Passenger Trains > Coast Starlight Business Class

The following is a memo sent out to the
 Coast Starlight Team

                        the Coast Starlight Business Class Service

To accommodate the new Business Class Service, the seats have been
re-installed in the former Kiddie/Arcade Car.  These 121 seats (EDIT, 15JUN2015:
actual: 12 seats;  the "121" is a typo in the memo)  have the
potential to produce $1,200.00.00 annually in additional revenue.  All
shorts and night stops will now be seated in the 12 car.

Beginning on June 22, 2015, the Coast Starlight Business Class Service will
include the following amenities:

     The Coach Train Attendant will be issued a book of coupons.
      The $6.00 Food and Beverage Coupon can be redeemed in the Dining Car,
Lounge or Parlour
       Car.  Valid on the day of travel only.
      Wi Fi access for checking e-mail and intranet access ( no movie
streaming).
      Business Class (BC) travelers will have access to the Parlour Car for
wine tasting.
      The TA will give each BC passenger (2) bottles of water from the
Diner.
      BC seating is reserved exclusively for ticketed BC travelers.
      BC Customers will have access to the Metropolitan Lounges along the
route.

We all have a stake in increasing revenue and ridership and overall
customer satisfaction.  We can do this by providing the type of service
options and quality customer service our passengers are looking for.  Your
participation in the Coast Starlight enhanced Business Class Service is key
to its success.  This will be the first time a long distance service will
offer our customers the option of upgrading from regular coach to Business



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/15 11:20 by GenePoon.

Gene:

Which car will be the business class car if the 12 car is going to be shorts and night stops?

Northridge Switcher

11 Car-
closest to the amenities being offered.

We must have been on the advance edge of this program when my wife and I travelled from San Diego to LA (business class) continuing on to San Luis Obispo on the Coast Starlight in a roomette.  The e-ticket showed us as business class (fare-wise) from San Diego to SLO although we were in the roomette we had reserved.

BM, thank you.

Northridge Switcher

The great Coast Starlight Chief Brian Rosenwald, who upgraded the Starlight, and I had a discussion over  Business Class seating when the  Parlor Car (former spelling) first came on line. I suggested daytime BC seating but Brian felt that it would result in crowding and down marketing the "P Car" thus making it less exclusive for the Sleeper paxs who were paying and are still paying big bucks for their Pullmans. I suppose a BC car with only the wine tasting taking place in the P Car might be a good experiment. Let's see how it goes. 

I wish them the best with this concept, but I feel it will fail to attract business.   I think a better approach would be to be more aggressive with selling unfilled daytime segments in the sleeping cars.   I haven't ridden the Starlight in a few years, but my memory was there was typically a sizeable inventory of unsold rooms between Los Angeles and San Jose, with the rooms filling up in the evening.  When someone goes to book a trip on a daytime leg the online system could suggest an upgrade to first class for the special price of x.  

 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Hope it has 2 and 1 seating...in my humble opinion that is the only thing that makes Midwest Business Class worth the money.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/15 19:35 by cashfare.

webmaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wish them the best with this concept, but I feel
> it will fail to attract business.   I think a
> better approach would be to be more aggressive
> with selling unfilled daytime segments in the
> sleeping cars.   I haven't ridden the Starlight
> in a few years, but my memory was there was
> typically a sizeable inventory of unsold rooms
> between Los Angeles and San Jose, with the rooms
> filling up in the evening.  When someone goes to
> book a trip on a daytime leg the online system
> could suggest an upgrade to first class for the
> special price of x.  
>
First, I am confused with the numbers - is it 12 seats, not 121 seats? And is it $1,200,000 anually cause $1,200 doesn't cut it.

Regarding Todd's comment, I agree. I rode LA to the Bay Area and vice versa MANY times in a roomette - for as low as $90 during the day. It was cheaper than coach + had all the amenities. I am sure it is more expensive now, but just saying you could get a "day room" - and that's how it should be marketed.

But you have to be careful - or reservations does. The issue being that you don't want the "day time" sleepers taking up potential space for what could be a Salinas or Paso Robles passenger heading to the Pacific Northwest. And I was a passenger/victim of that too! Travelled in coach on #14 till San Jose and then switched to a roomette.

I don't know, I hope the BC program works. Perhaps it could even work on other trains (leather and more comfortable seating, coupons, etc.). It would be nice if Amtrak perhaps reserved BC passengers for the Dorm car. On the one side of a dorm car, you techincally have 10 spots for what could be roomettes. Amtrak sells some roomettes in the Dorm car, but there is more space available as a result of the onboard downsizing. The lower level is not used at all. Frankly, the Dorm car employee lounge could have been the BC section if needed. Just saying...........I think Amtrak could be more creative with the Dorm Car these days.

