Washington – Amtrak is trying to gin up new business by offering $100 in free alcohol to customers on some overnight trains.
The national passenger-rail company is making the unusual offer to promote a new high-end service being offered on a trial basis for certain sleeper-car trips.
Members of Amtrak’s guest-rewards program – the railroad equivalent of frequent fliers – can get a $100-per-person credit for alcohol between November and January.
The offer of free drinks comes on top of the dinner wine that is already included in the cost of a ticket for GrandLuxe trips on the California Zephyr – chugging through Denver between Chicago and San Francisco – the Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles, or the Silver Meteor between Washington, D.C., and Miami or Orlando, Fla.
At about $6 for a house wine or $7 for a top-shelf scotch, that credit could fuel a long ride. The credit would not go nearly as far for, say, a $250 bottle of Dom Perignon – also available.
