E-tickets are here!

Old Jul 31, 2012, 8:31 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by 21A
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Are tickets purchased before the changeover (but not printed yet) able to be printed as e-tickets now, or do they still need to be printed as conventional tickets?
Yes - purchased a ticket last month for travel next month and, when I go to the itinerary on the Amtrak iPhone app, the e-ticket is right there.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 8:54 am
  #17  
 
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Well I have a bunch of paper tickets to go through but then I will try the great unreserved Keystone Experiment.
I usually purchase (via 'multi city') PHL-PAO/PAO-PHL/PHL-PAO/PAO-PHL, with one of the return trips being 'peak' for Friday afternoon travel.

In theory there are 4 segments on one barcode which may be used in any order.

So my various experiements in the next few weeks will be:
1- use the two "phl-pao, phl-pao" segments before using the pao-phl segments
2 - use a pao-phl segment first, even if the first segment on the res is phl-pao
3 - ensure that the "peak" pao-phl doesn't get used on a non peak train, on a barcode that has another off-peak pao-phl available.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 9:12 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by JugglerDave
Well I have a bunch of paper tickets to go through but then I will try the great unreserved Keystone Experiment.
I usually purchase (via 'multi city') PHL-PAO/PAO-PHL/PHL-PAO/PAO-PHL, with one of the return trips being 'peak' for Friday afternoon travel.

In theory there are 4 segments on one barcode which may be used in any order.

So my various experiements in the next few weeks will be:
1- use the two "phl-pao, phl-pao" segments before using the pao-phl segments
2 - use a pao-phl segment first, even if the first segment on the res is phl-pao
3 - ensure that the "peak" pao-phl doesn't get used on a non peak train, on a barcode that has another off-peak pao-phl available.
Expect to have problems with at least some that!

Had a friend just last week, before eTicketing came out that already had issues with something like you propose. He brought an unreserved ticket on the Hiawatha service from Chicago to Milwaukee airport with a second segment on the same reservation from MKA to downtown Milwaukee. He spent the night in a hotel near MKA.

The conductor on the morning train was unable to process his ticket. The App kept telling him that the reservation was already used.

The conductor could clearly see that he had a valid ticket, but he couldn't process it via the App. He did let the friend take his ride, but who knows if those points will ever show up?
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 10:27 am
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by AlanB
rdorman,

The bar code does not change, not matter what changes you make. The only way to get a different bar code is to cancel outright and start over.

The one thing that I'm not sure of, although presumably the CA agent can also scan the QR Code, is how the agent will know you did an upgrade and to grant you access to the lounge, since the paperwork would still say BC on it. Even if they can't scan the QR code, they should still be able to look up the reservation, but that is of course more work for them which some may not like.

It's also going to be an interesting exercise for the FC crew in the car, as many like to check to make sure that you actually belong in that car and they will have no way to know that you processed an upgrade. Only the conductor will know that; so I would not be surprised to see a slight increase in people being kicked out of FC because they have the wrong ticket as it were.
That could be solved by Amtrak sending a new PDF (and refreshing the iPhone App info) after the upgrade is processed showing F Class.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 10:53 am
  #20  
 
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On 2153 this morning out of BOS the FC crew had no idea how the e-ticketing would work. He was interested to see my "ticket" on my iPhone (for tomorrow's travel, I was not able to get an e-ticket for travel today), and clearly there has been ZERO training of the FC crew so they know what to expect. I mentioned that people can board with just their iPhone ticket, and he seem puzzled by that - and by the concept that he would have to get the passenger to scroll down to the small print that says first class (geez - why not put that next to the QR code) and by the fact that there will be no ticket to put in the back of the seat.

Another passenger said e-tickets will not be issued if a passenger uses upgrade coupons. Not sure if that was accurate, but he seemed to be speaking from experience.

I am debating whether to print and carry my paper e-tickets for travel, or to just rely on the iPhone app. Seems like it will be easier to carry the paper tickets whenever possible.

I am still interested in a clarification as to how refunds work. The website suggests that once the e-ticket is issued (immediately) you are ticketed and subject to the usual policies (i.e. no refund, only voucher unless you want to pay a 10% penalty) but if i try to cancel my e-ticket for tomorrow it suggests I will get a full refund, just like the old days before I printed the ticket.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 11:04 am
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by BeantownFlyer
On 2153 this morning out of BOS the FC crew had no idea how the e-ticketing would work. He was interested to see my "ticket" on my iPhone (for tomorrow's travel, I was not able to get an e-ticket for travel today), and clearly there has been ZERO training of the FC crew so they know what to expect. I mentioned that people can board with just their iPhone ticket, and he seem puzzled by that - and by the concept that he would have to get the passenger to scroll down to the small print that says first class (geez - why not put that next to the QR code) and by the fact that there will be no ticket to put in the back of the seat.
I hope you convey this experience to Customer Relations, and that AGR Insider is reading this. OBS crew tend to be rather set in their ways and this is a huge procedural change for them.