I do support a separate car for crew members, but unfortunately, Amtrak has just obliterated its onboard staff. And that's also a direct hit to the Dorm Car. I have even advocated for the ENTIRE Superliner Trans/Dorm Car to be a full revenue car (or renovated into one) and then the crew be spread or placed in the lower level of one of the cars. For the Coast Starlight, this would mean you'd have FOUR sleepers and onboard staff mixed in where there is room. VIA does it!!!! They've had to do it with the Viewliners since the Heritage Dorm Cars were ridiculously retired so early.

I guess they couldn't use a full coach Car for the Business Class service?

I would think if this service is popular they should have use a full coach car.

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

Hope  this effort  works. Something positive.

GP25 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess they couldn't use a full coach Car for the
> Business Class service?
>
> I would think if this service is popular they
> should have use a full coach car.

Seems to me their was a cruise outfit that put passengers on the Coast Starlight. I thought they had their own car of some sort (almost like an Alaska operation). What was the story there? Does anyone know how this operated on the Coast Starlight? Perhaps it was just a full length dome car at the end of the train from LA to the Bay Area?

I took Business Class on the Surfliner to Goleta from LA expecting a quiet environment.  On the two trips I took it was actually almost all retirees and families, who for $20 extra on the ticket were given a small bottle of cheap wine and a bag of junk food.  It was no quieter than the rest of the train; in fact, it was noisier than some adjacent coaches and a preferred ocean-side seat was harder to find.  I'm all for Business Class on the Starlight if it increases revenue or ridership, but I won't be taking it on the Surfliner again.

Just went to the Amtrak reservation site and don't see this alternative available for travel after 6/22.  I guess one has to call directly or go to a station to get this rate.

gherrig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I took Business Class on the Surfliner to Goleta
> from LA expecting a quiet environment.  On the
> two trips I took it was actually almost all
> retirees and families, who for $20 extra on the
> ticket were given a small bottle of cheap wine and
> a bag of junk food.  It was no quieter than the
> rest of the train; in fact, it was noisier than
> some adjacent coaches and a preferred ocean-side
> seat was harder to find.  I'm all for Business
> Class on the Starlight if it increases revenue or
> ridership, but I won't be taking it on the
> Surfliner again.

Sometimes ya just have to suck it up. Have fun on the 5.

GP25 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess they couldn't use a full coach Car for the
> Business Class service?
>
> I would think if this service is popular they
> should have use a full coach car.


Bingo. And it should be placed between the parlor and the 30 sleeper.

gherrig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I took Business Class on the Surfliner to Goleta
> from LA expecting a quiet environment.  On the
> two trips I took it was actually almost all
> retirees and families, who for $20 extra on the
> ticket were given a small bottle of cheap wine and
> a bag of junk food.  It was no quieter than the
> rest of the train; in fact, it was noisier than
> some adjacent coaches and a preferred ocean-side
> seat was harder to find.  I'm all for Business
> Class on the Starlight if it increases revenue or
> ridership, but I won't be taking it on the
> Surfliner again.

Don't try it on the NEC either, for the reasons you cite.

sums007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> gherrig Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I took Business Class on the Surfliner to
> Goleta
> > from LA expecting a quiet environment.  On the
> > two trips I took it was actually almost all
> > retirees and families, who for $20 extra on the
> > ticket were given a small bottle of cheap wine
> and
> > a bag of junk food.  It was no quieter than
> the
> > rest of the train; in fact, it was noisier than
> > some adjacent coaches and a preferred
> ocean-side
> > seat was harder to find.  I'm all for Business
> > Class on the Starlight if it increases revenue
> or
> > ridership, but I won't be taking it on the
> > Surfliner again.
>
> Don't try it on the NEC either, for the reasons
> you cite.

All you get now in Business Class on the NEC is a non-alcoholic beverage. Business class varies so much now across the Amtrak system.....

Wish  they would do that on the CL and LSL.

webmaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wish them the best with this concept, but I feel it will fail to attract business.   I think a
> better approach would be to be more aggressive with selling unfilled daytime segments in the
> sleeping cars.   I haven't ridden the Starlight in a few years, but my memory was there was
> typically a sizeable inventory of unsold rooms between Los Angeles and San Jose, with the rooms
> filling up in the evening.  When someone goes to book a trip on a daytime leg the online system
> could suggest an upgrade to first class for the special price of x.  
>
Agree completely.  Why would you do "business" on a cruise train?