I really wonder to what extent First Class is still justified.
It doesn't exist on any domestic plane flights in Britain. BR seemed to be making progress in removing it except on Inter City and some longer Network SE routes, in some cases it has come back in recent years.
Yes, on both Inter City and South-East services it seems to be occupied on services inwards in the morning peak, and outwards in the evening one. At other times, even on these services, it seems to be just so much empty stock.
Yes, there are some advance deals on off-peak services which give First Class for little more (in fact sometimes LESS) than standard, but this is just a means to put passengers in accommodation which, at prevailing fare levels, would just be empty. It's certainly not justification for First Class provision in its own right. In fact as real First Class fares have skyrocketed in price over the years even us business travellers have pretty much deserted it as no longer justified.
But there are large numbers of services where passengers are standing, while the numbers in First Class actually paying premium fares are low or non-existent. I make this distinction because of the numbers of rail staff on passes, and a range of others, who just don't contribute to the revenue (between Edinburgh and Glasgow at peak hours being a notable case).
There have been criticisms of gross overprovision of First Class on the WCML for generations now, when the air-con stock first came along in the 1970s it was normal to see 20% or less occupancy in First, and standing in Standard. This has never gone away; the Pendolinos initially had way to high a proportion of First. Somehow there is a perception that the one inward trip to London in the morning and out in the evening may justify rolling First Class coaches around all day, effectively empty stock outside these times.
