The new schedule effective 4/15 doesn't do the Izaak Walton Inn any favors. Eastbound is 5:55 AM, Westbound at 9:11 PM. I can understand their trying to improve timekeeping into Chicago, but Glacier Park scenery will be mostly in the dark. Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
This is absolutely crazy! Don't the Amtrak people realize that Glacier Park is a major stopping point for the Empire Builder? I hope that the Izaak Walton Inn would start to offer 1/2 day stays...who wants to detrain, eastbound, at 5:55 AM and wait 9 hours before check-in? Even worse for going to Whitefish...arriving @ 4:46 AM eastbound and 10:26 PM, westbound.
I think the answer is to start the Empire Builder 7 hrs. later, out of Seattle. Possibly 4-5 hrs. earlier out of Chicago.
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
This rescheduling, and lengthening, is of course a result of the spectacular growth of Bakken crude oil traffic. Additionally, Amtrak has added a sixth set of equipment to help with reliably by minimizing the possibility of 'late equipment set' delays at Seattle.
So far as the stop at Issak Walton and viewing Glacier Park scenery, 'sorry bout that'.
Having #7 leave Chicago earlier and #8 arrive later would jeopardize too many connections and result in additional lodging expense for 'missconnects'.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Why not just change to GN's Western Star schedule - 2 nights out : overnight between Chgo-St. Paul and Spokane-Seattle, mid afternoon both directions for Glacier. With late evening departures, early morning arrivals, no problem with connections.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Will this screw up the connection from 27 to 11 in Portland? (which I am reserved on for my trip this summer.......)
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
RRich -- Both the 14/28 and 27/11 connections have been suspended and are not currently bookable. Even though Amtrak did not assert that the suspension was indefinite, all indications appear to be that it will persist through the summer and beyond.
When I do a test booking on July 15 for Minot to Emeryville, which should bring up the 27/11 connection, it doesn't show up at all. So I think this is further evidence that the suspension will continue through the summer.
If you are using AGR, AGR Insider on FlyerTalk confirmed that they will allow an overnight in Portland, at the traveler's expense, in order to catch the next day's southbound Starlight.
I would not wait to proactively contact Amtrak and rejigger your plans. They are contacting people via email, but it is happening based on how far out your travel plans are. No sense in waiting to get that email, especially since you need to make sure there will be sleeper space on that next day's Starlight which you are not currently booked on.
Let us know how it goes.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by palmland: Why not just change to GN's Western Star schedule - 2 nights out : overnight between Chgo-St. Paul and Spokane-Seattle, mid afternoon both directions for Glacier. With late evening departures, early morning arrivals, no problem with connections.
Mr. Palmland, circa 1977 as I recall (because I rode it CHI-MSP), the Builder was on that very schedule.
I'll have to concede, that with a Diner and Domes, that was even classier than was MY Pioneer Limited.
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
While I understand the reasons for lengthening the schedule, it is a risky tactic to do so. On days with less traffic the Empire Builder will sit on a main line awaiting its booked departure time from stations, thus creating a pinch point. A fair chunk of the route is double track so while traffic can get past, it would do so at much reduced capacity.
Such lengthening of schedules also lets dispatchers get complacent with regulation which again can lead to more delays.
And will the schedule ever go back to the way it was? If the Sunset Limited is anything to go by, where there is vastly more capacity now than there was when the schedule was lengthened - when was it, 8 years ago? - then the answer is "no"!
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by palmland: Why not just change to GN's Western Star schedule - 2 nights out : overnight between Chgo-St. Paul and Spokane-Seattle, mid afternoon both directions for Glacier. With late evening departures, early morning arrivals, no problem with connections.
Why not? That is about what was done with the City of New Orleans. The current schedule bears little resemblance to either the City of New Orleans or the Panama Limited's schedules of the good days of Illinois Central. It is more like a somewhat speeded up Louisiane, which from Memphis north, at least, did carry significant passenger volumes, particularly in coach. The ICRR Louisiane carried large volumes of mail and other head end traffic and had quite a few more stops than today's train, but otherwise it was much like today's train, overnight between Memphis and Chicago with a mid afternoon arrival and late morning departure at New Orleans. In fact, it would seem good to make the current schedule even more like that of the Louisiane, leaving Memphis northbound early enough to make a start of the business day arrival in Chicago and southbound to arrive in Memphis about an hour later. If I am going to Memphis Central Station I would much rather be doing it at 8:00pm than at 10:00pm.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
It is a shame the schedule changed, however necessary. We have good friends who are taking the EB to Glacier and then on to Portland. They got tired of hearing me talk about train travel and are giving it a try. Hope they're not in the 'never again' club.
