Originally Posted by
bwb6df
I'm not sure how it is affecting refund status, but you should be aware that Amtrak is slowly moving to e-tickets. As of right now, when you book a ticket online, it is "issued" as an electronic ticket as soon as you pay for it, and then when you print out the ticket it is behind the scenes exchanging that e-ticket for a paper ticket that you can use to travel.
So far, only the Auto Train offers ticketless checkin and travel (see
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1248543222421 ) but as far as I know, every advance paid reservation technically now starts as an e-ticket.
(You'll note on the paper ticket that the date of issue listed on the paper ticket now reflects the date you make the reservation/purchase; before, that date of issue was the date the physical ticket was printed.)
But, like I said, it seems to be people's experience that the issuance of the e-ticked with purchase does not affect the ability to get a refund....
Correct. Not only does the ticket reflect the date of purchase, as opposed to the old method where it was the date the ticket was printed, but the location is no longer the station code where the ticket was printed. The location now reads ITN for Internet. Only if you visit with an agent to actually buy your ticket from said agent will it have the code for that station as the issue point.
Next, as noted by Amamba, the Downeaster is currently testing the scanning equipment live on the train. You cannot just show up with your computer printout however, they haven't reached that part of the test yet. A rider must still obtain a valid standard issue ticket from an agent or Quik-Trak. But the conductor will now scan your ticket's barcode and a small printer will actually printout the seatcheck, instead of the conductor using the standard decades old seat checks.
The conductor will still lift your ticket, just like normal. That's done in part prevent people from trying to get a refund as well as to allow Amtrak to verify that the scanning system is working properly.
The next step in testing should see things spreading to the Capitol Corridor in early December. It is also possible that you may start seeing some units show up on the LD trains by late December, but I sure wouldn't hold my breath either waiting for that.
The unofficial, and I stress that "unofficial", estimate is that we may start to see a transition to actual eTicketing phasing in across the system stating in February 2012 and running through May 2012. But it wouldn't surprise me to see that timetable slip at least a bit.