Avanti Reservation and Advance Ticket release dates

[gordonthemoron]

Is this acceptable?

from https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/timetables

Avanti Advance tickets and reservations for August Bank Holiday Weekend will not be released until 20/8/21, which is only 8 days prior

 

[sonic2009]

It could be out of Avanti's hands with Network Rail yet to confirm the timetable possibly?

 

[gordonthemoron]

It could be out of Avanti's hands with Network Rail yet to confirm the timetable possibly?

Probably, so the complaint is about Network Rail

Having Tweeted both Avanti and Network Rail, it appears to be Avanti's fault

 

[trainophile]

Guard on my Avanti today was saying that several services have been cancelled due to the pinging of staff, and there's a new timetable from today. Perhaps the timetable from today is temporary and there's a bigger ongoing problem to sort out.

Rail crew seem to be falling like flies, not with the virus but with the fall-out of the track & trace app.

 

[Hadders]

It’s not the first time Advance tickets and reservations have been released this close to the date of travel.

From a passenger point of view it really is a disgrace.

 

[voyagerdude220]

It’s not the first time Advance tickets and reservations have been released this close to the date of travel.

From a passenger point of view it really is a disgrace.

I had a customer ask me to reserve them seats for a Manchester to Scotland TPE service travelling in December recently- I was amazed that the trains were available to book seats on so early.

Avanti on the other hand were unavailable.

Edit: Looking on LNER's website- it doesn't even let you search for Manchester to Scotland services on Monday 6th December, stating they're not on sale yet- but they are-
If you go on TPE's on website, it happily offers to sell you tickets for this date.

 

[island]

Guard on my Avanti today was saying that several services have been cancelled due to the pinging of staff, and there's a new timetable from today. Perhaps the timetable from today is temporary and there's a bigger ongoing problem to sort out.

Rail crew seem to be falling like flies, not with the virus but with the fall-out of the track & trace app.

That should no longer be relevant after 16 August.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

That should no longer be relevant after 16 August.

Is it an issue that the Government haven't yet absolutely confirmed the rules will change on 16 Aug - that's just the expectation - but Avanti can't rely on that until the Government officially confirms it.

Also - I'm not clear - even if the rules change, so double-vaccinated people won't generally be told to self-isolate after 16 Aug, what happens to anyone had already been told to self isolate a day or two before the rules change? Unless they are allowed to immediately end their self-isolation early on 16 Aug, there'll still be an impact on staff levels for a couple more weeks.

 

[Watershed]

Is it an issue that the Government haven't yet absolutely confirmed the rules will change on 16 Aug - that's just the expectation - but Avanti can't rely on that until the Government officially confirms it.

Also - I'm not clear - even if the rules change, so double-vaccinated people won't generally be told to self-isolate after 16 Aug, what happens to anyone had already been told to self isolate a day or two before the rules change? Unless they are allowed to immediately end their self-isolation early on 16 Aug, there'll still be an impact on staff levels for a couple more weeks.

The amending Regulations have already been made - they were published more than 2 weeks ago. They are just not in force until 16 August.

Anyone who is self-isolating on that date will be able to finish their self-isolation 'early' if they are exempt.

But as I've said in this thread, I doubt any of this will make the slightest difference. An agreement will need to be reached between the TOCs and the unions, possibly at a national level, before anything improves.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I am currently trying to book Avanti tickets for 3/4th November and there are no Advance tickets available.

Anyone got the lowdown on what the current release date expectancy is? They don't make it easy, I'm already driving London to Manchester this weekend instead of Avanti as their pricing has gone up so much.

 

[30907]

I am currently trying to book Avanti tickets for 3/4th November and there are no Advance tickets available.

Anyone got the lowdown on what the current release date expectancy is? They don't make it easy, I'm already driving London to Manchester this weekend instead of Avanti as their pricing has gone up so much.

Midweek advances are available according to NRE for those dates (with a caution about timetables) and start at cheaper than the OP return; weekend ones seem to go to the second weekend in October and are slightly dearer.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Midweek advances are available according to NRE for those dates (with a caution about timetables) and start at cheaper than the OP return; weekend ones seem to go to the second weekend in October and are slightly dearer.

Oh ok ta, I was on split ticket site

Midweek advances are available according to NRE for those dates (with a caution about timetables) and start at cheaper than the OP return; weekend ones seem to go to the second weekend in October and are slightly dearer.

I can see them now on the Avanti site. It’s just that they are so poor the off peak tickets are cheaper bar one combo option which doesn’t really fit my needs.

They could be pricing themselves out of viability they way they are going.

I used to travel First with them every time and now I am backing at their Standard prices.

 

[Haywain]

They could be pricing themselves out of viability they way they are going.

Your idea of viability may be significantly different to Avanti’s.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Your idea of viability may be significantly different to Avanti’s.

This is true but not relevant to me

It will be interesting how HS2 pricing will effect WCML pricing - hopefully it’s an honest competition

 

[JamesT]

Midweek advances are available according to NRE for those dates (with a caution about timetables) and start at cheaper than the OP return; weekend ones seem to go to the second weekend in October and are slightly dearer.

Rather than using NRE, go to the horse’s mouth? https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/timetables has the dates for which timetables and advance tickets are sorted.

 

[AlterEgo]

This is true but not relevant to me

It will be interesting how HS2 pricing will effect WCML pricing - hopefully it’s an honest competition

The pricing will be much less of an issue than capacity. HS2 and legacy WCML aren’t going to, or meant to, compete with each other. They’ll serve different market segments.

 

[VauxhallandI]

The pricing will be much less of an issue than capacity. HS2 and legacy WCML aren’t going to, or meant to, compete with each other. They’ll serve different market segments.

ah ok, which segments?

Business on HS2 and leisure on WCML?

That would mean more capacity and maybe lower prices on WCML or would that just mean less trains and just the same price if not more as the alternative is X2 the cost so there is more room for increases?

 

[JamesT]

ah ok, which segments?

Business on HS2 and leisure on WCML?

That would mean more capacity and maybe lower prices on WCML or would that just mean less trains and just the same price if not more as the alternative is X2 the cost so there is more room for increases?

Given that at least initially, Avanti will be running both HS2 and the legacy WCML there’s going to be limited competition between them. What the pricing structure will be is more for the speculative side of the forum, but the official statements thus far have all been that HS2 fares will be similar to existing tickets.

The segmentation is going to be interesting. HS2 will have the express services which would normally be the preserve of premium business travellers. But it will also have plenty of capacity through the day for leisure travellers, so cheaper tickets to fill the seats.
The legacy WCML services are going to be slower with more stops to cater more for the stations currently bypassed by the expresses. The current fares structure tends to price those high in the peaks for commuters and lower the rest of the time.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Given that at least initially, Avanti will be running both HS2 and the legacy WCML there’s going to be limited competition between them. What the pricing structure will be is more for the speculative side of the forum, but the official statements thus far have all been that HS2 fares will be similar to existing tickets.

The segmentation is going to be interesting. HS2 will have the express services which would normally be the preserve of premium business travellers. But it will also have plenty of capacity through the day for leisure travellers, so cheaper tickets to fill the seats.
The legacy WCML services are going to be slower with more stops to cater more for the stations currently bypassed by the expresses. The current fares structure tends to price those high in the peaks for commuters and lower the rest of the time.

Its bad enough that they stop at Stoke as it is!

I guess it depends on how much time these extra stops add v cost saving over HS2

Should be interesting