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Does Amtrak honor "mistake fares"?

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Does Amtrak honor "mistake fares"?

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Old Nov 20, 2015, 2:23 pm
  #1  
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Does Amtrak honor "mistake fares"?
Hi -

I have booked a RT on Amtrak for next summer for what is a ridiculously low fare.

Once ticketed, am I good to go, or can Amtrak somehow void the ticket (a la airlines)?
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Old Nov 20, 2015, 2:32 pm
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Screenshot everything, print out paper copies of tickets, etc.

I'd think you will probably be fine.
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Old Nov 20, 2015, 2:50 pm
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How much was the fare, and for how long of a journey, time-wise?
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Old Nov 20, 2015, 8:05 pm
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Hi -

The fare was $1.00 and covered over 200 miles.

Silly me -- I forgot to ask for my AAA discount, so the return was $0.90.

$1.90 roundtrip.

I have a paper copy of the boarding pass, so no e-ticket on my smartphone.
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 12:22 pm
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Guessing this was to or from Indianapolis and Chicago? Not a mistake rate, just the way they are pricing it.
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 2:56 pm
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Hi -

Too quote Ed McMahon ... "You are CORRECT, Sir!"

I can't believe the regular low bucket ticket is $1.00. Can you enlighten me on the rationale for this?
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 4:02 pm
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Originally Posted by Orwaid
Hi -

Too quote Ed McMahon ... "You are CORRECT, Sir!"

I can't believe the regular low bucket ticket is $1.00. Can you enlighten me on the rationale for this?
Megabus -- which operates several nonstop trips a day between Chicago and Indianapolis, each of which takes less time than Amtrak does.

Megabus fares also start at $1.00.
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 5:37 pm
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Sounds like a fun trip to take for $2.
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 5:57 pm
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$2 is a great deal. Just think the cheapest tix for a comparable NYC-WAS trip is $52 each way.
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Old Nov 21, 2015, 10:27 pm
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Hi -

Doc, if you have AAA, it is only $1.80.

And it is only on the Hoosier. Not available on the Cardinal.
Last edited by Orwaid; Nov 21, 2015 at 10:37 pm
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Old Nov 28, 2015, 4:41 pm
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Since the Hoosier is a state sponsored run, and a run now being covered by non-Amtrak trains, they can set the fares as they see fit. My guess is that they're trying to build up some ridership by offering some seats at a very low price.

Mind you, they'd do better to increase ridership by negotiating different timings for the Hoosier State with the host RR's.
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Old Nov 28, 2015, 8:05 pm
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Hi -

Thank you all for clearing up something that seemed odd to me.

One last question: how much time should I allow to get from OHare airport to Union Station? I am guessing that the L is the best way to go.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 12:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Orwaid
Hi -

Thank you all for clearing up something that seemed odd to me.

One last question: how much time should I allow to get from OHare airport to Union Station? I am guessing that the L is the best way to go.
Catch the Blue Line @ O'Hare and figure on 45 Minutes to Downtown/ and with the walk to Union Station an Hour! EZ trip!
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 9:47 pm
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Hi -

Many thanks to AlanB and guv1976 for clearing things up.

And also to jimhudson for answering my transfer question.
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 10:41 am
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Originally Posted by jimhudson
Catch the Blue Line @ O'Hare and figure on 45 Minutes to Downtown/ and with the walk to Union Station an Hour! EZ trip!
True, but if the question is "how much time to get from plane to train" you really should factor in a minimum of two hours, if you include the walk from the gate to the L station, buying a ticket, waiting up to 10 minutes for a train, factor in a few slow zones, etc. And that's assuming an on-time flight in the first place.

Personally, since you are trying to connect to a once-a-day Amtrak train in Chicago, I'd leave a good six hours between your flight's scheduled arrival and your train's scheduled departure. And even then you are at the mercy of the airlines/weather/air traffic control.
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