LNER First Advance Tickets

[williamn]

Hi all,

I've been trying to move an existing booking on a first class advance ticket Aberdeen to London from mid Aug to 25 Sept. However the LNER website isn't offering any first class advance fares it seems, only open ones. Anyone know why this is? I have tried a few different dates and there's no availability on any, am only getting standard advance or first open fares.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Despite it being in date for the booking horizon (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/advance-booking-dates/) it looks like LNER haven't loaded the fares yet. Maybe worth checking there destinations on the same dates to see what's been loaded - eg Newcastle or York.

 

[williamn]

Yes they're on sale for other destinations, just not the through tickets...I might tweet them.

 

[Haywain]

Tickets for places like Aberdeen can be delayed being released due to waiting for confirmation of engineering works on the Sunday or early morning on the Monday. Is the Sunday available yet, because if it's not that will probably tell you when the Monday trains will be available?

 

[williamn]

Tickets for places like Aberdeen can be delayed being released due to waiting for confirmation of engineering works on the Sunday or early morning on the Monday. Is the Sunday available yet, because if it's not that will probably tell you when the Monday trains will be available?

I dont think it can be that as standard advance tickets are available. LNER just said they are limited and recommended open tickets instead… but seems very unusual to me that they don’t have any advance fare available 6 weeks out.

 

[Haywain]

I dont think it can be that as standard advance tickets are available. LNER just said they are limited and recommended open tickets instead… but seems very unusual to me that they don’t have any advance fare available 6 weeks out.

In which case it might be worth looking at what availability there is for shorter journeys on the same train, such as Edinburgh or Newcastle to London. It's possible it's a rare error if there is availability for shorter parts of the route.

 

[williamn]

Yes there are shorter parts available (Aberdeen to Edinburgh, Aberdeen to Newcastle) first class advance. It's odd, other LNER trains have availability but the 14.52 departure no first advance availability to London Mon-Thurs that week, or M-Thurs the week after either.

 

[Haywain]

Yes there are shorter parts available (Aberdeen to Edinburgh, Aberdeen to Newcastle) first class advance. It's odd, other LNER trains have availability but the 14.52 departure no first advance availability to London Mon-Thurs that week, or M-Thurs the week after either.

OK, I'm out of ideas now.

 

[HughT]

OK, I'm out of ideas now.

This Forum's ticketing site offers a 1st Adv Single on Mon 25 Sept for £162.30 (incl £25 share of the saving), splitting at Newcastle.

 

[williamn]

This Forum's ticketing site offers a 1st Adv Single on Mon 25 Sept for £162.30 (incl £25 share of the saving), splitting at Newcastle.

Thanks! Unfortunately I am moving an existing advance ticket, so I can't take advantage of that!

 

[KGX]

Do you mind me asking how much you paid for the original ticket? How much would you lose if you moved it to a standard ticket which is currently £61.70 with LNER?

 

[williamn]

Not much probably but my parents won't 'do' standard for that length of journey!!

 

[island]

If you're travelling when super off peak tickets are valid (which if you're on LNER all the way, you will be), you could change to standard tickets and upgrade on-board for £45pp.

 

[Haywain]

If you're travelling when super off peak tickets are valid (which if you're on LNER all the way, you will be), you could change to standard tickets and upgrade on-board for £45pp.

They are not travelling at the weekend.

 

[Watershed]

They are not travelling at the weekend.

First Class upgrades are £45pp (subject to availability) on weekdays too, provided the train is "Super Off-Peak" (by LNER's definition, mirroring the restriction on most of their Super Off-Peak fares to/from London).

 

[island]

They are not travelling at the weekend.

Have you read the link I provided?

 

[Haywain]

First Class upgrades are £45pp (subject to availability) on weekdays too, provided the train is "Super Off-Peak" (by LNER's definition, mirroring the restriction on most of their Super Off-Peak fares to/from London).

I'd forgotten about that but it would still be subject to availability.

Have you read the link I provided?

No.

