First class Rail..
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I'd dread to think how you'd manage on a train in India, you get off the other end in a fit of rage no doubt.
You can still be flexible while making seat reservations compulsory, the more expensive TGV tickets are fully exchangeable and refundable before departure and up to 2 hours after.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Because they have no knowledge they cannot provide the service until after two prerequsites are met:
a) Passengers occupy all seats on Train W
b) Passenger X decides to join Train W
How can they know either a or b when selling the ticket? With a fully flexible fare, the sort without reservations, Passenger X is entitled to catch whichever train he wishes and can change his mind at any point.
Because that's a fair and sensible way of dealing with the complaint?
I'm not saying it's acceptable to stand in First Class. I'm saying it's in some cases unavoidable before the event, and as shown, can only really be dealt with by recompense following the event.
And in one fell swoop you've just removed one of the big advantages of trains...
The ability to have flexability, which, especially for businessmen is something very useful...
[TW]Fox;17930435 said:Not with an advance purchase ticket you cannot.
Don't confuse an advance purchase ticket with a normal ticket purchased in advance
Well they have advance in their name.
The singles you can't no, but returns you can (at least online). Having said that I just looked up the standard return ticket I get and it now says super off peak return, it used to be called super advance return... So maybe you are now right.
I've been travelling into London for over 10 years on First Class trains from the Midlands and I can think of only 2 times where there have not been enough seats in First Class and both times that was down to cancelled trains not to many people simply deciding to join the same train and food is ALWAYS served on midweek Virgin trains, usually a cooked meal in the evening if catching a NW headed train out of London. Weekends it's coffee, crisps and biccys but the morning breaky is one of the good things about travel on Virgin First Class.
And free wirelss in 1st Class too
And free wirelss in 1st Class too
But then for the cost of a packet of crisps or two he could have gone into a first class carriage.
I had a first class ticket for a train in Tunisia (company paid, although I think it cost £16 for a 6 hour journey...). Cattle class was awful and I think I ended up sitting in second class rather than first class which was fine, either way there was a potentially much nicer seating area than that further up.
They can, as you mentioned he didn't have a seat reservation, if he wanted a seat he could easily have waited for the next one...
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I think I would be ok if I sat on the sun deck.
And in one fell swoop you've just removed one of the big advantages of trains...
The ability to have flexability, which, especially for businessmen is something very useful...
So one of the main advantages of trains is that we can stand up on them for 3+ hours. I don't think so. I'd say the biggest advantage for business rail transport is that you can work while you're travelling, not flexibility. Rail is only marginally less flexible than air, if flexibility is the issue then you need to drive.
Standing in First Class is very rare and virtually unheard of. It's more or less a total non issue, and when it does happen, the ticket is usually refunded.
Please stop talking about things its quite clear you know nothing about. I know this will be quite hard for you, but we'll all be better off as a result.
No, because 99% of the time you won't be standing up. It's unfortunate on those rare occasions but the vast majority of the time it's fine.
Rail is entirely more flexable than air, considering it usually costs quite a lot to change ticket times for air, alongside the fact you can't just but an open ticket (without a large cost increase) for a plane. Then consider the fact you'll be waiting longer for one... Flexibility would only be an issue if you forced your draconian idea on an open system we have now, then plenty more people probably would end up driving.
[TW]Fox;17930542 said:
It's not the passengers fault if the TOCs can't manage their capacity properly. If there's overcapacity then people need to be told to make a reservation - like airlines do. If you want to buy a first class ticket for the Preston-London train at 17:30 on a Sunday night you should have a reserved seat, not stand up for 3 hours.
Sometimes things just happen. 20 people might decide at short notice to travel on the next train. etc etc. There is no issue to fix because it rarely happens.
A walk-on train is not an airline. You can get on whichever train you want, whenever you want, if you have the correct ticket. To withdraw this facility because once in a blue moon there is an issue would be ridiculous.
If I wanted to travel to London in 15 minutes time, I could do so right now. You are proposing, by making reservations compulsory, to withdraw this facility.
Whats the point?
He didn't buy a ticket for the 17:30 Preston-London sunday night train though else he would have been reserved a seat. He bought a first class ticket for a sunday train from Preston-London. Big difference! He chose to get on that train at that time, he could have waited for the next one if he wanted. You can't do that if you reserve a specific train ticket (and there is a difference on the tickets, specific train tickets have 2 tickets, one stating the exact train time and the other stating the day and "only valid on specific service". The one he got was almost certainly just a First class sunday ticket).
Either way I'm not entirely sure why you are moaning so much. It wasn't you that had to go through that "hell", your father didn't pay for the ticket in the first place AND the company that did pay for the ticket got the money back in the end anyway...
This thread is about First Class, not Standard Class.
Standing on Trains in First Class, with the possible exception of short routes where the First Class accomodation consists of basically 2 tables and 2 rows of airline seats (ie those on Class 170 units) might be more common but these trains are entirely unreservable anyway on that sort of trip.
Compulsory reservations for all tickets on Intercity services is completely ridiculous.