Originally Posted by
Often1
SDC is not relevant here. This wasa later train, not an earlier one.
On airlines, SDC can be used to change to later flights as well as earlier ones, so it is relevant.
Originally Posted by
Often1
Moreover, Amtrak fares, at least on the NEC, are largely time-of-day. If you stay within your band, the price difference won't be much. But, if you change service type (Regional to Acela) or non-rush to rush-hour, the fare will certainly rise and by a goodly amount.
That's true three months before departure. It is often not true 30 minutes before departure.
Originally Posted by
Often1
I can't see Amtrak altering a pricing structure which seems to work quite well or to permit SDC which would encourage gamers to buy the cheaper fare and SDC to the more expensive train.
The risk of buying a cheaper ticket in order to avoid paying the higher fare is mitigated by the risk there won't be space available on the desired train and thus the passenger will have to take another train with more open seats or his/her originally-scheduled train. All but the most price-sensitive folks will book the train they need to be on. That's what airline passengers currently do, even with much better same-day change options available to them than Amtrak offers.