Personally, I will continue to print a physical document no matter what. I always want to have a paper record of my trips for reference and historical record. I also don't want to risk any technical glitches or damage using my iPhone (both of which I have seen play out at airports). For the same reasons, I also always print my BPs when flying, even in this era of mobile BPs.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 11:31 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by BeantownFlyer
I am still interested in a clarification as to how refunds work. The website suggests that once the e-ticket is issued (immediately) you are ticketed and subject to the usual policies (i.e. no refund, only voucher unless you want to pay a 10% penalty) but if i try to cancel my e-ticket for tomorrow it suggests I will get a full refund, just like the old days before I printed the ticket.
The website has always been unclear about how to avoid the 10% penalty, hasn't it?

I just cancelled an e-ticket and got the full refund.

Curious - where does the site suggest that a ticket for tomorrow has different cancellation rules?
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 11:32 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by BeantownFlyer
I am still interested in a clarification as to how refunds work. The website suggests that once the e-ticket is issued (immediately) you are ticketed and subject to the usual policies (i.e. no refund, only voucher unless you want to pay a 10% penalty) but if i try to cancel my e-ticket for tomorrow it suggests I will get a full refund, just like the old days before I printed the ticket.
Yeah, I don't know if this is an intentional change or an oversight, but I've tried this a bunch of times and whether you cancel at the kiosk or on the website (and regardless of whether you've printed the e-ticket document at the kiosk or any other way), you get the full refund with no 10% deduction. Cool, if it sticks.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 11:53 am
  #24  
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Speaking of connections to airports, I wonder if the kiosks will be issuing Continental (err, sorry, United) codeshare segments as Amtrak e-tickets now?

It would be super cool if United could link up to this somehow so that UA OLCI (and the UA mobile app) would give you a valid Amtrak QR code, rather than the go-use-the-Amtrak-kiosk notice it gives you currently...
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 12:53 pm
  #25  
 
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I wonder what this will mean for checking tickets in NYP... Lines are already long and slow enough and I suspect many persons will use their phone for etix. This is not as easily viewed by a "checker" as the paper... I sure hope they have done some good testing in CHI as to queueing.

Start the campaign now... End Ticket Checks!

Note it does appear if you choose e delivery, you can still print it at a QwikTrak...

Also, Bye Bye Delta, I suggest for the time being, this should be made a sticky given the good info on this new program.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 1:37 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by tolkiennut
I wonder what this will mean for checking tickets in NYP... Lines are already long and slow enough and I suspect many persons will use their phone for etix. This is not as easily viewed by a "checker" as the paper... I sure hope they have done some good testing in CHI as to queueing.
Oh, it will totally be a mess for the checker even in the best-case scenario. Otherwise, so many easy ways to add 5-10 seconds per person:

- Phone went into screen lock.
- Phone on power save, screen impossibly dim
- Changed reservation, opened up the wrong PDF
- Opened confirmation email, forgot to open PDF
- PDF is open, need to spend 5 seconds zooming/scrolling.
- etc...

Maybe e-tickets will accelerate the demise of the ticket check.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 1:47 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by 21A
Speaking of connections to airports, I wonder if the kiosks will be issuing Continental (err, sorry, United) codeshare segments as Amtrak e-tickets now?

It would be super cool if United could link up to this somehow so that UA OLCI (and the UA mobile app) would give you a valid Amtrak QR code, rather than the go-use-the-Amtrak-kiosk notice it gives you currently...
Speaking of Newark, any idea how the e-tickets will work with the AirTrain?
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 2:53 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by nerd
Oh, it will totally be a mess for the checker even in the best-case scenario. Otherwise, so many easy ways to add 5-10 seconds per person:

- Phone went into screen lock.
- Phone on power save, screen impossibly dim
- Changed reservation, opened up the wrong PDF
- Opened confirmation email, forgot to open PDF
- PDF is open, need to spend 5 seconds zooming/scrolling.
- etc...

Maybe e-tickets will accelerate the demise of the ticket check.
Wow, you are so right. All the more reason to use the mezzanine boarding strategy at NYP, and if at all possible, never board a train at all in PHL!

I have never really understood why ticket check exists at some stations, when it is so inconsistently used. At WIL they never do it; at NYP they do it upstairs but not downstairs; at WAS they do it for coach passengers but not if you are boarding from the Acela lounge; and so on.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 3:27 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by travelmad478
Wow, you are so right. All the more reason to use the mezzanine boarding strategy at NYP, and if at all possible, never board a train at all in PHL!

I have never really understood why ticket check exists at some stations, when it is so inconsistently used. At WIL they never do it; at NYP they do it upstairs but not downstairs; at WAS they do it for coach passengers but not if you are boarding from the Acela lounge; and so on.
Lately every time I've boarded an Acela from the lounge, to my great dismay I've had to fish out my tickets for someone standing by the door to the track. Seems that they didn't want to miss out on the fun of checking those who were already checked just so they could get into the lounge.
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Old Jul 31, 2012, 3:28 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by warcraft82
Speaking of Newark, any idea how the e-tickets will work with the AirTrain?
Well since there is already someone there who has to check the regular style tickets to let Amtrak passengers through the gate, I suspect that they'll just check the eTicket in whatever form it is presented.
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