George, I had one encounter with the Louisiane. My brother was stationed at Millington NAS and we briefly boarded the train to check out its sleeper lounge. Nice little train with, as I recall, a 6-6-4 sleeper. One that I think DPM would have approved, with cocktail frequently refreshed by the lounge attendant.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
I have not yet received an e-mail from AMTRAK concerning this, and have had my trip booked since last October. I don't mind spending an extra night on my trip, but if I had to stay overnight in Portland, there are 5 more overnight LD portions of my trip after that, which would all have to be rebooked, and I doubt I would be able to get sleeper space for all segments, even if I rebooked now. Besides that, the last overnight segment is on the Cardinal, which only operates 3 days a week, so that would delay me yet another day (unless I changed to the Capitol Ltd, but I've ridden that train so many times it is now "boring" to me!). Plus I need to coordinate travel plans with my wife, since we'd like to spend our annivesary together on 6/25.
With the new EB schedule, the connection at Portland is still doable IF the EB is on time according to the new schedule. If it is late, wouldn't AMTRAK still "bustitute" passengers from Pasco to Klamath Falls?
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
I like Palmland's idea regarding the Western Star. Here is the Western Star schedule from 1966:
In fact, I wouldn't mind if the WS was revived under the 1966 schedule.
I can't help wondering, with the number of Amtrak LD trains paralleling other Amtrak routes (such as the Starlight/Pacific Surfliners or Starlight/San Joaquins; or Empire Builder/Cascades) if Amtrak could revive the All-Pullman train? Have the Surfliners run up to the Bay Area and the Cascades run from Seattle to Spokane to Glacier Park, under a daylight-only schedule with stops along the way. Then have the Coast Starlight and Builder as All-Pullman, with sleepers only. You could have limited stops with boarding and detraining at popular times and destinations. Well, perhaps just a pipe dream.
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Well Richard, that certainly is a pipe dream. Even if most here would not be seen on the other side of the Diner (maybe the Lounge; guarantee you not me), the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of the passenger miles aboard LD's are in Coach.
The railroad industry is clearly in its Golden Age (especially considering that shippers have alternatives today, yet CHOOSE rail) at present, but that 'Au Age' does not include a mode of transportation that the public at large ditched over fifty years ago.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Mr. Norman-
Your post reminds me to keep a look-out for some data regarding the makeup of long-distance Amtrak train passengers. For a specific LD Amtrak train, I would like to see a breakdown of miles before passenger departure. I think, as an example, there could be a significant difference between the SW Chief and Empire Builder.
If most LD train passengers are not LD, maybe a good argument for business class on LD trains.
I was planning, possibly, another trip on the Empire Builder from PDX to Whitefish, next year, but I can't handle the 4:46 AM arrival into Whitefish. Maybe fly from Portland to Kalispell, rent a car in Kalispell and drive to Whitefish, then the EB from Whitefish to Portland.
Richard
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by palmland: George, I had one encounter with the Louisiane. My brother was stationed at Millington NAS and we briefly boarded the train to check out its sleeper lounge. Nice little train with, as I recall, a 6-6-4 sleeper. One that I think DPM would have approved, with cocktail frequently refreshed by the lounge attendant.
Don't know what is going on there now, but if Millington is still going as a NAS, I would think it would justify Millington as a stop on the CNO. If fact at the time I was a fairly regular CNO passenger in the early 60's I wondered why it did not stop there then. Yes, I know it was a fast limited stop train, but it made stops at some relatively low population locations and surely a military base would produce passenger loading far out of proportion to the area's population.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Interesting how you come full circle on things as we get older. Millington today is probably almost a Memphis suburb and certainly an ideal stop for Amtrak. In fact, my son works for an ad firm in NY and trying to get the account for the Navy recruiting office. It's command office is in - you guessed it - Millington.
My brother's house, a sharecropper rental, was in the village of Tipton. Sitting on the front porch we had an unobstructed view across a field of the real CONO, shabby sister the Southern Express, and the rest of the fleet..
