Thank you HSTfan!!!. Glad you got there before me, I could have easily posted a huge amount of why FGW are better than GNER and Chiltern in response. I could still do it, so if this argument about First goes any further, I'll make sure I do it.
the slapper (gosh, what an excellent and mature user name!), are you sure you're not a chav in disguise? Only chavs have such narrow-minded, immature views. Sorry, no, I'm wrong. No, I meant to include that huge group of Chiltern and GNER fans too. *Goes looking for GNER and Chiltern fans, finds just a couple*
Who cares if First change their livery? Currently First Group have many different liveries when including FTPX, FGWL, FSR and FGW. They are going to change that and have one uniform livery, which is a mammoth task, considering the amount of rolling stock they have to do in the new colours. It'll take time too, as they will need to pull rolling stock off service at the same time as they become due for an exam, which means we'll be waiting some time for the entire fleet to be coloured in the new livery. But so what? It's a large fleet. I'd like to see GNER or Chiltern do the same job, quicker and better. What's that? They could? Poppycock.
Everyone complains about First's livery on all their stock every time it changes. I still say it's better than the 'We like business travellers and rich leisure travellers only' attitude and livery GNER has. It's also better than the 'We tried to be big and use white as the dominate colour like ScotRail, but we chickened out and got a three-year-old to design it for us' Chiltern.
First actually have some level of interest in where they run to. They promote travel on their services for the leisure traveller, something which GNER find hard to comprehend. Chiltern don't really run to anywhere interesting, apart from a couple of services to Stratford-upon-Avon. Birmingham is NOT that interesting, only much use for shoppers and cheap-skates Chiltern is.
Can GNER say they were ultra-innovative, in that they were the first TOC to operate a fully-interactive at-seat entertainment system, with movies, TV shows, games and more for their passengers? No? Exactly, First got there and became the first company to do so. Wi-Fi was done first by GNER? Pish-posh, it's ridiculously expensive in Standard Class, isn't all that reliable or quick either. It's only any good to First Class passengers. Which really backs up again my view GNER runs only for First Class passengers, or those on expensive tickets. The fact they can't afford the premiums they promised doesn't say much for them either.
First can say they were the first to do many things related to passenger satisfaction, comfort and safety, again something GNER and Chiltern can't. First got rid of 47/8s and MK2s on daytime trains, something the vast majority applauds.
Of course, FGW and FGWL have the 'Forward' frequent traveller membership scheme, one that allows most people to join, unlike GNER's horrific scheme. Free Weekend First upgrade vouchers, free drinks on board, discounted snacks, First Class lounge entry vouchers, free weekend car parking and more. First listened to the passengers and previously scheme members to make Forward the best scheme around, one that passengers actually wanted to join and made them feel rewarded for their frequent travelling. I'm a Forward member, dead proud of it too.
But of course, we've been going for ages on this today. I haven't even begun to get into much of why First are better than GNER and Chiltern yet. That can wait until later or next week. Of course, this replaces the weekly Sunday rant, as I'm off all day tomorrow.
I await comments.