WeekendTraveler

I took the Acela Express recently, in first class. After a few bad experiences with surly crew members on the Crescent, I figured that the way to have a nice trip was not to deal with Amtrak crew.

So I stopped at Chick-fil-A across from Penn Station for lunch to go, boarded through the mezzanine level of NYP (not using Moynihan, and not bothering to get food from the lounge), got on board, put in earplugs and headphones, and started doing work. I even brought my own bottles of water.

But I noticed that the main attendant:

1. Intercepted a passenger who boarded through another car and walked into the first class car from the quiet car. Nobody was in the galley at the end of the car, so what she did didn't inconvenience anyone, but he raced up to her, stopped her and lectured her that "she shouldn't board that way in first class" and fussed some more. Then he turned to the other attendant and said, "I guess that was mean, but this is first class and it needs to be that way."

2. Took the drink order of the group of people sitting at the end of the car, and then turned to walk towards the galley. A passenger across the aisle asked, "May I have a Dogfish?", and the attendant stopped and lectured the passenger that "it's not your turn to ask for a drink until I tell you that you can order it" and fussed some more. I heard that passenger then say to his wife, "what's his issue?"

3. In a trip of a little over 3 1/2 hours, took drink orders at the beginning of the trip, maybe accepted drink orders when serving lunch and then came down the aisle later during the trip, telling each passenger, "you're good, right". That was it. In 3 1/2 hours.

Would you complain? I was prepared, with my own food and drinks and refused Amtrak's food and drinks, so I wasn't affected, but it was clearly not a customer service-oriented employee, and pretty minimal service. This person just seems like another surly Amtrak employee who needs to change.

Long Train Runnin

Considering how much you bemoan that Amtrak doesn't care at all about passenger experience I would wonder why you spent the energy to write this post, and question why you'd expect anything to be done if you passed this feedback along.

musicalbox

I can't get past someone riding FC and not eating or drinking, lol.

But seriously, I get 75% great service in FC, 20% lackadaisical service, and only 5% outright bad. So I don't bother to complain because it's really the exception. If it were my only trip it would be hard to say. Not to mention, half the time they send me a survey and I can say what I feel on that.

WeekendTraveler

Even if food and drinks in first class are included as part of the ticket price, they still aren’t free: it’s necessary to tip. And they’re served only when the attendant decides to.

I’d rather just pay an equivalent amount to Chick-filA and get the food and drinks that I want, when I want them.

musicalbox

I always use a coupon so a few bucks for a nice meal brought to my seat plus all you can drink is definitely worth it. It's really the only reason I upgrade as the single seats are nice but usually not available anymore 48 hours before.

physioprof

IME riding Acela First Class dozens of times per year, the overwhelmingly vast majority of First Class attendants are making a strong effort to provide good service. Some of them are a little bit brusque, but if you treat them respectfully, even that subset IME warms up. In many years & over one hundred Acela First Class trips, I've never had an attendant whose service made me feel dissatisfied to the level of even considering complaining. My sense is that people in transportation service jobs--like Acela First Class attendants & airline flight attendants--are very attuned to the "vibe" that passengers give off & can detect someone who is expecting the worst & interpreting everything in the worst possible light...

WeekendTraveler

Thanks. That makes sense.

I fly on American Airlines at least once per week, almost always in first class.

I really like the flight attendants and have good to great (and mostly great) service. I get thank-you notes, lots of smiles, lots of “thank you for being an Executive Platinum member and for flying with us, Mr. Weekend Traveler”, and after every trip, I contact AA to thank them for at least one great employee during the trip.

On Amtrak, I’ve met two sleeping car attendants who are great, and one first class attendant on the Acela who’s great, but the rest just seem to have attitude and no enjoyment of their jobs (at best). They don’t want to be there and they don’t want to go above and beyond. Or even do anything to make the trip enjoyable.

physioprof

Perhaps you might experience better luck if you make a conscious effort to give off the vibe that you are grateful to be served, even if the initial moments of the interaction seem less than promising. This is what I do, it has never failed to keep things from spiraling negatively, and pretty much always nudges things in a positive direction.

hi55us

Oh boy, another post from Weekend Traveler. Popcorn ready.

WeekendTraveler

I act the same way onboard Amtrak as I do on AA.

On AA, the flight attendants are pretty cheerful and happy when they interact with me. And, as I stated, I get thank-you notes and more on AA (and Delta), even a gift bag on Delta. I’ve even been upgraded, once the plane had already pulled back from the gate and was taxiing towards the runway, by a FA who said, “we just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable, Mr. Weekend Traveler.” Excellent service.

Not on Amtrak. On my last Crescent trip, I recognized the sleeping car attendant and when I boarded, I smiled and said, “Very nice to see you again!” I got a blank stare back.

It’s not me.

rittenhousesq

In general I have few complaints about the service in Acela First. Sure some crews are better than others, but for the most part, my experiences have been good. Lately, I've been taking #2121 from NYP, which is where this train originates. The two guys who work this train, are on their toes the whole time, including helping people with their luggage. I typically have my first beverage in hand before we've left the station.

WeekendTraveler

UPDATE

Due to a flight diversion, I am unexpectedly onboard the Acela Express in first class.

The Amtrak employee is terrific: beverages served upon departure, another round of drinks within half an hour, a glass of warm mixed nuts, etc. he is way better than the crew I describe above.

I haven’t changed. Amtrak just has wide variation in employee quality.