Does anyone know anything about Amtrak’s books?
Every time I price a trip on Amtrak, I’m flabbergasted. We’re planning a 3-leg trip this summer, BOS to SLC to PDX (Portland, OR), and I’m pricing leg 1 by rail and plane. Jet Blue wants $215/person to get us to SLC. Amtrak wants $130/person (w/ AAA discount). So far, so good, but there’s still one tiny problem. This fare involves having my darling daughters sleep in reclining coach-class seats in a cabin full of people. Anyone who has ever seen my kids at bed time knows this is a bad idea—for my girls, yes, but even more so for the other passengers. The solution is a “family bedroom.” The problem is that this bedroom costs $929, one way, in addition to the seat fare. That price includes meals, but it’s effectively for one night (okay, call it two to be generous). It’s the Ritz on Rails! It’s also the reason I’ll probably never take the train with my family for at least 10 more years.
Anyway, my point isn’t to rant. Does anyone about the revenue model for Amtrak? Are these prices really necessary to cover expenses? Another thing to note is that the family bedrooms are almost always booked. Does this mean that the price is right, or does it mean they should figure out how to add more bedrooms and drop the price. Anyway, it seems unlikely any of my readers (I have, what, two? three?) know anything about this, but I figured I should at least try.
