AGR Insider

Thank you, PHLviaUS. We do try our best to maintain a presence here and follow up on requests while balancing numerous other priorities.

There is no forced stopover rule. The redemption guidelines stand as published. The call center leadership has been instructed to allow multiple redemptions to be booked with no forced overnight, as long as each individual redemption follows the guidelines (i.e. published route). If you call to book such an itinerary and are told an overnight stay is required between two redemptions, please ask for a lead agent or a supervisor.

HokieNav

Thanks for looking into this and setting the call center folks straight.

VentureForth

Ironic that his forum name has no caps...

AGR Insider:

Thank you very much for looking into this. I know that this is an issue that has taken considerably more time than just the average rule clarification post. Having a holiday week in the middle didn't help, either.

But we have the answer we were waiting for and that is terrific. Thanks again!

crescent2

Thanks very much, Insider! We are fortunate to have your interest and input, and we appreciate your willingness to listen and help.

RoboTraveler

Appreciate your efforts Insider!

pennyk

I realize that this thread is a bit old, but I just encountered a similar situation over the weekend. Have the rules changed since last July? I spoke to 3 different agents on Friday night. I got disconnected from the first one while she was checking to determine if what I wanted to do is doable. I phoned back and was disappointed that I could not talk to the same agent. The second agent informed me that a one zone trip was actually a 2 zone trip, and the third one told me an overnight was required. I want to go from Orlando to El Paso (2 zones) and from El Paso to Emeryville (1 zone) in a bedroom. I realize that a 3 zone trip would be 60,000 points and a 2 zone plus a one zone will be 65,000. If this is not allowed, I will stop calling and take another route. Thanks.

jimhudson

Penny: Remember you will also get a 5% Rebate of Points for your AGR MC.

IINM you are wanting to go ORL-WAS on the Meteor or Star/ take the Crescent to NOL/Overnight on your Dime and then take the Sunset Ltd. from NOL-ELP-LAX/ then the Starlight to EMY????

I'm not sure why you would want to change in El Paso Unless you are wanting to Book 2 Seperate Award Trips because AGR/Arrow would Route you ORL-WAS-CHI-EMY on the Meteor/Cap Ltd. and the Zephyr and you want to ride the Crescent and the Sunset! Technically ORL-ELP via WAS and NOL would be a 2 Zone Award and ELP-LAX_EMY (the Zone Border ) Would Be a One Zone Award! But the new Rules seem to say that you must Book the Most Direct Route/ No "Custom Routings"!
If AGR will Allow this, you May have to Change Rooms in ELP (either on #1 or #421/a Different Car) but If Available may be able to Stay in the Same Room all the way to LAX!
Id try to Do this as 2 Seperate AGR Awards, a 2 Zoner ORL-WAS-NOL-ELP /then a 1 Zone Award ELP-LAX-EMY! Good Luck, maybe a PM to Anthony would Clarify this??

pennyk

I am hoping to travel on 98 to WAS, 29 to CHI, 421 to ELP for a 2 zone redemption, and from ELP to LAX on either 421 or 1, and to EMY on the CS for a one zone redemption.

Ispolkom

Your plan follows the rules, as AGR Insider wrote on July 9. Your problem is that the third agent you talked to doesn't understand the rules. Try again, and if the fourth agent doesn't book what you want, talk to the agent's supervisor. If worst comes to worse book the two redemptions separately. What's the worst that can happen then? You might have to move from one roomette to another. El Paso is a long stop, so it's no problem if you have to move between sleepers.

My belief is that most AGR agents don't book many long-distance sleeper redemptions, and don't have the rules governing them at their fingertips the way we do. Why some of them then make up rules is a mystery to me, but in my experience is counterbalanced by those agents who misprice redemptions in my favor. YMMV, of course.

amamba

I would just PM AGR Insider. Good luck Penny!

3Cforme

ORL-WAS-CHI works, but from CHI of course the online booking tool wants the shorter California Zephyr CHI-EMY. I checked a few dates and saw no ORL-WAS-CHI-ELP-EMY option offered. ORL-WAS-CHI-ELP-LAX works as a 3-zone redemption if you really want the Texas Eagle and don't need to get to EMY.

saxman66

Penny is trying to book ORL-ELP as one reservation and ELP-EMY as a separate reservation. It's without a stopover in ELP. This is legal. I would just call twice and book each res with two different agents. The 2nd would probably not even see the 1st res.