| Q1: |
Why is the University eliminating the ability to book Amtrak rail travel through American Express? |
| |
Given the limited value provided by a travel agent when purchasing an Amtrak ticket,
the level of service does not warrant the payment of service fees. This is especially true
since there are several other convenient options for acquiring a ticket with no fees
attached, such as purchasing Amtrak tickets on-line or at the Amtrak kiosk in Houston Hall.
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| Q2: |
How do I go about making an Amtrak reservation? |
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You have several options when making an Amtrak reservation. You can
make your reservation and purchase your ticket at the Amtrak kiosk in Houston
Hall, make your reservation on Amtrak's web site at
(http://www.Amtrak.com),
purchase your Amtrak ticket at 30th Street Station, or call 1.800.USA.RAIL.
For additional information go to:
http://www.finance.upenn.edu/comptroller/travel/air_rail/amtrak/quiktrak.shtml
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| Q3: |
How do I go about obtaining an Amtrak ticket? |
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If you purchase your ticket at the Amtrak kiosk in Houston Hall, your ticket will be
generated at that time. If you purchase your Amtrak ticket on-line you have the option
to pick up your ticket at any Amtrak kiosk or have the ticket mailed to you.
|
| Q4: |
What do I do if I need to change a reservation? |
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If you have purchased your ticket at the kiosk and you have your ticket, you
can call 1.800.USA.RAIL, press "0" to leave the automated system for agent
assistance and change the reservation. For reserved trains you will have to
stop at the ticket counter to get the ticket reissued prior to boarding.
If you have made the reservation on the web and have a reservation number,
you can call 1.800.USA.RAIL, press "0" to leave the automated system for agent
assistance and change the reservation. You can then enter the reservation number
into the kiosk and the corrected itinerary will be generated.
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| Q5: |
What do I do if I need to cancel a reservation? |
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If you need to make cancel a reservation, you can call 1.800.USA.RAIL, press "0" to
leave the automated system for agent assistance and cancel the reservation. If you don't
have a ticket, you are done. If you have already purchased and received the paper ticket
you will have to return that ticket for a refund.
Tickets to be refunded can be taken to any Amtrak ticket window or sent to:
AMTRAK
Customer Refund Department
Box 70, 2nd floor, North Tower
30th Street Station
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2878
Any tickets returned to Amtrak will be credited back to the credit card on which the ticket was charged.
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| Q6: |
How do I purchase Amtrak tickets for other people? |
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If you make a reservation using the Amtrak kiosk in Houston Hall, it assumes
the reservation is for the person whose name is on the credit card and that the
travel commences from Philadelphia. If you need to make a reservation for someone
other than yourself or for some other location than Philadelphia, you can make the
reservation using the Amtrak web site. Once you have paid for that ticket and receive
a reservation number, that ticket can be picked up by that traveler at any kiosk or
Amtrak ticketing counter. To pick up at a kiosk, the person:
- enters the reservation number and a credit card,
- selects "Advanced Paid Tickets, and
- "Print tickets."
The $0.00 on the ticket indicates that the payment was made from the credit card used to make the reservation.
When purchasing or picking up tickets at the kiosk, please keep in mind that you can only do three
transactions at the kiosk per card, per location, per day. This policy is to protect against the
occurrence of any possible fraudulent activity. However, if you have a group of people traveling together, you can put up to
8 people on a single reservation.
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| Q7: |
Who are the University's preferred travel partners? |
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The University's preferred travel partners are:
| Travel Agency |
Penn desk at American Express
215.898.9439 or 800.796.7573 |
| Airlines (with whom we have negotiated discounts) |
US Airways
American Airlines
Air France |
| Car rental companies |
National
Enterprise (locally)
Alamo |
| Hotels |
Various hotels locally and in select cities
(see Preferred Hotel Program)
Club Quarters |
For additional information, there is a section on the Travel Office web site
called "Preferred Vendors."
|
| Q8: |
How can I access the direct links of these partners? |
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You can access direct links to several of these travel partners by accessing the
Travel Program home page at: http://www.finance.upenn.edu/comptroller/travel/ |
| Q9: |
Who can I call if I have any questions? |
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If you have any questions, you can contact the Travel
Administrator, Susan Storb, or email her at storb@pobox.upenn.edu |
