award pricing weirdness
 

So I'm just wondering if someone can explain this to me, I'm so curious. I'm looking at travel later this year from WAS-NYP. I just need to get to JFK for a flight so don't need all the frills, etc, just need to get there. These are ESTIMATED numbers but coach is $30 o/w and biz class is say $90 or so. I looked at burning some points (don't want to debate the "why" thanks) and the coach ticket is approx 4200 points and biz class is approx 3100 points. That's crazy that Biz class is lower. I don't "Want" biz class but to save on points I may get the ticket, I'm just curious as to why there is a difference and why biz class is so much lower in terms of points?? Thanks and safe travels! Oops, I should add this is on Amtrak regional..

I found the same thing last October, also on the Regional WAS-NYP but I didn't end up travelling and had forgotten about it.

I wonder what the pattern is.

I don't know the "why," soxfanndc, but I also noticed a similar discrepancy when pricing a WAS-WIL trip last Spring.

By the way, if you are planning to take the LIRR from NYP to Jamaica to catch the JFK AirTrain, I trust that you are aware of the special $5 "City Ticket" rail fare available for travel during all off-peak times on the LIRR. ;)

The coach class tickets price into Saver, Value, and Flexible buckets. That $30 fare is about as low as it goes on that route and is a "Saver" fare. Unfortunately, when tickets are priced using points it is NOT done using the lowball saver fare. That is why some will lecture you on why you need to be careful using points in the NE corridor. If you compare the Value fare to the Business fare, you will see that the business fare is lower than the value fare. That is where the discrepancy comes from. This will not be true for all departures as the fares are dynamic.

Agree with folks here - it happens. AND sometimes the Acela close to a regional train time could be cheaper. You just get lucky - - and if you have an upgrade coupon that's about to expire and get the Acela ticket, you now have a first class ticket (with a meal!) for the same or less than a low-ball coach set on a regional train. Enjoy it if/when it happens.

I've booked business twice. I love it when biz is cheaper than coach when using points.

dh

So answer me this...

I booked an award ticket SFC (downtown San Francisco) to EMY to LAX on the CS. I could have booked EMY/LAX, but that was more costly in cash and awards? The SFC departure is an Amtrak bus to EMY. Why is this less expensive than EMY/LAX??

dh

Amtrak is just protecting their fortress hub at EMY. :D

I think it could be a married segment thing where the bus connection changes the fare bucket on the CS.

It wasn't an award, but it was pricing weirdness. For a trip earlier this month, a bus from SFC to EMY followed by a bedroom on the Coast Starlight to LAX was more than $100 higher than a bedroom from OKJ to LAX on the same train on the same day. (I planned to take the ferry to Oakland and catch the Coast Starlight there, but things changed and I didn't take the trip.)

FWIW, I reported seeing Flex fares cheaper than Value fares on SFC-EMY-FFV (Capital Corridor) with the bus connection back in July.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amtr...alue-fare.html