 

[KGX]

Or it's £50 for a buy it now Seatfrog upgrade to guarantee the seat.
Depends how much they've paid for the original ticket as to if that's a good deal or not. I assume they have used a railcard, so perhaps not that great.
Suspect it's cheaper to get the earlier train on the day which has first advance available.

 

[Watershed]

Or it's £50 for a buy it now Seatfrog upgrade to guarantee the seat.
Depends how much they've paid for the original ticket as to if that's a good deal or not. I assume they have used a railcard, so perhaps not that great.
Suspect it's cheaper to get the earlier train on the day which has first advance available.

Seatfrog only sell one or two first class seats per train AFAIK, so if the OP is in a group of at least 3, that won't necessarily work for all members of the group.

 

[williamn]

Yes as my parents are in their 80's I just want a guaranteed seat in first class, and can't risk it on a potential upgrade on board - but I'm also not paying for an open return! It's frustrating as this feels like a glitch - its very unlikely all advance fares have sold out on a specific train every Monday to Thursday for at least two weeks running, but I don't see how I can bring this to LNER's attention!

 

[Haywain]

Yes as my parents are in their 80's I just want a guaranteed seat in first class, and can't risk it on a potential upgrade on board - but I'm also not paying for an open return! It's frustrating as this feels like a glitch - its very unlikely all advance fares have sold out on a specific train every Monday to Thursday for at least two weeks running, but I don't see how I can bring this to LNER's attention!

I think @Wallsendmag might know someone who can look at it. I agree that it is very odd that this train has First Advance tickets available from Stonehaven to London but not from Aberdeen to London.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I had this problem the other week trying to buy a ticket for a friend I haven’t seen anyone from the Revenue Management team since we moved offices though .

 

[Haywain]

I had this problem the other week trying to buy a ticket for a friend I haven’t seen anyone from the Revenue Management team since we moved offices though .

You could perhaps email someone in that team though.

 

[island]

I think @Wallsendmag might know someone who can look at it. I agree that it is very odd that this train has First Advance tickets available from Stonehaven to London but not from Aberdeen to London.

You used to be able to make reservations without a ticket on the LNER site if memory serves.

 

[Haywain]

You used to be able to make reservations without a ticket on the LNER site if memory serves.

You can but I'm not sure how that would help the OP.

 

[island]

You can but I'm not sure how that would help the OP.

They could:

1. Change the tickets currently held to standard advance tickets for the desirable train
2. Reserve first class seats so that they will be assured of them
3. Go on board, sit in said reserved seats, and pay the train manager £45pp for upgrades

They could try SeatFrog instead of step 3 if it comes out cheaper.

 

[Haywain]

Go on board, sit in said reserved seats, and pay the train manager £45pp for upgrades

The availbility of upgrades will be based on the availability of seats, so reserving seats while not holding first class tickets will not help the availability. Similarly, Seatfrog upgrades include reservations, so trying for those after reserving seats can also reduce the chance of success.

 

[island]

The availbility of upgrades will be based on the availability of seats, so reserving seats while not holding first class tickets will not help the availability.
Similarly, Seatfrog upgrades include reservations, so trying for those after reserving seats can also reduce the chance of success.

That isn't how it works. If you want to upgrade on board LNER you just sit in a first class seat and pay the train manager when they come round. The only thing that stops onboard upgrades from being "available" is every seat in first class having someone sat in it. If the train manager even looks at whether the seats are reserved or not, which they probably won't, the passengers can just correctly say that nobody else has sought to occupy those seats since Aberdeen.

 

[Watershed]

Similarly, Seatfrog upgrades include reservations, so trying for those after reserving seats can also reduce the chance of success.

Seatfrog have their own, dedicated seats (which cannot be separately reserved by any member of the public) unless I'm much mistaken.

 

[Haywain]

Seatfrog have their own, dedicated seats (which cannot be separately reserved by any member of the public) unless I'm much mistaken.

That may well be true - I never got to the bottom of how Seatfrog works. I don't think the process can be called transparent!