Monthly Archives: May 2017

Amtrak Business Class is a very nice option

I traveled to California from Oregon in November 2016 in Coach – It was the normal Amtrak Coast Starlight experience: a comfortable seat and a random neighbor who joined me in the night somewhere around Sacramento or Davis.  On this trip I noticed that there was a new ‘business class’ car on the train between the observation car and the diner – it was quiet, clean and enticing, but I hadn’t noticed it as an option on the Amtrak website…

On my next trip to California I determined to travel in Business Class.  This upgrade cost me about $45 per direction (and as little as a $20 difference) and came with a $6 meal credit, free bottled water, a pillow, wifi, and a pretty good bet that I would have two seats to stretch out on at ‘bedtime’.  We had our own friendly car attendant, Gingi (an almost 20 year Amtrak veteran who I’ve seen on this train on many trips) and the car was nice and clean, and the business class passengers where pretty quiet.

Larry with business class car attendant Gingi, who took great care of us

Larry with business class car attendant Gingi, who took great care of us

I highly recommend business class for a pleasant journey with more amenities, more room and cleaner surroundings and bathrooms.

This is where Amtrak hides the business class option on their reservations page:

amtrak-business-class-3

 

amtrak-business-class2

This example is only $20 difference!

Happy traveling,

Larry
Chief Advocate