Reserving Seats with a Season Ticket

ricoblade · 13 Jul 2018

Hi All,

I am currently working a few days a week in London, travelling from Retford and I have looked into a weekly season ticket to save money. I have to take 3 returns to do so as I don't get much notice so am paying top dollar.

Be that as it may, my question is then how do I reserve a sat on the trains that I want to travel on, which are a random mix of times and operators. I've searched online for how to do this but have come up blank.

Thanks in advance.

RailUK Forums

Bletchleyite · 13 Jul 2018

Some TOCs will do this, and some won't - contact the relevant customer services department to see if they will and what their procedure is.

Hadders · 13 Jul 2018

LNER should be able to sort this out for you. Just visit a ticket office.

ricoblade · 13 Jul 2018

Thanks for the replies but I don't think that is not going to work for me. For example, I booked my travel for today (Hull trains out, LNER return) on the train home last night. What I was looking for was a way to reserve a seat online with a season ticket, regardless of TOC, but I guess that is not an option.

I got lucky on Monday morning as I was sold a ticket without a reservation (for Hull Trains by LNER) and got the last seat as someone from Brough had not turned up. The LNER return service last night was also packed so I need to be assured of a seat, both for "comfort" and also as I do a lot of work on the train.

FQTV · 13 Jul 2018

ricoblade said:
Hi All,

I am currently working a few days a week in London, travelling from Retford and I have looked into a weekly season ticket to save money. I have to take 3 returns to do so as I don't get much notice so am paying top dollar.

Be that as it may, my question is then how do I reserve a sat on the trains that I want to travel on, which are a random mix of times and operators. I've searched online for how to do this but have come up blank.

Thanks in advance.

https://www.lner.co.uk/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/season-tickets/

“LNER” said:
Is it possible to reserve a seat?

In general, no. However, LNER runs a scheme for travel between LNER-served stations only, where you can make a seat reservations on all LNER services up to 7 days beyond the expiry of your Season Ticket; however, this is subject to availability. Simply complete a seat reservation application form and email it to [email protected]

Bletchleyite · 13 Jul 2018

ricoblade said:
Thanks for the replies but I don't think that is not going to work for me. For example, I booked my travel for today (Hull trains out, LNER return) on the train home last night. What I was looking for was a way to reserve a seat online with a season ticket, regardless of TOC, but I guess that is not an option.

I got lucky on Monday morning as I was sold a ticket without a reservation (for Hull Trains by LNER) and got the last seat as someone from Brough had not turned up. The LNER return service last night was also packed so I need to be assured of a seat, both for "comfort" and also as I do a lot of work on the train.

If that is essential, you may need to consider First Class. Season ticket reservations, where offered, are intended for a regular train rather than random travel.

Wallsendmag · 13 Jul 2018

Just go to this page and complete the form , Kings Cross process the reservations and email it back to you.

https://www.lner.co.uk/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/season-tickets/

Haywain · 13 Jul 2018

Wallsendmag said:
Just go to this page and complete the form , Kings Cross process the reservations and email it back to you.

https://www.lner.co.uk/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/season-tickets/

But not for random days, and not for Hull Trains services.

35B · 13 Jul 2018

Wallsendmag said:
Just go to this page and complete the form , Kings Cross process the reservations and email it back to you.

https://www.lner.co.uk/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/season-tickets/

The forms the ticket office do are better, as they allow for flexibility if travelling on different trains. Which saves cluttering up reservations that i know I won’t use.

Trackman · 14 Jul 2018

been down this alleyway before, a lot of TOC's will charge £5/10 per journey.
Their thinking was, if every season ticket holder booked a seat, there would be no seats for anyone else.
So LNER do it for free? Good on them!

AM9 · 14 Jul 2018

Trackman said:
been down this alleyway before, a lot of TOC's will charge £5/10 per journey.
Their thinking was, if every season ticket holder booked a seat, there would be no seats for anyone else. ...

That's reasonable to charge as there would also be a lot of no-shows. Season tickets are generally priced at off-peak rates yet allow Anytime travel. Encouraging free reservations would be at the expense of full-fare paying passengers.

cuccir · 14 Jul 2018

To be honest the easiest option - if you're going to be commuting for a while - is to familiarise yourself with the reservation patterns on the different TOCs. Unless you're travelling in the busiest peak time trains, you'll be able to get seats if you know where to head eg carriage B on LNER

Wallsendmag · 14 Jul 2018

cuccir said:
To be honest the easiest option - if you're going to be commuting for a while - is to familiarise yourself with the reservation patterns on the different TOCs. Unless you're travelling in the busiest peak time trains, you'll be able to get seats if you know where to head eg carriage B on LNER

And The buffet on a MkIV

Haywain · 15 Jul 2018

Trackman said:
Their thinking was, if every season ticket holder booked a seat, there would be no seats for anyone else.
So LNER do it for free? Good on them!

They do, and it results in very few seats being left for anyone else and season ticket holders with an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat when they travel.

sefton · 15 Jul 2018

Haywain said:
They do, and it results in very few seats being left for anyone else and season ticket holders with an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat when they travel.

What is exaggerated about expecting to receive what you have paid for.

ForTheLoveOf · 15 Jul 2018

sefton said:
What is exaggerated about expecting to receive what you have paid for.

You don't have a right to a seat, unless you have a first class ticket. You only have the right to carriage. LNER follows on from VTEC's policy of giving a Delay Repay-style payment if you can't find a seat, having reserved one, but this is unique and still doesn't give you the right to a seat unless you have reserved one.

sefton · 15 Jul 2018

ForTheLoveOf said:
You don't have a right to a seat, unless you have a first class ticket. You only have the right to carriage. LNER follows on from VTEC's policy of giving a Delay Repay-style payment if you can't find a seat, having reserved one, but this is unique and still doesn't give you the right to a seat unless you have reserved one.

