1988/89 era intercity executive club

[03_179]

To save my sanity.
Back in about 1988/89 there was an intercity club rewards type thing going.
I remember having the leaflets at Clapham Junction.

What was the name of it?
What was it all about?

 

[Cymroglan]

I have a vague memory of being a member of something which might have been called the Pullman Club around that time. I think I even had a membership tie? It was almost certainly connected to access to the Pullman Lounge at Euston, which went through many later name changes!
I can’t remember the conditions of membership, but I think I had a credit card sized membership card.
I used to travel from Euston to the North West of England a lot in those days on a work account….

 

[03_179]

Not sure it was that.
Came in a grey and black card folder

 

[Hassocks5489]

There are two possibilities that come to mind from that era:
- Travel Key (I think this was being wound down in 1987, though)
- British Rail Executive Tickets

I have scans of a more-or-less full run of BR Sales Circulars from number 1 (1986) onwards. Happy to dig through and have a look for info if either of those sound familiar. I can certainly upload 3 pages of info about the British Rail Executive Tickets from Sales Circular 22, which coincided with the fares change in January 1987.

 

[03_179]

There are two possibilities that come to mind from that era:
- Travel Key (I think this was being wound down in 1987, though)
- British Rail Executive Tickets

I have scans of a more-or-less full run of BR Sales Circulars from number 1 (1986) onwards. Happy to dig through and have a look for info if either of those sound familiar. I can certainly upload 3 pages of info about the British Rail Executive Tickets from Sales Circular 22, which coincided with the fares change in January 1987.

The Exec tickets sound sort of familiar.
I started in Nov 1986.
Then at Clapham about 1988 and when the TC closed I went back to WAT for a short while before going to ECR TC.
It was at CLJ that it became a thing we dealt with. I remember a couple of business type having them.
Christ my memory is getting bad.

 

[Hassocks5489]

Have a read through the attached to see if any of the information looks familiar. (Images taken from BR Sales Circular 22, 11–17 January 1987, available at the National Archives, Kew.)

 

[03_179]

It certainly rings a lot of bells.

I can just remember looking at the stylish black/grey merch and thinking that looks cool.

Thanks a lot ... You've made my day

 

[telstarbox]

That looks like a classy package. What would your £2 dinner and £1.50 nightcap vouchers stretch to on board?

 

[Hassocks5489]

Indeed! Hopefully at least some sandwiches and a nice whisky or similar.

Incidentally, I've just noticed the telling phrase at the top of p4: "Because of severe air competition these [Scottish] packages are heavily discounted and have enhanced facilities". BR had clearly recognised that by the late 1980s, Anglo-Scottish flights were growing significantly in scale and importance.

 

[lordbusiness]

That looks like a classy package. What would your £2 dinner and £1.50 nightcap vouchers stretch to on board?

A damn sight more than you can get with it now!

 

[AY1975]

That looks like a classy package. What would your £2 dinner and £1.50 nightcap vouchers stretch to on board?

I presume the nightcap vouchers were for drinks in the Lounge Car on Sleeper trains (as I recall Lounge Cars were first introduced on Sleepers in about 1987ish, although in the last few years of Mark 1 sleepers in the late 1970s and early '80s some Sleeper trains had a Mark 1 Pullman car that was branded as a Nightcap Bar).

 

[wellhouse]

I had a Travel Key card until they were withdrawn. It was like a frequent flyer programme, where you accumulated points according to expenditure, which could be exchanged for tickets.

I recall the reason given for scrapping the scheme was that HMRC might regard these free tickets as a taxable benefit in kind.