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Avanti Standard Premium prices gone up

styles

styles

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I've never understood the standard premium attraction. The upgrades were so popular that the carriages were often more crowded than standard. Yeah you get guaranteed tables and sockets but you can just choose this in standard yourself with the seat selector. No food/drinks included. Roomier seats I'm sure is true but then I'm not especially lanky/large so never really noticed the difference.
 
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Bletchleyite

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styles said:
Roomier seats I'm sure is true but then I'm not especially lanky/large so never really noticed the difference.
Click to expand...

That was the reason I upgraded - more space - but the new Standard seats have more legroom due to the better design and I prefer the shape so I now stick with Standard. I also don't like sitting opposite someone and playing kneesie.
 
Watershed

Watershed

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styles said:
you can just choose this in standard yourself with the seat selector
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Only if you book on a site that has a seat selector, and you are booking at such a point where desirable seats are left. Often not the case for last minute bookings and indeed not at all if you are on a walk-up ticket and take a different train than planned.

styles said:
Roomier seats I'm sure is true but then I'm not especially lanky/large so never really noticed the difference.
Click to expand...
For me the big advantage would be if you can grab one of the handful of individual airline-style seats (a la "Seat 61" for Eurostars). Otherwise you risk playing footsie with the person opposite which is just no fun.
 
B

Bletchleyite

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Watershed said:
Only if you book on a site that has a seat selector, and you are booking at such a point where desirable seats are left. Often not the case for last minute bookings and indeed not at all if you are on a walk-up ticket and take a different train than planned.
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On an 11-car the unreserved coaches are often quite quiet these days. Most people do seem to use Advances now.
 
M

MrJeeves

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Sealink said:
Avanti West Coast website.
Random dates, standard £67, Standard Premium £102.
Also checked London - Rugby and the difference was £17.50
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The price difference between advances is not necessarily the same as the on board upgrade price, which was being referred to.
 
B

Bletchleyite

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Sealink said:
Ah. That will teach me to skim read :D
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I think what was said about the Advances above was that they are supplement+Standard price (I didn't think they were, but the post above suggested they are), but you may well have different tiers of Standard and Standard Premium on sale depending which has sold more quickly.
 
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Merseysider

Merseysider

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Sealink said:
That said, is it wrong to offer a cheaper price to advance upgraders?
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I would say no.

It's an unregulated fare / supplement so quite frankly Avanti can do whatever they like with Standard Premium.

It's also been the case for decades that booking in advance gives access to cheaper fares in general.
 
S

ScotTrains

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I don't really get Standard Premium.
The last time I travelled with Avanti (in 1st) I was surprised just how empty SP was.
Being a weekend, the tiny 1st class section was packed, yet both coaches of SP were almost empty, bar a family of 4 with 1st tickets who were unable to fit into 1st. I later walked down to the shop and noticed standard was all reasonably filled too yet nobody was upgrading to SP. I doubt this new price increase will help the situation.

I feel like they'd get much more revenue and passengers if they went back to 4 coaches of 1st class, provide a reliable and good range of decent quality and good sized meals, and offer reasonably priced advance tickets! Reopen the various 1st class lounges that have now shut. Perhaps rename themselves Virgin!!:D

I certainly travel a lot less by rail since Avanti took over. The 1st advances between Glasgow and Preston are now so expensive they cost more than the off-peak 1st. Far better and cheaper to go with TPEx 1st class on this section of line.
 
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class17

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ScotTrains said:
I don't really get Standard Premium.
The last time I travelled with Avanti (in 1st) I was surprised just how empty SP was.
Being a weekend, the tiny 1st class section was packed, yet both coaches of SP were almost empty, bar a family of 4 with 1st tickets who were unable to fit into 1st. I later walked down to the shop and noticed standard was all reasonably filled too yet nobody was upgrading to SP. I doubt this new price increase will help the situation.

I feel like they'd get much more revenue and passengers if they went back to 4 coaches of 1st class, provide a reliable and good range of decent quality and good sized meals, and offer reasonably priced advance tickets! Reopen the various 1st class lounges that have now shut. Perhaps rename themselves Virgin!!:D

I certainly travel a lot less by rail since Avanti took over. The 1st advances between Glasgow and Preston are now so expensive they cost more than the off-peak 1st. Far better and cheaper to go with TPEx 1st class on this section of line.
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Totally agree, I have stopped using Avanti for this very reason, First Class & Standard Premium are so much more expensive than Standard between Preston and Scotland. These trains, other than the peak traveling times, tend to be lightly loaded north of Preston. I often went 1st Advance, don't do any more.
Perhaps it is different going south from Preston where there is more demand and people are prepared to pay the SP upgrade for a better environment in SP than a packed standard. But I don't go that way.
 
Tezza1978

Tezza1978

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Rarely use Standard Premium unless Ive got some urgent work to do on my train down to Euston during the day and want to guarantee a table, if im not that busy during the day I just sit in C and nearly always get a seat at least and pick up the odd email on my phone.

I never upgrade on the way back North to Warrington (normally 20.30 or the 21.10) as can always get a table seat to myself in C by boarding the train 15/20 mins b4 departure. Standard Premium would be a total waste of money.

Gone are the days of Seatfrog £12- £15 Virgin upgrades to 1st class which were actually worthwhile and I used a lot. Standard Premium killed that stone dead and jacking the price to "upgrade" further is ridiculous.
 
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