Posted by Iron Mountain (Member # 12411) on :
George and Palmland, I may have shared this experience in the past but since you all are talking about the ICRR and Millington I will relate my experience with the ICRR, Millington, and the NAS. I was stationed there from about late 1964 to early 1965. I remember it was winter and I contracted pnuemonia while at Millington NAS. At that time I was in the USMC attending electronics school. My buddy and I decided to go to Memphis to see the ducks in the Peabody Hotel, etc. We caught the southbound train to Memphis, I assume it was the Louisiane. We enjoyed liberty and showed up at the station for the trip back to the base. I think that the station was Memphis Central. We were just about late. I remember well sprinting through the station and into the trainshed and seeing the train starting to pull out of the station. We hollered and waved as we ran. The conductor saw us and he stopped the train for us. Point of the story, Millington must have been a stop. Years later I looked at ICRR schedules and could not find any evidence of Millington being a stop for the ICRR. Why would that be?
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
My Dec. 15, 1956 IC timetable shows Millington as a stop for the Louisiane (for Fulton and beyond), the Southern Express southbound and The Creole northbound. The CNO and the Panama Limited did not stop there in this timetable.
Since this actual timetable was picked up by me as a 10 year old in the Minneapolis Milwaukee RR station (I wanted one for every railroad), I hereby claim the status of lifelong foamer.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Iron Mountain, it looks like Millington was an IC stop until A-day. In 1967 IC 'restructured' their passenger service. Virtually all secondary trains were eliminated south of Carbondale. The one exception, the Mid-American, still went to Memphis with a Millington stop. I suspect Amtrak was the culprit in eliminating that stop in May of 1971.
And, TSR, I also claim to be a long time foamer. I still have a number of timetables tables dated spring of 1956 from an elementary school spring break trip that involved the PRR, ACL, FEC, CofG, and SRY.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: I have not yet received an e-mail from AMTRAK concerning this, and have had my trip booked since last October. I don't mind spending an extra night on my trip, but if I had to stay overnight in Portland, there are 5 more overnight LD portions of my trip after that, which would all have to be rebooked, and I doubt I would be able to get sleeper space for all segments, even if I rebooked now. Besides that, the last overnight segment is on the Cardinal, which only operates 3 days a week, so that would delay me yet another day (unless I changed to the Capitol Ltd, but I've ridden that train so many times it is now "boring" to me!). Plus I need to coordinate travel plans with my wife, since we'd like to spend our annivesary together on 6/25.
With the new EB schedule, the connection at Portland is still doable IF the EB is on time according to the new schedule. If it is late, wouldn't AMTRAK still "bustitute" passengers from Pasco to Klamath Falls?
Amtrak has made no indication yet as to when the 27/11 connection will become guaranteed again. During the past month, Train 27 has averaged a 196 minute delay, and it now is arriving in Portland at 11:40a.
Pax might be bussed to KFS from Pasco when the connection is guaranteed, but this connection is not guaranteed now. With no way to know whether it will be restored before you travel, I would contact Amtrak NOW and get out in front of this. I have been contacted many times by Amtrak just one month out from travel to announce changes to my itinerary.
Given the complexity of your trip, and the issues you describe regarding its downline segments, I simply would not wait to hear from Amtrak. Give them a call and explain your issue of having a 27//11 connection in the middle of your trip. With delays still persisting on the Hi-Line, it is hard for me to imagine that Amtrak will reestablish the 27/11 guaranteed connection again anytime soon. And if they do not, you will just get an email or call one day that throws your entire trip into chaos. Been there, done that, and it sucks. Better to check into this now.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Thanks, C,R, & S -- the new AMTRAK timetable (effective 4/15) shows the EB scheduled to arrive in Portland at 11:40 AM (old schedule was 10:10 AM). The CS, Train #11, leaves PDX at 2:25 PM (almost a 3-hr layover).
So the question is, "Has the EB been running "on schedule" in accordance with the new 4/15 schedule lately? 0r has it been 196 minutes late BEYOND the 11:40 AM scheduled arrival?
I may go down to AMTRAK this week and maybe change my itinerary to leave a day earlier from home, and spend an extra night in Portland. Of course, I imagine there will be absolutely ZERO roomettes left on the EB one day earlier than what I have already reserved now.......
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Problem solved!!!!! I checked the AMTRAK status history web site
and I see that, since the EB has started on the new schedule (5 days ago), it has not arrived into PDX until WAY after the departure time of the CS the first few days, so I made a new LNS-PDX only reservation to leave LNS a day earlier, and get to PDX a day earlier, then spend overnight in PDX -- now I will look for a place to stay in PDX. The rest of my trip, after Portland, is unchanged.
