Avanti Standard Premium prices gone up

[Merseysider]

Heads up to avoid anyone getting unexpectedly stung by the new, higher prices.

London - Scotland has gone up to £39
London - Liverpool/Manchester is now £32.50
London - Rugby/Birmingham is now £20

This increase is around +33%.

There are also some very stupid upgrade prices they clearly haven't thought through.

Birmingham - Stafford upgrade is £20. A 1st class single is £19.10.

Wolverhampton - Stafford upgrade is £20. A 1st class single is £11.20.

Wolverhampton - Coventry upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is £12.00, or £11.90 if you're daft enough to buy the Avanti Only fare. Yet for some reason, in the other direction, COV-WVH is a more sensible £3.50 to upgrade. Avanti's incompetence knows no bounds

Birmingham - Rugby upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is just £16.30 - cheaper than a Standard ticket + upgrade.

Liverpool - Crewe upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is just £17.70 - again cheaper than a Standard ticket + upgrade.

Almost all of the one-stop, short journeys (~20 minutes) between Oxenholme and Crewe are priced at £12.50 on top of the Standard ticket, which generally works out more expensive than just buying a 1st class ticket to start with.

Clearly, someone at Avanti hasn't got their head screwed on properly.

 

[lfc84]

Price gauging up to October 2026 ?

 

[AlterEgo]

Thanks. Will no longer bother with that then.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks. Will no longer bother with that then.

I haven't done for a while. It's a bit crowded now (whereas the Standard unreserved coaches usually aren't) and I find the new Standard seats more comfortable than the redone First Class ones because the protruding hard headrest pushes into the back of my shoulders. Even less likely with the price gone up, I guess this is to push people to book the dedicated Advances.

 

[ServerHoster]

Second price increase in the past year, they also whacked them up during the March 2024 fare increases. (eg. London to Glasgow went up from £30.00 to £35.00, and now again to £39.00)

You can still get a "bargain" upgrade from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport for just £1.50! (for the full 8 or so minute long journey!) https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=SPT&dest=MAN&rte=469&tkt=25Q (In reality, probably for free. They will never check your ticket in that time)

 

[Bletchleyite]

You can still get a "bargain" upgrade from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport for just £1.50! (for the full 8 or so minute long journey!) https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=SPT&dest=MAN&rte=469&tkt=25Q (In reality, probably for free. They will never check your ticket in that time)

I've found Avanti ticket checks to be sporadic enough that I've been asked to pay for it maybe 50% of the time when I was still using it. But since all sets are refurbished I've stopped, it's just not a nicer experience than Standard in the 11-cars any more, for me at least - it's more crowded and the seats aren't as good, plus there is a lack of airline seating, I don't like facing people and playing footsie with them.

 

[Merseysider]

My last 5 journeys in SP have been:

Declassified once, took forever for Avanti to agree to provide a part refund on my SP Advance

Not checked twice

Checked once, TM happy with my Standard ticket

Checked once and the upgrade paid.

It's a mess. Word I heard is that Avanti TMs have been told off for too much of their revenue coming from Standard Premium upgrades... so many have simply stopped bothering.

I certainly wouldn't pay £40 to sit in SP on Avanti when LNER 1st class upgrades can be had for a tenner on Seatfrog.

 

[Birkonian]

I wouldn't upgrade at those prices. I have a Senior Railcard so better value at the time of booking with discount.

 

[MrJeeves]

Word I heard is that Avanti TMs have been told off for too much of their revenue coming from Standard Premium upgrades... so many have simply stopped bothering.

I'm really struggling to understand what the issue with this is... Is it just me?

 

[sigma421]

I'm really struggling to understand what the issue with this is... Is it just me?

It’s not just you. Surely that should be most of their revenue since the vast majority of people in standard and first will board with a valid ticket?

 

[Djgr]

Virgin tried and gave up running a three class railway on the West Coast, because of the operational and marketing hassle involved.

It is no surprise to me that Avanti experience is similar.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Virgin tried and gave up running a three class railway on the West Coast, because of the operational and marketing hassle involved.

It is no surprise to me that Avanti experience is similar.

Quite the opposite, it seems to be very much working for them with very high demand, and it seems they feel they can eke out more money from it.

 

[tram21]

I'm really struggling to understand what the issue with this is... Is it just me?

I agree, why would that be a complaint to the TMs? Surely they should be praised for getting upgrades done??

 

[Haywain]

I agree, why would that be a complaint to the TMs? Surely they should be praised for getting upgrades done??

Not if they're just ignoring the rest of the train. I think many will say that ticket checks in standard class on Avanti are relatively rare.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not if they're just ignoring the rest of the train. I think many will say that ticket checks in standard class on Avanti are relatively rare.

Ticket checks in general on Avanti are becoming as rare as on any WMT service with a Bletchley guard. Including in SP - as noted above I've only been asked to pay about 50% of the time (though I've not used it since the refurbs were completed). Though with almost every service being checked at Euston and many stations gated there's probably slightly less need than there was.

I suspect that's a symptom of the extremely poor industrial relations at present (typified by the strikes over rest day payments which is an incredibly unusual thing - normally they'd just not work them if the money is insufficient!)

 

[Haywain]

Though with almost every service being checked at Euston and many stations gated there's probably slightly less need than there was.

Southbound journeys from Warrington and beyond encounter hardly any barriers and still don't see ticket checks.

 

[Mark J]

Heads up to avoid anyone getting unexpectedly stung by the new, higher prices.

London - Scotland has gone up to £39
London - Liverpool/Manchester is now £32.50
London - Rugby/Birmingham is now £20

This increase is around +33%.

