Avanti tickets/reservations again...

[Gerald Fiennes]

Currently trying to make a journey on Avanti Southbound from Glasgow midweek this week. When I try and book a ticket, it seems that only STD fares are available and there are no Standard Premium or 1st being offered, ie. the train is apparently full. This one has come up quite a few times before but what is the considered viewpoint, based on experience, of the Forum on what this means? Would it be OK to try and use Avanti and hope that Standard Premium is not full vs. going on LNER? I know about SeatFrog already but am just looking for a simple option.

 

[Phil from Mon]

Had the same Bangor to London last month. Checked online for the service I wanted, nothing available. Went to the booking office as I always do and they couldn’t give me a reservation so said just use the unreserved coach. Getting on at Bangor that was no problem, but if I had been travelling from Chester or Crewe I would have struggled. Didn’t help it was, as usual for that service, just 5 coaches instead of the 10 it was supposed to be.

 

[Bletchleyite]

1st/SP gets very busy now it's only 3 coaches between the two. I'm not sure how many unreserved seats in each there are now, I suspect not many.

 

[D1537]

Currently trying to make a journey on Avanti Southbound from Glasgow midweek this week. When I try and book a ticket, it seems that only STD fares are available and there are no Standard Premium or 1st being offered, ie. the train is apparently full. This one has come up quite a few times before but what is the considered viewpoint, based on experience, of the Forum on what this means? Would it be OK to try and use Avanti and hope that Standard Premium is not full vs. going on LNER? I know about SeatFrog already but am just looking for a simple option.

I was booking tickets for my wife on a long Avanti journey the other day, and noticed that there appeared to be a number of Avanti services showing sold out for both SP and FC (not all by any means, but more than just a few). I did manage to book her SP tickets eventually, but not on the original trains she wanted; it was no big deal though. Even given the reduction in SP/FC coaches, it seems unlikely that FC / SP is completely sold out on multiple trains per day where there are still (cheap) SC tickets available.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was booking tickets for my wife on a long Avanti journey the other day, and noticed that there appeared to be a number of Avanti services showing sold out for both SP and FC (not all by any means, but more than just a few). I did manage to book her SP tickets eventually, but not on the original trains she wanted; it was no big deal though. Even given the reduction in SP/FC coaches, it seems unlikely that FC / SP is completely sold out on multiple trains per day where there are still (cheap) SC tickets available.

Obviously depends on the route, but single Voyagers/Everos could be the cause, they have very few first class seats and no SP. However I've certainly noticed SP being very busy since it's dropped by a coach - combining that "will I won't I" stress and the vastly improved Standard class I've given up on upgrading.

 

[D1537]

Obviously depends on the route, but single Voyagers/Everos could be the cause, they have very few first class seats and no SP. However I've certainly noticed SP being very busy since it's dropped by a coach - combining that "will I won't I" stress and the vastly improved Standard class I've given up on upgrading.

These were all Pendolino-worked trains, but I suppose it's possible - it's just that some of the trains were ones I know from experience to very rarely be busy!