CR&S -- I note and very much appreciate your very wise comments that the "bustitute" may not be available if the 7/27-11 connection is no longer "guaranteed" in PDX, and that AMTRAK may not tell me of the new schedule until a week before I leave. Thanks a lot!! I'd rather travel the whole distance (PSC-KFS) by AMTRAK than have to be "bustituted" anyway.
I will go to AMTRAK in LNS tomorrow and get my old LNS-PDX reservation credited and the new reservation consolidated with the existing one(I already gave AMTRAK my CC #)
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
Glad to hear of your revised plan. Yes, when I pulled the delay average, I saw that it was still occurring on the new schedule. Also, comments being made over the past several weeks by Amtrak employees posting on Amtrak Unlimited, FlyerTalk, and Trainorders all seem to point towards Amtrak extending both the schedule change and suspended guaranteed connections. Without the guaranteed connection, Amtrak is under no obligation to even run bustitutions. More likely is you would be told your plans have to change, only to find that sleeper space is only partially available on your new trains.
Given the propensity for delays on the Empire Builder, it would also detract from your travels if you were worrying about your 11 connection all the way across the Hi-Line.
Now back to the fun part...planning for and looking forward to your trip!
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Thanks again -- yes, and I even got a roomette reserved on the one-day-earlier Empire Builder! I am REALLY surprised I was able to get that..........
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
Well, if you're going to spend a day off the train, Portland is one of the better cities to be in.
Another unfortunate rescheduling issue with the Empire Builder is the new times for St. Paul, when the train begins to use the newly remodeled Union Depot on May 7. According to another site ( http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3383432 ) the stop in MSP will now be only 7 minutes instead of the current 44 minutes, with the padding also reduced by a 28 minute earlier arrival time. The extra 4 miles between the new and old stations usually takes about 12 minutes.
MSP is currently a smoking/fresh air stop. Getting 100 people off and onto the train with a single reversing escalator in 8 minutes is optimistic. The CHI-MSP leg is currently experiencing delays and the train is likely to arrive late. The opportunity for passengers just passing through to explore the beautiful depot restoration is lost.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
quote:Why not just change to GN's Western Star schedule - 2 nights out : overnight between Chgo-St. Paul and Spokane-Seattle, mid afternoon both directions for Glacier. With late evening departures, early morning arrivals, no problem with connections.
- Palmland
I especially like the eastbound Star schedule, which, if on time, should allow both Glacier and Mississippi River viewing all year.
This April 13th, I traveled Seattle to Chicago on the Builder specifically to enjoy the scenery around Glacier Park before the schedule change.
I have no interest whatsoever in taking long-distance Amtrak trains that do not offer worthwhile scenery. Am probably not alone in that.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
According to Jim Brzezinski, of Amtrak, The Empire Builder could return to its normal schedule in June (end of 4th paragraph in the following):
Richard
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
Unless they also reinstate the guaranteed connection for 11/27, anyone booked with this connection will eventually be contacted and reassigned to the next day's Starlight.
14/28 is a bit different story. If they revert back to 28's regular schedule, they may allow same day connections since late 27s turn into late 28s, which gives 14's connecting pax MORE time to connect than the normal ~ 1 hour.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
@ yukon11 I hope that you are right.
What worries me though is that BNSF has said that it expects no end to the congestion at least through 2014. Amtrak may also look to the example of the Sunset whose on-time performance stabilized once its schedule was considerably lengthened.
Posted by Judy McFarland (Member # 4435) on :
In spite of the schedule padding, #8 was 4 hours late into Chicago yesterday. Nothing to be said.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
Wow, the Hi-Line has just swallowed up the new padding:
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
It appears that Messrs. RRRich and Cold Rain have both planned journeys using the 27-PDX-11 connection. The 'bad' appears that if either gentleman is using reward points (AGR), there may be issues regarding reaccommodation.
There shouldn't be; as breaking that connection has been Amtrak's doing, but then it seems that with anybody's rewards plan, if something goes wrong, it seems to be 'sorry bout that'.
The only ones I ever use are hotels, as redeeming them is pretty straight forward. I have had one freebie this year from Intercontinental, which I used for an HIExpress at Lexington NE. I'll have a fistful of them after Salzburg (there'd better be 6 nites @ US$225 per). Also will have a fistful from United, but I'll give those away to their charity for such.
If Amtrak would establish an AGR charity, that's where ten years of those would go.
