On the flip side, in 2019 I travelled from Euston to Birmingham International and had to bolt down my breakfast which arrived as we pulled into Coventry.
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Avanti West Coast: Standard Premium
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Butts
Veteran Member
Was that a service carrying on beyond Birmingham up North ?
voyagerdude220
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I've noticed there are sometimes instances where the cheapest Advance Standard Premium fare is simply the same cost of what it would be to buy an off peak single and upgrade on the train- yet the Advance Standard Premium fare removes the off peak flexibility with no discount in price- encouraging you to upgrade on the train and of course have the chance of not being charged to upgrade at all if the Train Manager doesn't get to you.
So are you supposed to just go and sit in the Premium seats and wait until the train manager arrives? Or should you actively seek him/her out before sitting down?
Also I'm trying to work out what I would do if my journey became crowded mid-way and I switched from standard to premium. Obviously I wouldn't want to be charged for the whole journey in SP.
Also I'm trying to work out what I would do if my journey became crowded mid-way and I switched from standard to premium. Obviously I wouldn't want to be charged for the whole journey in SP.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Yes, same as Weekend First was.
No.
Don't see why you would, but it would be worth finding the guard in this case so they don't think you are short faring.
VauxhallandI
Established Member
Yes, I did Manchester to London, it was £25 upgrade despite the Avanti staff member at the station telling me it was £30.
I had a booked seat in Coach B and the indicator board had Coach B as full so I just went straight to Coach G.
Maybe the indicator boards could be a good way of selling it with the result being doing exactly what I did
My thoughts as a passenger on Avanti 1st class:
Impressed to be offered a hot breakfast on 09:47 Liverpool to London. 2 rashers of bacon, sausage, egg, black pudding, tomato, mushroom and potato scone (potato cake in my part of the world). Fruit juice and tea (refill later). On evening service food o.k. I usually take the cheese and biscuits which have reverted to real cheeses instead of spread, plus a dessert. Alcohol offered early in the journey and colleagues asked if I wanted another beer when I had only half finished the first. I politely declined and in true Father Ted style the colleague said "go on, you know you want one" and placed the can on the tray. Who am I to decline?
1st class at peak times is very busy which is a bit worrying to me considering that Covid is still very much with us. I always try and book a isolated seat but am often the only one wearing a mask.
Seatfrog upgrades have rocketed in price since the introduction of Standard Premier. I paid £11 to £20 previously but the opening bid is now £35 presumably to make it more expensive than the £25 cost of S.P.
Colleagues have been very friendly and I've been impressed with the service. They don't seem to mind the hardened business travellers asking for a third G. & T.
Impressed to be offered a hot breakfast on 09:47 Liverpool to London. 2 rashers of bacon, sausage, egg, black pudding, tomato, mushroom and potato scone (potato cake in my part of the world). Fruit juice and tea (refill later). On evening service food o.k. I usually take the cheese and biscuits which have reverted to real cheeses instead of spread, plus a dessert. Alcohol offered early in the journey and colleagues asked if I wanted another beer when I had only half finished the first. I politely declined and in true Father Ted style the colleague said "go on, you know you want one" and placed the can on the tray. Who am I to decline?
1st class at peak times is very busy which is a bit worrying to me considering that Covid is still very much with us. I always try and book a isolated seat but am often the only one wearing a mask.
Seatfrog upgrades have rocketed in price since the introduction of Standard Premier. I paid £11 to £20 previously but the opening bid is now £35 presumably to make it more expensive than the £25 cost of S.P.
Colleagues have been very friendly and I've been impressed with the service. They don't seem to mind the hardened business travellers asking for a third G. & T.
Bourne End seems an unlikely destination for a game of footy. Also extremely unlikely to get a Pendo there without quite some effort
OopsBourne End seems an unlikely destination for a game of footy. Also extremely unlikely to get a Pendo there without quite some effort
BNS is still, if you mean Birmingham New Street, wrong in railway terms... BNS is Barnes! No Pendos go there either!
