At some point, though, a significant proportion of the guests (especially regulars) don't pay the £100 as they know if they hang on and there's space left (which there invariably is on the Aberdeen) they pick up the tickets at the cheaper price. The average price then becomes lower.
Whilst the budget airlines flex prices to demand, it's usually the other way round in that they earlier you book, the cheaper you get the tickets. Same with normal Advanced fares on trains. If you did that on the (Aberdeen) Sleeper and the demand just isn't there, would you end up with the half the train that was going to travel anyway paying less, and no-one buying late on at a higher price?
It's not quite as simple as it sounds, but perhaps there is a more flexible pricing approach in there somewhere.[/QUOTE
Maybe the Aberdeen service is different but as a regular on the West Highland and Lowlander services I can tell you that there has been next to no "regular" users on these services for many years. There are lots of tourists, there are Highlanders that travel down to London once or twice a year, there are a lot of Rail Staff travelling on Priv tickets but I can only tell you of one other regular business traveller on the West highland Sleeper. Competition with the airlines and now with the improved day trains killed that market sometime ago. I think that if Serco are maximising income they are right to be targeting and pricing for the premium tourist market.