jrich7970

So, I just got an email from Amtrak saying that they are going to implement assigned seating in NEC Business Class. I'm intrigued!

arlflyer

Same here. Though honestly surprised it's taken this long. It's free money sitting on the table - either in the form of paid seat assignments or passengers buying up from coach to biz just to avoid the mad dash and scavenger hunt for a seat (especially those getting on at non-originating stations).

I am fortunate to ride in Acela First each week and what makes it worth it to me 100% is that seat assignment. The peace of mind that comes with knowing where I'll be and that I can get on and get right to work, even if I'm a bit late to the station, is worth every penny.

wordsmith

An improvement, certainly, but let's get assigned seating for all Acela cabins soon, please. For the premium paid, scrambling to have to get a seat is silly.

Daze

It says changes in seat assignments are free, as is the initial assigned seat. Daze

jrich7970

This...

Unfortunately, my weekly trip on Sunday afternoon, I'm always apprehensive about having to ask someone to get their damn backpack off the only open seat in the car. Now, at least, I'll know what seat is mine, and I wont have to rush on to the train with all the other people that are rushing on to the train. I only hope the seating map will be available on the app, and accurate (as in, updated each stop) so I can switch seats if I need to, etc.

I may be asking for too much though.

Not an issue on my ride home though, since I get on in DC, and it's an originating station.

arlflyer

Looks to me like just a scaling up of the Acela First functionality in the app. It's already built and it works really well. It allows you to change your seat instantly, for free, at any time - and that includes on the train! I've reassigned myself en route on multiple occasions when open single seats popped up or when I've had obnoxious parties sitting across the aisle.

wxguy

A nice feature, but I wish one could look at the seat map (especially in Acela First) before making a reservation or applying an upgrade. If only "bad" seats are left and I have flexibility, I would consider a different train with a "better" seat. In Regional Business, most seats are equivalent so it's less important.

arlflyer

Be careful what you wish for. They day they roll out that feature is the day they can also start dynamic pricing down to the individual seat level.

GrayAnderson

To be fair, the inability to see the seatmap prior to booking is inherently problematic on those few trains which have 2-1 seating (on the Regional side), but it is annoying in other cases regardless. It's right obnoxious on the Acela in First not to know if I can get a single seat prior to booking (whereas when boarding at WAS, that was basically a given before seat assignments, and very likely boarding at BAL and NYP). Mind you, if the seatmap on a given train is lousy you can always swap between trains (Business/Acela First is refundable until departure, anyway)...but it is annoying not to be able to see the map until after booking.

With that being said, from the start I wish they hadn't come up with this "feature".

MSPeconomist

I'm waiting for a seat poaching thread in this forum.

deker0

Certainly inevitable that we will see that thread coming soon.

arlflyer

Sounds like you've been riding a lot longer than me, but as a 2x/week Acela F rider I've never had an issue getting my preferred single as long as I book about a week or two out. And I've never been forced to sit at a table - those are the seats that I really dislike.

I'll take the certainty of having something over the uncertainty of not knowing, but that's just personal preference.


What I saw on my rides last week would have been enough to fill the whole first page of said thread! Several cascades of shuffling when a new rider boards, finds their seat taken, and it has to be traced all the way back to the root cause offender, who either feigns ignorance or hasn't realized that there is in fact assigned seating.

musicalbox

If you really care a lot before you book the train, you can call and do it over the phone and they can tell you before the booking is made.

diburning

I wonder what they'll do for trains 65/66/67. These are the red-eye trains that only sell (I think 15 or 18?) Business class tickets because they don't know ahead of time whether they'll be using a regular business class car or if they'll use the old Club Class cars where it's 1/3rd business class, 1/3rd cafe, and 1/3rd cafe car seating.

Long Train Runnin

Indeed.

Acela first class had seat assignments way back when the service launched but it didn't last.

Overall, i rate this as an improvement.