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Im travelling from DC to Salt Lake City in December. Id like to take the train on the 17th and spend one night in chicago. However, the fare is more than $50.00 extra if i split the trip into two segments instead of doing a straight shot from dc to salt lake city.
Anyone know a way around this?
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Probably not; the fare is higher on the later train for a reason, maybe the X amount of seats they could sell for $Y are all sold out, so now you have to buy one for $Y+50. Maybe adjust your routing so that you arrive in Chicago too late to make your connection and have to spend the night?
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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no, heres the deal--whether or not i stay over in chicago, i plan to take the capitol limited first, arrive in am, then depart chicago on the california zephyr. id like to spend one night in chicago and take the next days zephyr, but the train fare is higher than if i connected to the zephyr on the same day as my arrival in chicago.
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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no, heres the deal--whether or not i stay over in chicago, i plan to take the capitol limited first, arrive in am, then depart chicago on the california zephyr. id like to spend one night in chicago and take the next days zephyr, but the train fare is higher than if i connected to the zephyr on the same day as my arrival in chicago.
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Right, well, then that applies to the Zephyr. Can you leave DC a day earlier?
Kairho Member # 1567
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On your straight-through alternative, you are receiving a "connecting" fare which is typically less than the sum of the parts.
On your overnight option, by not taking the next scheduled train you are effectively breaking the trip into two separate journeys and thus you pay the individual cost of those journeys.
This is pretty common in transportation.
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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but even though its fairly common doesnt mean its right. It costs Amtrak the same to transport me this distance whether or not I break it up.
Since its more expensive, ill probably just skip the chicago layover. Amtrak loses any revenue i would have spent in restaurants, red caps, etc in chicago if i had stayed, and chicago loses $$$ i would have paid on hotel, etc.
stlboomer Member # 2028
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Do any of Amtrak's discount programs apply to you?
Kairho Member # 1567
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Train, and airplane costs have little to do with the price they charge. Neither does "what is right."
The easiest way to reconcile it is to consider the straight-through fare as having a $50 discount which you lose if you stay overnight.
Tanner929 Member # 3720
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Might be the days you travel, sort of like airline fares on thursdays are cheaper then on fridays. See if you can travel during the week and if its a cheaper fare, of course the hotel prices are probablely more expensive during the week then on weekends its a lose lose situation.
Of course there is a chance your Capitol Limited will be late making you miss the Zepher meaning you will have to be put up (at Amtraks expense) in Chicago for the night making it a win win situation.
notelvis Member # 3071
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I'm actually surprised that the difference in fare with the stopover is just $50.00 more in this case.
If time and budget allow, the extra $50.00 might be worth it to do some Chicago sightseeing and depart on the next leg well rested.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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Tanner has a point. Fares can be different from one day to the next due to demand. I've found on a few occasions that if I book just one day earlier or later than planned I can save some money. If your schedule is flexible, try that. It may be that the next day train is more expensive because it has more passengers booked already. Fares tend to go up as trains fill up.
But if you have to travel on specific days, is $50 dollars really worth changing your plans over?
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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im planning on travelling coach. i changed my dates, price is still the same.
I dont understand why the price difference. I understand this tactic is used throughout the travel industry. Still, it doesnt make sense. It costs Amtrak the same to transport me from dc to salt lake city whether or not i stop in chicago. Travel costs should be by the mile.
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Because there's an incentive to depart/arrive on a particular day that Amtrak can charge a premium for. Does it make sense that taking the Crescent from Washington to Atlanta departing the night before Thanksgiving and arriving Thanksgiving morning costs more than leaving a day earlier or later? What about taking a Regional from DC to NYC on Friday around 6 pm versus Sat at 10 am?
I realize it's not an ideal situation but it's also not that confusing to me.
CHANGEATJAMAICA Member # 3737
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Sorry Montana Jim "by the mile" went out with airline "deregulation". Used to be, but no more. A bizarre case in point from 27 years ago when "deragulation" took place. A friend working for the airline and non-reving to Hawaii for vacation found his neighbor was attending business conference in San Francisco. He suggested his friend find out how much more it would cost to join him in Hawaii after the conference since he was already on the west coast. Turns out the friend rebooked his flights to include the trip to Hawaii AND received a discount! Transportation is no longer a "utility" its a "commodity" and one has to pay the current market price, not necessarily a function of cost. Before September eleventh folks would routinely buy tickets from say, Boston to Tulsa with a change in St. Louis and deplane in Saint Louis because the far to Tulsa was less than that to St. Louis. Today's lesson Mr. Montana Jim is FORGET $/mile as a function of price. It still works for cost to the carrier but it DOESN'T translate into price for the ticket. Best regards, Rodger
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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the two examples you site abefroman i completely understand. I know holiday and peak travel time amtrak can charge more, and should. I still think travel should be charged by the mile, however. I lived in China for three years, and there it is charged by the mile. And since Amtrak is essentially a government run operation, why shouldnt it do the same? Taxpayers are already subsidizing it.
Some people dont have unlimited funds. I travel by coach because im not full of greenbacks. And that 50 dollar extra might make me skip the chicago layover, and then amtrak will lose any revenue i would spend in the train station, chicago loses my hotel revenue, etc.
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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quote:Originally posted by CHANGEATJAMAICA:
Before September eleventh folks would routinely buy tickets from say, Boston to Tulsa with a change in St. Louis and deplane in Saint Louis because the far to Tulsa was less than that to St. Louis.
"Hidden-city" ticketing - and the airlines got wise to it long before 9/11.
George Harris Member # 2077
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When get on a plane you know some of the passengers are robbing the airline and some of the passengers are being robbed by the airline. The only real question is which group are you in? The craziness that we deal with in buying a trip are strong reasons why some form of re-regulation should occur. If I was selling shirts in a store and varied the price by a factor of 10 or more depending upon how thooughly I thought I could cheat my customers, I would probably go to jail or be run out of business. Why should the transportation providers be able to get away with it?
Frankly, I am very spoiled with being able to walk up to the ticket window knowing that I can hand over my cash and be handed a piece of cardboard with a car number and seat number on it knowing that every time for any given destination it will be the same amount of cash for the same class of seat.
Our transportation system in the US operates like a third-world street market, and I say that from experiencing both.
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