Don't mean to sound elitist, but I can't be bothered with all the hoops the air and Amtrak ones make you jump through. Something tells me that RICH and ColdRain could be looking at just that.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
I was mostly advocating for Mr. RRRich so he could get out in front of this Hi-Line dilemma. Now that he tweaked his plans to account for the 27/11 misconnection, all sounds well on the Western Front.
I will be heading out in a few weeks for a jaunt around the Western US, with plans to ride #7 bumper to bumper. I don't do same day connections anymore, given the uncertainty they can sew into your plans. The Achilles heel in Amtrak reaccommodations is getting sleeper space on the next day's train. Forcible downgrades into Coachclass on an LDT are a non-starter, yet that's what they'll present as your "reaccommodation" with instructions to seek a fare difference refund.
With Amtrak, your best defense is a strong offense. At the first sign that your trip may be involuntarily changed, map out what you want their response to be and forcefully present it to them. Waiting for them to contact you with their "solution" is a one way ticket to disappointment. Just my $0.02.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Gil and Cold -- I do not now, never have, and probably never will use AMTRAK Guest Reward Points. I changed the first 2 legs only of my trip to accommodate the EB delay, so I will arrive in PDX a day earlier than I first anticipated, stay overnight, then I will resume on the original itinerary the next day. I am not worried about any of my other connections, be them same-day or next-day.
The positive thing is that now I'll be leaving on my train trip a day EARLIER than originally planned, so that's not bad!! (the nice thing about being retired is that I can leave on a trip ANY DAY I CHOOSE now, and on the spur of the moment, without having to "request leave time" any more.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
My "strong offense" didn't work when we were bussed last minute on a 14>28 connection. I told them I wanted to pay the additional rail fare for two PDX-SEA and overnight in Seattle at our own expense. Then we would catch the next days #8 where there was plenty of bedroom space, instead of the sold out #28 I was booked on. They said no go because you cannot break up 2 zone AGR trip.
This would have freed up a bedroom on a long sold out #28, which would likely be resold and provide revenue to Amtrak (along with what I would pay PDX-SEA). The bedrooms on #7 never did sell out the day I wanted.
If I were to do this and pay for it all, it would have been $1300 plus a waste of 20,000 points.
They did later provide me a $500 voucher which I used for 2 sleeper trips west in the off season. My "forceful" argument was that the purpose of my trip was my first ride on the Starlight and the Oregon scenery. Besides, the bus from K-Falls was a clunker, the quick Subway meals we stopped for were at our own expense, and the Pasco station is not where you want to kill 2 hours waiting for #28.
Amtrak would have come out several hundred dollars better by granting my request.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
There is much less flexibility when dealing with AGR as opposed to paid tickets. I was referring to the latter for the most part. It's taken AGR years to agree to allowing overnight connections (at traveler's expense) for trains with no other sensible options such as Trains 2 to 20. Similar in inefficiency to your example, AGR would rather route LA to ATL through DC than allow an overnight in NOL that costs them nothing.
Now that Anthony Rizzos -- former owner/operator of Amtrak Unlimited -- has gone to work for AGR and is AGR Insider on FlyerTalk, this overnight rule has changed. He seems to be influencing AGR policy to be a bit more sensible.
Unfortunately, AGR forces same day connections on us. Yet agreeing to them creates an automatic vulnerability, whereby AGR can and sometimes will be heavy-handed in its handling of IRROPPS. Even though the mentality is patently wrong, I think AGR treats its redemption customers as pax that are getting "free travel" and therefore don't necessarily deserve flexibility.
As a loyalty program, it leaves much to be desired.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
As Mr. Snow has immediately noted, it certainly appears that those traveling on AGR points are some kind of second class citizen. As I've noted before, the only travel points I use are hotels. They seem pretty straight forward to me (of course, I'm not trying to 'score a weekend in Maui', I just use 'em for my next stay wherever that may be and if I have enough. What I earn at an InterContinental in Salzburg will simply go to a one night stand at an Express in Coralville IA).
I've heard the horror stories regarding redemption of airline points. Best one I can think of was friends who were in United's plan and desired to travel KORD-KRNO and return. Their Westward routing was puddle jumper KORD-KMSN-KSUX-KDEN; then mercifully change for a 'mainline' KDEN-KRNO. Return was less arduous, but still 'not exactly' non-stop.
Wonder why they now fly American (sorry Frank; sorry Maureen).
I understand that these Guest Rewards points are most valuable when used for Sleeping Car space (kind of like owning three houses playing Monopoly - that is your best ROI), but as it appears Mr. Twin Star has gotten a lesson in their inflexibility when something goes wrong - Amtrak or another party notwithstanding.
