Changing Seat Reservations

[werdna12]

Is it possible to change a seat reservation once you have received tickets.

For example I have booked standard class advance tickets for 2 people with Virgin Trains (on their website) for a Saturday in January from Milton Keynes to Manchester Piccadilly. I got a bit confussed when booking as I wanted a window seat airline style with the second person sitting next to me. Instead the system has put us in coach D 1A & 3A (ie 1 sat in front of the other in airline style seats) probably a logic computer thinking we both wanted window seats.

If I was to ring Virgin would they change the seat reservations now I have received the originals in the post and would this incur their £10 alteration fee.

Also for future reference if I wanted this type of seating next to each other, what is the best option to choose when it gives you all the different options of window, aisle, table etc on the website

 

[me123]

If you had asked for airline seating, you would most likely have been sitting together (it would only not do this if there were not two seats available). By asking for the window, it assumed both people wanted the window.

In future, choose simply "airline" seating. I don't know about Virgin, but NXEC and thetrainline both allow you to see which seats are reserved before you confirm so you can check it beforehand: for what you want it would be two consecutive seat numbers with letter A, e.g. 01A and 02A

 

[Ascot]

For your answer to Part 2.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/img/twu/seating-plan.pdf

 

[werdna12]

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know about changing the reserved seats and if it is possible

 

[Max]

It really depends to be honest. I've managed to do it before, but on another occasion they said I would have to pay. I think it depends how the person in the booking office is feeling on that day, or even who you get. If you say the reservation system just gave you those seats randomly and you really wanted to sit together, they may be more lenient, particularly if it's normally a quiet train. Of course, if it's a quiet train, there may not be much point in altering the reservations. I rarely sit in my reserved seat.

 

[TEW]

I managed to do it with FGW. I complained to there Customer Services. When they gave me au useless reply I asked to speak to a supervisor and got new seat reservations for free instantly.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....If I was to ring Virgin would they change the seat reservations now I have received the originals in the post and would this incur their £10 alteration fee....

The £10 fee applies to changes to travel plans, so provided you stay on the same service you shouldn't get charged, but to be honest most guards will just check you are on the right service, you might be able to swap seats with someone else when you are onboard.

 

[rosscbrown]

I doubt this is 'legal' but on services I have a reservation on and don't like the seat I have, I usually take the 'seat reserved' ticket from my seat and place it on the unreserved seat which I want to travel on. That way my 'old' seat is then free for others to use and I get the seat I want.

 

[caughtonatrain]

I doubt this is 'legal' but on services I have a reservation on and don't like the seat I have, I usually take the 'seat reserved' ticket from my seat and place it on the unreserved seat which I want to travel on. That way my 'old' seat is then free for others to use and I get the seat I want.

This is not 'legal' and you could get a fine if you're not careful.

Best just to leave the ticket where it is, because anybody can sit in a reserved seat if there's nobody actually using it. While your appreciation for other passengers is laudable, what you're doing might actually be causing more confusion.

If the seat is reserved multiple times in a journey you might be screwing things up further down the line.

Incidentally, some operators (e.g NXEC) insist (and enforce) you sit in your reserved seat if on an Advance ticket.

 

[rosscbrown]

This is not 'legal' and you could get a fine if you're not careful.

I'll just have to stop being nice then - or reserve the seats that I want.

I've never quite understood how they can reserve the same seat more than once per journey. Does someone come and change the ticket over or something?

 

[Max]

Normally, if the seat is reserved twice or more, all the details will be on one card. If only you are reserved in seat, i would have thought taking the card out is a pretty good policy actually, as many passengers dont sit in reserved seats, even if the passenger that was supposed to be there is a blatent no show. As long as it doesn't interfere with another passenger's reservation, I highly doubt you would get fined.

 

[MKB]

I've seen it stated a few times recently that you have to sit in the seat you are allocated when on an Advance ticket.

I've looked but I can't find where this is covered in the ticket t&c's or in the NCOC. Any pointers please?