It was a response to "an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat", i.e. the seat they have booked. If you have paid for a booked seat I see no reason why having an expectation of getting what you have paid for should be categorised as "an exaggerated sense of entitlement".

Haywain · 15 Jul 2018

ForTheLoveOf said:
You don't have a right to a seat, unless you have a first class ticket.

That's incorrect. Having a first class ticket gives no more entitlement to a seat than holding a standard class ticket. It does however give an entitlement to occupation of those areas of a train designated for the use of passengers holding first class tickets.

sefton said:
It was a response to "an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat", i.e. the seat they have booked. If you have paid for a booked seat I see no reason why having an expectation of getting what you have paid for should be categorised as "an exaggerated sense of entitlement".

They do not pay any extra for booking a seat but many such customers will, and do, complain if their preferred seat is not available for them to reserve and occupy. I have managed the process and dealt with the complaints!

ForTheLoveOf · 15 Jul 2018

sefton said:
It was a response to "an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat", i.e. the seat they have booked. If you have paid for a booked seat I see no reason why having an expectation of getting what you have paid for should be categorised as "an exaggerated sense of entitlement".

Do the reservations cost anything though? So have you really paid for them?

ForTheLoveOf · 15 Jul 2018

Haywain said:
That's incorrect. Having a first class ticket gives no more entitlement to a seat than holding a standard class ticket. It does however give an entitlement to occupation of those areas of a train designated for the use of passengers holding first class tickets.

You can claim a refund of the difference between the first and the standard fare if first class is occupied, i.e. you cannot get a seat. See NRCoT Condition 31. So whilst this does not explicitly guarantee a seat, it as good as does - because you are entitled to a refund of the first class premium if you don't get a seat.

sefton · 16 Jul 2018

ForTheLoveOf said:
Do the reservations cost anything though? So have you really paid for them?

Yes they are charged for at the price of whatever the ticket costs. Or do you subscribe to the view of some train companies that some items are "complimentary" so if they cannot be bothered to provide them you cannot complain?

Bletchleyite · 16 Jul 2018

sefton said:
Yes they are charged for at the price of whatever the ticket costs. Or do you subscribe to the view of some train companies that some items are "complimentary" so if they cannot be bothered to provide them you cannot complain?

Reservations are genuinely complimentary; you can have one or not have one and either way the price is the same. They are not an integral part of the ticket (other than possibly Advances).

ForTheLoveOf · 16 Jul 2018

sefton said:
Yes they are charged for at the price of whatever the ticket costs. Or do you subscribe to the view of some train companies that some items are "complimentary" so if they cannot be bothered to provide them you cannot complain?

I do subscribe to the view that seat reservations are complimentary, in the same way that WiFi is complimentary on many operators. I wouldn't expect a refund or discount because I didn't get a seat or because the WiFi didn't work - unless I had separately paid for either.

Bletchleyite · 16 Jul 2018

ForTheLoveOf said:
I do subscribe to the view that seat reservations are complimentary, in the same way that WiFi is complimentary on many operators. I wouldn't expect a refund or discount because I didn't get a seat or because the WiFi didn't work - unless I had separately paid for either.

Ironically the worst wifi I used on a train was VT's and that is chargeable.

Olympian · 16 Jul 2018

ForTheLoveOf said:
You can claim a refund of the difference between the first and the standard fare if first class is occupied, i.e. you cannot get a seat. See NRCoT Condition 31. So whilst this does not explicitly guarantee a seat, it as good as does - because you are entitled to a refund of the first class premium if you don't get a seat.

Personally I'm not convinced. Doesn't there also need to be no standing room available in first class for it to be "fully occupied" as NRCoT condition 31 describes it?

Haywain · 16 Jul 2018

sefton said:
Or do you subscribe to the view of some train companies that some items are "complimentary" so if they cannot be bothered to provide them you cannot complain?

They are complimentary, and subject to availability. Do you subscribe to the view that everyone should be guaranteed a seat? That just isn't possible for a walk up service, or if the number of prospective passengers exceeds the number of available seats.

sefton · 16 Jul 2018

Haywain said:
They are complimentary, and subject to availability. Do you subscribe to the view that everyone should be guaranteed a seat? That just isn't possible for a walk up service, or if the number of prospective passengers exceeds the number of available seats.

They are not complementary but integral to the product.

Complementary is something which enhances the product but is not essential.

If I book a seat and there is no seat then I will not travel.

Starmill · 16 Jul 2018

AM9 said:
Season tickets are generally priced at off-peak rates yet allow Anytime travel.

This is a misconception. There are many, many routes where five of the cheapest (Super) Off Peak return tickets would cost less, sometimes considerably less, than a 7 Day Season.

Starmill · 16 Jul 2018

Haywain said:
They do, and it results in very few seats being left for anyone else

Do you have any evidence for this at all? I have never tried to reserve a seat on East Coast and their two successors and been told that there are no reservations remaining - how often does it happen and on what trains?

Haywain said:
and season ticket holders with an exaggerated sense of entitlement to having not just a seat but their chosen seat when they travel.

What a bizarre thing to say.

Haywain · 16 Jul 2018

Starmill said:
Do you have any evidence for this at all? I have never tried to reserve a seat on East Coast and their two successors and been told that there are no reservations remaining - how often does it happen and on what trains?

As previously stated, I managed the process for a while so I know for a fact that this happened, particularly for those travelling from Peterborough to London in the morning peak. Why do I need to provide evidence?

Starmill said:
What a bizarre thing to say.

I see nothing bizarre in relating how some season ticket holders came to see the process and their "rights".

Reserving Seats with a Season Ticket

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