Regulation is really needed for Unregulated fares.

As it currently stands, a TOC is seemingly free to raise unregulated fares as often, and by how much they like.

Down south, we've had this with GWR and SWR in September, with further price rises bringing the yearly fare increase total to 10%. Going up by another 4.x% in March.

 

[Haywain]

Regulation is really needed for Unregulated fares.

As it currently stands, a TOC is seemingly free to raise unregulated fares as often, and by how much they like.

Supplements are not fares.

Down south, we've had this with GWR and SWR in September, with further price rises bringing the yearly fare increase total to 10%. Going up by another 4.x% in March.

The last bit is at the behest of the regulator, and the others will, no doubt, be with the approval of the regulator. And who receives the additional revenue? The regulator.

 

[Watershed]

Supplements are not fares.

Actually, Standard Premium Advances are fares. They're priced by adding the SP supplement to the cost of the equiavelent standard class Advances, so they are equally affected by these increases.

But I think that it would be difficult to persuade the public that fares for travel above standard class should be regulated.

 

[Haywain]

Actually, Standard Premium Advances are fares.

That's true but I was referring to the stand alone supplements, as was the opening post in the thread.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's true but I was referring to the stand alone supplements, as was the opening post in the thread.

I'd say they were fares. Supplementary fares, to write it out in full.

 

[Watershed]

That's true but I was referring to the stand alone supplements, as was the opening post in the thread.

Both are equally affected by the increase. Nitpicking over whether it's a supplement or not is trite.

 

[Hadders]

Regulation is really needed for Unregulated fares.

The opposite is likely to happen with Regulated Fares becoming unregulated, just like in British Rail days.

TOCs/RDG/DfT/Treasury keep telling us that fares regulation is outdated, a relic from the 1990s, not what passengers want etc and while it’s not perfect, it has worked by placing a ceiling on many fares.

You’ve only got to look at nationalised LNER to see the direction of travel when it comes to fares.

 

[Mark J]

The opposite is likely to happen with Regulated Fares becoming unregulated, just like in British Rail days.

TOCs/RDG/DfT/Treasury keep telling us that fares regulation is outdated, a relic from the 1990s, not what passengers want etc and while it’s not perfect, it has worked by placing a ceiling on many fares.

You’ve only got to look at nationalised LNER to see the direction of travel when it comes to fares.

Totally agree.

I don't agree with what has happened with LNER fares. Anyone with an ounce of sense would of known that the switch to single fares only, would have resulted in paying even more.

TOCs are out of touch, if they think passengers do not want a cap on fare increases. Especially, when in many cases, services are getting worse for reliability and punctuality.

 

[Haywain]

TOCs are out of touch, if they think passengers do not want a cap on fare increases.

Try telling the DfT.

Both are equally affected by the increase. Nitpicking over whether it's a supplement or not is trite.

I don't believe it is "nitpicking" when my comment was in respect of a suggestion that fares should be regulated. Supplements have never been regulated.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I notice Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street SP upgrade is "just" £2.60. (Stafford to Birmingham New Street £20!)

Rugby to Stafford- £15 [direct trains go via Coventry although of course are much slower than anything via the Trent Valley]
Coventry to Stafford- £20.

 

[Kite159]

I notice Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street SP upgrade is "just" £2.60. (Stafford to Birmingham New Street £20!)

Rugby to Stafford- £15 [direct trains go via Coventry although of course are much slower than anything via the Trent Valley]
Coventry to Stafford- £20.

It's the same theory with weekend first upgrades which have fixed boundary lines. Not sure if still the same but for LNER it used to cost the same to upgrade on a weekend if travelling from Inverness to London as it would do from Darlington to London (York was slightly cheaper).
Most likely anybody going SP between Wolverhampton & Birmingham would get it for free, unless the train has a proactive TM who 'pounces' between those stops.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Once TOCs are within the DOR-fold, surely the whole concept of regulated fare loses its meaning. It's pretty clear what will happen next, LNER showing the way forward here (supported by DfT/HMT). Perhaps they might be some political pressure to maintain a certain number of very cheap ADV fares on prominent flows. Maybe there won't be...

 

[Chiltern006]

Heads up to avoid anyone getting unexpectedly stung by the new, higher prices.

London - Scotland has gone up to £39
London - Liverpool/Manchester is now £32.50
London - Rugby/Birmingham is now £20

This increase is around +33%.

There are also some very stupid upgrade prices they clearly haven't thought through.

Birmingham - Stafford upgrade is £20. A 1st class single is £19.10.

Wolverhampton - Stafford upgrade is £20. A 1st class single is £11.20.

Wolverhampton - Coventry upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is £12.00, or £11.90 if you're daft enough to buy the Avanti Only fare. Yet for some reason, in the other direction, COV-WVH is a more sensible £3.50 to upgrade. Avanti's incompetence knows no bounds

Birmingham - Rugby upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is just £16.30 - cheaper than a Standard ticket + upgrade.

Liverpool - Crewe upgrade is £12.50. A 1st class single is just £17.70 - again cheaper than a Standard ticket + upgrade.

Almost all of the one-stop, short journeys (~20 minutes) between Oxenholme and Crewe are priced at £12.50 on top of the Standard ticket, which generally works out more expensive than just buying a 1st class ticket to start with.

Clearly, someone at Avanti hasn't got their head screwed on properly.

Thing that gets me about this hike is that it costs Avanti next to nothing to run it, no complimentary products etc. Excellent money-maker

 

[Sealink]

I'm still seeing EUS-GLC upgrade at £35