I signed up at AGR about seven years ago simply 'to be one of the boys'. I signed up with United simply because they seem to be the ones who get all my flying business, and once loaded in, all your personal info is popped into your reservation (sure every other airline offers same). Maybe, just maybe, being in their plan, got me my 'pre-checked' status with TSA for my KATL flights last week, we will see what happens with that come July and EDDM.
Wish AGR could establish a charity to which someone like me who 'can't be bothered with them' to 'give 'em away' just as United has for their points.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
From the AGR website: "Points may be redeemed for travel in the name of passengers other than the member, but tickets and travel documents are non-transferable once issued."
"Redemption travel may not be bartered, brokered, purchased, or sold, except under programs fully authorized and/or sponsored by Amtrak. A redemption ticket has no cash value."
So Mr. Norman may generously redeem his points to buy our joyrides as a gift, but we may not officially repay him in kind.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
quote:So Mr. Norman may generously redeem his points to buy our joyrides as a gift, but we may not officially repay him in kind.
A capital idea!
As I said in that other forum, "Apparently, someone in Amtrak decision making looks at the reward program not as a way to build loyalty, but instead as a way to tick off as many of Amtrak's best customers as possible. These travelers are not asking Amtrak to pay for their hotel and meal expenses during their layovers."
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
TSR, a more reasonable transaction would be Mr. Norman buying my round trip ticket, first class, to Seattle and back to Houston with his points, and I donate $2,000 to his favorite charity.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
Another example of Amtrak waiting until 1 month out to notify customers about broken connections. They announced the severed 14/28 connection around March 26th, yet waited until now to contact this traveler. Not too cool.
Because the new EB schedule isn't 100 percent Amtrak's fault, I can understand how Corporate would be frustrated with having to re-accommodate passengers. But they should have gotten on the job immediately to minimize problems. If riders have plenty of notice about the change, they might be able to modify their plans. Unfortunately, if chocolates in the sleepers and flowers in the diner are too expensive, an overnight accommodation for a broken connection is very unlikely. My past experience is that when Amtrak drops the ball, they really drop the ball. Beware.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Reference Mr. Snow's immediate; unless Mr. Hobo 13 is a member here or another rail passenger discussion site, I woder where he came up with the CS, EB, kind of stuff?
Use of those alphabet soup terms around an Amtrak employee for whom 'it's just a job', will surely get you blank stares and maybe a 'huh'.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Thanks to those who have given me 'suggestions' on how to dispose of my transportation points for which, quite honestly, 'I can't be bothered' (hotel points; diff story, as I'll be using 'em in Madison tomorrow nite).
But when my friend Carol tells me about that little sojourn (BTW, where is UNOHOO?) on puddle jumpers KORD-KDEN no less (she has 'issues' with flying anyway, but 'grits it out' as the only reasonable and practical means to an end), I just say (even to her) 'can't be bothered'. Besides, I don't fly enough to make a difference.
But I know many do; the stories of 'point chasers' abound with jumping through hoops to get those things. But I guess some actually put them to use.
At a School reunion last month in town, one of my classmates whom I hadn't seen in fifty years, made the scene. On leaving school, Roy certainly appeared to be on a Princeton/Harvard MBA/Goldman Partner track, but somewhere he fell off, and showed up looking like a hippie (I didn't recognize him, but he did me thanks to my badge). He nevertheless settled (married three times along the way) in a 'Bohemian' community around these parts (Oak Park) and owns several laundromats. He said he pays for everything, business and personal, with a United Airlines affinity card, and further said he earns enough points so that he and his current edition 'squeeze' can go overseas every year. When I told him I was going overseas this July - and paying for it, he said 'Gil, just get yourself one of these cards and you'll never pay for an airplane ride again'.
If one is still with me on this point-chasing mania rant, this could have been nipped in the bud back during 1981 when these rewards plans were first conceived by the newly deregulated airlines - and at which time 60% was considered a break even load factor. Right from Day One, any party that ultimately paid for the travel, e.g. company reimbursed, should have had claim to those points, but as things evolved, the airlines decreed that those points belonged to the traveler - and since they set the rules for the programs, they prevailed.
Finally, I once learned that a 'Fortune 100' solved that immediate problem by prohibiting any employee traveling on their dime from claiming points for any flight or hotel. To what extent, they have been successful in enforcing such, or if the policy still remains in force, I know not.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
