ohmark

Just tried 4 random dates in April/May, 2014 from Sanford to Lorton. For each date (4/25, 4/30. 5/2, and 5/6) I checked for two passengers and one automobile, with regular bedroom. Amtrak.com gave me the same fare for all dates: $1,406. I'm an Auto Train regular and understand that Auto Train fares reflect the season and direction. But I've never seen fares like this, particularly 9-10 months in advance. I'll ask the experts: any reason for this?

rrdude

I too am an AT regular, and experienced that THIS year, n chose to drive. Never again! I-95 northbound, with all the other Snowbirds who coldn't get on the AT, made the drive from FL to MD just plain miserable.

My guess is that Amtrak KNOWS from history, tht those trains will sell out, regardless of price, so "charge what the market will bear"

ohmark

Maybe you; not me. I guess there are folks like you who will, apparently, pay whatever (but, I'm assuming even somebody who truly hates the I-95 trek has their limit; $1,500? $2,000? $3,000?). At $1,406 for two people, I'll find other ways.

Still curious whether somebody knows whether these new astronomical fares are simply a product of a decision to raise Auto Train prices until people stop buying tickets, or whether something else is involved? Have other long-distance routes been so drastically affected?

3Cforme

I don't see the reason for outrage. A comparable distance on a Superliner - say Los Angeles - Eugene, can be $1188 for two with a bedroom WITHOUT A CAR!

Use Amsnag to look for the cheapest travel date(s).

http://biketrain.net/fooonuAmtrak/amSnag.php

ohmark

Hi. No disrespect, but outrage is not I word I used, nor feel. The word I used is shocked, but maybe "stunned" would be better. I also used the word "astronomical." Maybe I should have said astronomical in comparison to what these fares have almost always been previously.

Auto Train fares 10-11 months in advance have been previously consistently in the range of $675 to maybe $850 for 2 passengers, a bedroom, and a car. On an odd date the fares might be higher. Closer to the date of travel, you would see fares in the range of $850 to $1,100.
Now, the fares 10-11 months in advance are consistently (almost every day--in season) $1,406 (2 people, bedroom, car). It appears to be almost a doubling of prices. I can only imagine what the fares will be when the early buckets are gone.

AlanB

ohmark,

As you note that is typical a very busy time for the Auto Train, especially in the direction you're going. Of late it seems that the Amtrak Revenue Management team has learned that many people knew that the best time to buy was as soon as things went on sale for that train in any given month. So they've taken to adjusting how many seats/rooms go into each bucket, and typically weighted to the high buckets and not the low buckets.

So with that in mind, the fact that Bedrooms are more limited in supply, and in very high demand by the seniors, it doesn't surprise me at all to find that most rooms were probably dropped into the high buckets.

Now, while I cannot of course promise anything, it also seems that Rev Management also typically about 3 months after inventory first becomes available adjusts things back to a more normal or realistic pattern. My guess is that you will see some decline in those top prices if you keep checking, although I would definitely not look forward to seeing prices drop by half for the time period that you're looking at.

Finally, no, Amtrak isn't looking to keep people from buying tickets. And I rather strongly suspect that they have already sold some rooms at that price. If they've sold enough, then you won't see too much reduction in prices in the future, before they go back up. If they haven't sold too many, you'll see a greater reduction in price. But one thing I am sure of is that train will NOT leave Sanford with many empty, if any, Bedrooms.

ohmark

Thanks, Alan. I didn't mean to suggest that Amtrak was looking to quash sales. I meant as one of the possibilities, and as you suggest, that they are seeing what the market will bear. In other words, at what price point will folks simply stop buying tickets. As I indicated above, I simply will not pay the current prices and will utilize alternative means. While there may be (or may not be) much in the way of sales at current prices, I would guess that I am not the only one who will abandon the Auto Train at these prices.

Often1

Of course, Amtrak is seeing what the market will bear. That's what RM & supply/demand is all about. Presumably they are getting the $1406, so they have no reason to lower fares, at least not now.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

You might also look into what it would cost to acquire the necessary AGR points (or other points which can be converted to AGR points) in order to redeem for travel on the Auto Train.

ohmark

You may presume, but I doubt. We shall see.

amamba

Keep checking - if the rooms aren't selling, the price will come down. That is what active revenue management is about.

I like to ..... and moan, too, about the increased prices on amtrak. But at the end of the day it is about supply and demand, which is what they have to do in order to generate revenue to help get the congress critters off their backs.

If the price goes too high and demand drops off, then the revenue management folks will drop the prices. If you are vigilant about checking the fares, you can then buy when the price drops.

I recently bought an acela ticket for a sunday afternoon and it was really high priced. I kept watching the prices, and sure enough, it dropped by two buckets as the trip got closer. I just cancelled the original ticket, booked a new one, and was good to go.

ohmark

What is interesting to me is the apparent reversal of what's been a long-time policy, at least on the Auto Train. In all the previous years that I've booked tickets, the least expensive buckets came out first. As more tickets sold, the more recent tickets came from progressively more expensive buckets. Now, unless the pricing has gone completely wild, the most expensive bucket comes out first, apparently with computers (or humans?) measuring sales. It would appear that less expensive buckets come out only if/when sales are below some level. At least on Auto Train, there are no more worms for us early birds.

darben

Law of supply and demand.
After 5/18 the price drops appreciably.

Could just be the snow birds like to book early or Amtrak has learned from the airlines the same thing airlines do during peak travel times. Raise the bottom fares to a higher level the low bucket starts out higher

ohmark

If the fares I posted above reflect the new low bucket, then the fares have effectively doubled from last year.

jobtraklite

As AlanB said, I don't think it's the price of the bucket, but the bucket they are put in. But if they were put in the low bucket last year, then what you say is true. However, I started noticing this phenomena a couple of years ago for other than the autotrain, namely fares starting out in a higher bucket and then dropping about 2 months later.