Polarbear
Established Member
Well that's because it's dirt cheap, isn't it! You don't really expect to pay twenty quid for an upgrade and then drink the same in free booze, do you?!
First Class accommodation largely sits empty at weekends. It is aimed squarely at the business market, and the majority of those commuters aren't out there commuting on saturdays and sundays. There is a choice between continuing to charge the full whack and having the carriages running around full of fresh air, or developing a suitable prouct to attract the leisure market. It makes a lot of sense. The number of genuine FC ticket holders who are somehow being let down, is very small indeed.
But there's always one...
I was travelling from Aberdeen to Newcastle last Sunday on a very cheap 1st advance, booked through the last seat sale. I was very impressed by the offering provided by EC. Not so the gentleman sat opposite me as during the course of the journey, he moaned at various times about the lack of hot food and the lack of free alcohol. Obviously, I don't know what ticket he had, but I think it would be reasonable to assume that it wasn't a full fare first open.