station I ran at times with, ahead of, or behind Kathy Morell of Ketchum, Idaho.  (Chico readers will note that she told me she has a niece working at the Hotel Diamond.)  Due to my speed-up on the level-and-downhill portion prior to Bull Gap, I finished there before she did, but that would not be how things ended up.  She made a quick stop at the aid station, took off running a few seconds before I did, and soon I stopped seeing her in the distance.  She smoked the rest of the race, finishing nearly 13 minutes ahead of me (2:44:43).  Kathy is 50, and won the women’s 50-59 division!

Just a few minutes before the  race start, I looked to my right and who should be there but Jen Briggs, a recent former resident of Chico who now lives with her family in Eugene, Ore.  What a surprise!  I had no idea that anyone I knew would be there.  As it was, she, her sister Lori, and brother-in-law John from Colorado were running it, too.  They all did very well, and  less than two weeks from now are running in the Pike’s Peak Ascent which has an even greater elevation gain than the Hill Climb, plus it starts at about the same elevation where Mt. Ashland ends.


2012 ?

Ski Lodge aid station - the final push to the summit in background

I wasn’t planning to make this a same-time next year kind of event.  I made my goal of coming in under 3 hours, and maybe some other year I’d give it another try.  But after I finished, my partner Keith (whose knee injury has prevented him from running since January), mused about the idea of powerwalking the Hill Climb.  (Keith’s powerwalk is faster than some people run.)  Should he decide to powerwalk it then I’ll run it in 2012.  I think Keith just wants to enjoy the free beer after the finish, as well as the $10 Standing Stone Brewing Co. gift certificate that they put in the runner goody bag.

If you are interested in running the Hill Climb, note that the field is limited to 300 runners, and this year it sold out within two weeks of the start of registration.  To go on a list to be notified when registration opens up in the spring, click here.


The numbers:

Total # of finishers: 192
# of male finishers: 107
# of female finishers: 85
Men’s winning time: 1:51:54 (Erik Skaggs, 29, Ashland)
Women’s winning time: 2:11:40 (Stephanie Howe, 27, Bend, Ore.)
# male finishers 50-59: 16
My divisional place: 5
Fastest male 50-59: 2:20:39
All results