Everyone, regardless of seniority, boil in the bags, newbies, 50 year men who started as coal slingers on footplates, "I worked for BR for 6 weeks in the nineties", post 1996 TOCNE, no matter who .... ALL should get the same travel benefits, and ALL should get the same retirement travel benefits.. either all or nothing.
The current differential should be challenged in court and have it declared unlawful.
As for someone's analogy about Marks and Spencer giving away free food, I seriously doubt that any firm in the stingey retail sector would even give away a carrier bag, let alone any contents to go in it.