Avanti Superfare

[pokemonsuper9]

If someone wanted to travel from, say, Carlisle to London, would the best option be to:

a) Buy a regular ticket Carlisle to London

b) Buy a regular ticket Carlisle to Preston, Superfare Preston to London

c) Superfare Glasgow to London, boarding at Carlisle

a) £101 off peak, £196 anytime, advanced fares also available.
b) (£23.70 or £27.60 or £33.40 or £34.10 or £38.20)* advanced fares also available +£22
c) £30
No prices include railcards, I don't think superfare can use railcards.

*
£23.70 = TPE only off peak single
£27.60 = Off peak day single
£33.40 = TPE only anytime single
£34.10 = Off peak single
£38.20 = Anytime single

 

[mangyiscute]

To be clear, buying a superfare from Glasgow to London and boarding at Carlisle is against the rules of these tickets (just like how you can't start or end short on an advance ticket) so we cannot suggest this as an option for travel.
Therefore option c) is illegal

 

[Alex365Dash]

If someone wanted to travel from, say, Carlisle to London, would the best option be to:

a) Buy a regular ticket Carlisle to London

b) Buy a regular ticket Carlisle to Preston, Superfare Preston to London

c) Superfare Glasgow to London, boarding at Carlisle

Break of journey is prohibited on Superfare tickets, so c) is out of the question.

Whether a) or b) is the best option will depend on how Advance tickets are looking Carlisle to Preston the day before travel and between Carlisle and London when you book.

As at 22:16 on the day of this post, Advance singles tomorrow afternoon between Carlisle and Preston seem to be ranging from £9 to £22.90. Add the Superfare single and that’s in the range of £31 - £44.90.

Advances Carlisle to London can range (in the fares database - it can’t be guaranteed these fares are actually sold at these prices) from £30 up to the Off-Peak Single rate of £101.

It’s therefore likely that your best option will be to get a Superfare Preston to Euston, then grab an Advance the day before from Carlisle to Preston when you know which train you’re booked on.

EDIT: Oops, didn’t see the posts above!

 

[tornado]

Did a Glasgow-London Superfare return recently. Some feedback:

• Booking is extremely easy. No logins, accounts, playing around with split ticketing. Just pick window, enter email, enter credit card. In 30 seconds you're done.
• You are told your train time at ~8am the day before.
• Afternoon slot - got mid afternoon. Evening slot - got last train of the day.
• Delay Repay works. Which is handy as it's practically a feature of Avanti journeys nowadays.
• Poorly advertised. People who use Trainline, and people walking around the streets of the cities offered will never find out about this. Only Avanti website users. How is this going to convert people who might currently be taking the car / Easyjet?

 

[liam456]

Did a Glasgow-London Superfare return recently. Some feedback:

• Booking is extremely easy. No logins, accounts, playing around with split ticketing. Just pick window, enter email, enter credit card. In 30 seconds you're done.
• You are told your train time at ~8am the day before.
• Afternoon slot - got mid afternoon. Evening slot - got last train of the day.
• Delay Repay works. Which is handy as it's practically a feature of Avanti journeys nowadays.
• Poorly advertised. People who use Trainline, and people walking around the streets of the cities offered will never find out about this. Only Avanti website users. How is this going to convert people who might currently be taking the car / Easyjet?

Were both trains Trent Valley ones or via Birmingham ones?

I agree on the last point, I don't suppose anyone else I know is aware of their existence. In a selfish way however, I guess it works well for us in the know!

(Slightly OT but why do weekend evening Avanti Anglo-Scot trains take ages compared to the 4h40ish headline time?)

 

[Watershed]

why do weekend evening Avanti Anglo-Scot trains take ages compared to the 4h40ish headline time

Generally it's because they run Slow Line behind stoppers between Hanslope Jn and Euston, and/or via Northampton. It's an interminable source of frustration, especially since the WCML seems to be closed somewhere every Bank Holiday, without fail!

 

[blakey1152]

I can confirm the superfare worked absolutely fine both ways, although granted on the outbound trip my e-ticket wasn't checked anywhere and due to its late arrival into Manchester they ushered everyone through the gates as quickly as possible without checking.
Only disadvantage not with the ticket but with Avanti as it seems with the hot weather that the coaches are overheating. No air con on the train at all from Euston to Manchester and it was like a sauna . On the return trip coach E apparently didn't have any working aircon either.
More concerning was the outbound train was a refurb so guess they only did the seating and not upgrade the cooling systems on board.

 

[Watershed]

I can confirm the superfare worked absolutely fine both ways, although granted on the outbound trip my e-ticket wasn't checked anywhere and due to its late arrival into Manchester they ushered everyone through the gates as quickly as possible without checking.
Only disadvantage not with the ticket but with Avanti as it seems with the hot weather that the coaches are overheating. No air con on the train at all from Euston to Manchester and it was like a sauna . On the return trip coach E apparently didn't have any working aircon either.
More concerning was the outbound train was a refurb so guess they only did the seating and not upgrade the cooling systems on board.

It's very rarely the case that the air conditioning is broken in all coaches; more common for it to be broken in one or perhaps two coaches, but for people to not be aware that they can have a much more pleasant journey by moving to an adjacent coach.

 

[tornado]

Neither train was via Birmingham - to be honest I would stop using Superfare if they were mean enough to make me endure a 6 hour journey!

On a side note, Fri/Sat/Sun late evening Anglo-Scot trains always have a few anti-social characters travelling between Warrington/Wigan/Preston and Lancaster, probably without tickets. So factor in 20 minutes or so of loud unpleasant drunks into your journey, both female and male. After Lancaster, peace descends.

 

[185143]

Neither train was via Birmingham - to be honest I would stop using Superfare if they were mean enough to make me endure a 6 hour journey!

On a side note, Fri/Sat/Sun late evening Anglo-Scot trains always have a few anti-social characters travelling between Warrington/Wigan/Preston and Lancaster, probably without tickets. So factor in 20 minutes or so of loud unpleasant drunks into your journey, both female and male. After Lancaster, peace descends.

I once watched someone doing a line of coke on the table right infront of me between Lancaster and Preston. His mate across the aisle rightly pointed out that there was a complete stranger (me) sat directly opposite.

His justification was that "it was OK, as he'd offered me one." Needless to say I politely declined!

 

[liam456]

I've secured a superfare on tonight's 18:30 service, so no Midlands detour necessary. Here's hoping for an on time arrival which hasn't been the case recently...

 

[Johnnylikely]

I've secured a superfare on tonight's 18:30 service, so no Midlands detour necessary. Here's hoping for an on time arrival which hasn't been the case recently...

Good luck! What route? I’m off to manc on Sunday

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I've secured a superfare on tonight's 18:30 service, so no Midlands detour necessary. Here's hoping for an on time arrival which hasn't been the case recently...

Good luck! What route?

1830 weekday Avanti service from London Euston is normally the direct one for Glasgow Central via Nuneaton, first stop Warrington Bank Quay.

 

[tornado]

I've secured a superfare on tonight's 18:30 service, so no Midlands detour necessary. Here's hoping for an on time arrival which hasn't been the case recently...

Interesting as I thought the 19:30 would be the least busy, and thus what they'd use for Superfare. I've noticed that Superfare fairly well matches the time of the cheapest Advance within the time window.

 

[Johnnylikely]

London-Manchester today- 12-5pm slot
Given 4.36pm train. Later than I’d like but can’t complain!
Don’t like travelling on weekend lol- it’s rammed!