Try BHM.... That's why they ask that you spell out in full initially.
Blinkbonny
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Hence why people are asked not to use these codes. But obviously their time is very important, so they shouldn't be asked to spell it out in full.Bourne End seems an unlikely destination for a game of footy. Also extremely unlikely to get a Pendo there without quite some effort
Though in that case.... why bother at all?
I think it was eventually headed to Glasgow, though it's long enough ago that I couldn't swear to it.
VauxhallandI
Established Member
Change for Marlow FC on Oak Tree RoadBourne End seems an unlikely destination for a game of footy. Also extremely unlikely to get a Pendo there without quite some effort
On a late evening Avanti from Euston up to Brum. Had almost a dozen loud mouthed scum no wait plebs hang on chancers errr well intentioned customers there we go. kicked out of my SP carriage, pretty much all of them arguing that it’s “just a seat” and they “can’t be arsed moving” and “what’s gonna happen if I just sit here”.
Suspect Avanti’s lackadaisical attitude to collecting SP upgrades is partly to blame - been about 50/50 from what I’ve experienced & read.
Suspect Avanti’s lackadaisical attitude to collecting SP upgrades is partly to blame - been about 50/50 from what I’ve experienced & read.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I'm usually anti-prosecution, but I must admit that when people fail the "attitude test" this spectacularly it has me wishing an RPI would show up and write them all up for RoRA.
"Move when challenged" is one thing, this is quite another.
I went from Euston to Preston on Saturday evening a week ago and paid my £25 not long after leaving Euston but didn't see the train manager for the rest of the journey. A few people came in at intermediate stops and didn't pay the extra before Preston as we didn't see the train manager again. Not sure if they go around again after Preston though.
Reminds me of a late Saturday evening trip from London to Preston a few years ago in First where a bunch of loud sweary people got in First Class at Warrington. They were somewhat annoying until somewhere north of Wigan they went quiet and started wondering when the train would reach Wigan. I presume they had been looking out for Wigan Wallgate. It was late enough that they must have had to get back to Wigan from Preston in cabs. That did relieve my annoyance slightly.
Nova1
Member
How does legal stuff for standard premium work?
is it the same as first class where you need the appropriate ticket or you risk penalty fare? (although, AWC don't operate a penalty fares scheme so could they report you for prosecution)
is it the same as first class where you need the appropriate ticket or you risk penalty fare? (although, AWC don't operate a penalty fares scheme so could they report you for prosecution)
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
No, you can upgrade on board. It is basically weekday Weekend First.
Nova1
Member
But if you refused?
voyagerdude220
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One thing I've noticed recently is that if you have a railcard and buy a so called "Standard Premium Advance" single- the cost of upgrading to Premium is also discounted by a 1/3- whereas the flat fee upgrade onboard doesn't offer the railcard discount- so railcard holders save a little if booking the upgrade in advance.
I get the impression that, until the (extremely delayed) “refurbishment” is complete, Avanti aren’t really showing much care towards the presentation of their fleet or product. Their first offering in particular is disgraceful at weekends, one tiny wee set of seats at the end of coach K.
Will the refurbishment feature three different styles of seating for standard, premium, and first?
Will the refurbishment feature three different styles of seating for standard, premium, and first?
Vespa
Established Member
I suspect it will be standard and Premium only because there is "no economic demand for First"
StephenHunter
Established Member
There probably isn't - the First Class sections of many trains are pretty empty whenever I've been on them. Greater Anglia has eliminated First Class from all except the London to Norwich 745s.
Is that because there’s no “demand”, or because Avanti is deliberately setting fares so high in first (with many of the old first fares now applying to premium) to create a situation in which it seems this is happening?
Not my experience recently of travel on Avanti - "bona fide first" business has been pretty brisk relative to "standard premium".
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