Given that it's impossible to choose your seats from those available when you book, it's galling that a TOC would attempt to force you to sit in a worse seat than another that is free.

I've lost count of the number of times I've told Virgin's system that I want a window seat only to get one of the many without a window. It seems that selecting "window" simply means a seat adjacent to the wall, regardless of whether or not there is a window there. On most trains, this doesn't matter, because you can see out of the windows of the rows in front. On the dreadfully cramped Pendolinos, however, you are stuck with absolutely no view outside.

 

[John @ home]

I've seen it stated a few times recently that you have to sit in the seat you are allocated when on an Advance ticket.

I've looked but I can't find where this is covered in the ticket t&c's or in the NCOC. Any pointers please?

from http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/advance_conditions.html
Where applicable, you must travel in the Class and reserved seat(s) shown on the ticket(s).

John

 

[ian13]

"CrossCountry will accept reservations or changes to existing
reservations on their services by telephone with prepurchased
tickets. Customers should be asked to quote the
details of the ticket held to ensure that the ticket is valid on the
train service for which the reservation is being made."

Now, whilst making reservations is free, changing is likely subject to the TOCs standard administration fee (£10) for AXC.

 

[MKB]

Thanks for that John@Home. Have those ticket-specific conditions been incorporated into the NCOC?

When I buy off Virgin, for example, they quote the Advance ticket conditions as:

Valid on: You must travel on the date, time and trains specified.
Booking: Can be booked up until the day before travel, subject to availability and reservation compulsory.
Refunds: No refunds available.
Changes: Date & time of tickets can be changed up until the time of departure, minus a £10 fee per ticket per person and any difference in fares.
Break of Journey: Not allowed.
Discounts: Railcard and child discounts available.
​

So, unless the NCOC say othewise, I presume I can sit where I want if I book an Advance ticket via them?

 

[Max]

from http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/advance_conditions.html
Where applicable, you must travel in the Class and reserved seat(s) shown on the ticket(s).

John

This is all very well, but pretty much unenforceable. Guards would spend all their time forcing to people to swap seats. Perhaps if the train was completely wedged though, a specific announcement would be made to ask people to sit in their reserved seats.

 

[ian13]

Thanks for that John@Home. Have those ticket-specific conditions been incorporated into the NCOC?

When I buy off Virgin, for example, they quote the Advance ticket conditions as:

Valid on: You must travel on the date, time and trains specified.
Booking: Can be booked up until the day before travel, subject to availability and reservation compulsory.
Refunds: No refunds available.
Changes: Date & time of tickets can be changed up until the time of departure, minus a £10 fee per ticket per person and any difference in fares.
Break of Journey: Not allowed.
Discounts: Railcard and child discounts available.
​

So, unless the NCOC say othewise, I presume I can sit where I want if I book an Advance ticket via them?

The fare 'simplification' means there are standard rules for all TOCs, so the restriction sadly applies. That notice only really tells you that their admin fee is £10.

 

[MKB]

The fare 'simplification' means there are standard rules for all TOCs, so the restriction sadly applies. That notice only really tells you that their admin fee is £10.

But putting on my layman lawyer's hat, doesn't there have to be some disclosure of the rules before the point of purchase? Virgin cite the t&c's I quoted badged as "ticket terms and conditions" and also reference the NCOC. I can't find any reference to the t&c's on the nationalrail site.

 

[ian13]

But putting on my layman lawyer's hat, doesn't there have to be some disclosure of the rules before the point of purchase? Virgin cite the t&c's I quoted badged as "ticket terms and conditions" and also reference the NCOC. I can't find any reference to the t&c's on the nationalrail site.

It's in section H of the NFM, but virgin do indeed imply that they are listing all of the terms and conditions when they are not, so I would expect a court would rule in your favour (virgin imply that you need only be on the correct train, and hold a reservation, but not that you need to use your reservation).

It also raises an additional interesting issue where you want to start/end your journey at an intermediate stop. The virgin t&c listing doesn't prohibit that.