Originally Posted by
PhilaBurbTom
2) Why if AMTRAK is going to provide service from PHN via bus don't they bus to Maricopa which is much closer than Flagstaff to pick-up an eastbound LD no matter where your going east?
I honestly do not know, besides that it would make too much sense.
But I think that many people would rather take the SWC which is
much more dependable (as far as ontime) than the SL!
One suggestion is (since there is no bus connection) is to request from Maracopa, not Phoenix. This way, it will not give you the "option" via Flagstaff.
3) I am planning to purchase part of the trip from MRC to El Paso,TX, as ELP is the border line for the AGR point zone. I would rather buy a ticket from MRC>ELP than cough up another 15K points for the extra zone. Now here is my last question, why are the fare buckets so different between #2 SL and #422 TE from MRC to ELP when for all purposes it is the same train? MRC>ELP OW #2 $58 coach/$113 roomette vs MRC>ELP OW #422 $140 coach/$210 roomette. I know which one I would choose but I was still wondering why?
The reason is each "train" sells their seats separately. It is possible that #422 sold out of "it's" lowest bucket fares and is now selling bucket 2 fare level tickets. Train #2 still has some seats on "it's" train availabe at the lowest bucket fare lebel.
The same possibility may (and many times) happens with the EB. Between Chicago and Spokane, the EB is sold as Trains #7/27 or #8/28. (From Spokane, one "train" goes to Portland and one "train" goes to Seattle. East of Spokane, it is combined to one train.) But if you check from say Mineapolis to Minot, you may find different fares listed for each "train"!
Another way to look at it is to think about code sharing. Even though flight ___ is on CO metal, it may be also sold as DL ___, NWW ___, AF ___, etc... Each airline may have different prices for "their" seat, but the are all selling seat 22-A on the same plane.