I'm considering a trip from Flagstaff to Chicago on the SW Chief and the base fare for two adults and two children is $330 and the roomettes are $356 each. That should total $1042 before my AAA discount. However, the fare shows as $1099. After the discount is applied it comes in as $1060 and change. What is going on? The asterisk disclaimer states that the base fare may change once accomodations are added. Oh really! Has anyone else noticed this?
Posted by CG96 (Member # 1408) on :
Well, one quick thing to recall is that the discount applies only to the individual who is the AAA, or NARP, or AARP member, and not the children. You might also be right at the level where the price bucket changes. I'm not quite certain.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
I tried a random date in February for the same trip. It quoted $330 for rail fare and $236 per roomette, which should have been $802. But the total came up as $916. When I went to try it again, a notice came up saying the system was down for maintenance. Something is odd there. Try calling Amtrak, tell them what happened, and see what you get.
Posted by Liberty Limited (Member # 4300) on :
I think this has something to do with Amtrak's "Long Distance Sale" which has a number of trains discounted for coach in the months of February and March.
The proviso is that the special fares apply only to coach, and the bad part is that the special fares actually show up as what looks like the regular fare when you put in a normal booking.
When you add accomodations such as BC or sleeping rooms, the rail fare changes from the special discounted fare to the normal fare.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Except when I tried it the rail fare stayed the same. It was the roomette charges that increased.
Posted by mary_228 (Member # 3826) on :
I guess I can call my TA. I know he can get me the best deal. I just wasn't sure I wanted to do the trip and like to check out fares on my own, first.