Split tickets and first class meals on VTEC

[marshmallow]

It seems that with operators such as VTEC, in first class they limit you to one hot meal in a journey, however long your journey is. Do you think that if you have split tickets, you could have an interesting conversation with catering staff and justify being allowed another meal after each split point (provided that each leg of the journey is at least 70 minutes, as this is VTEC's minimum journey time for hot food)?

To be honest it should also be allowed if you have one through walk-up ticket, since you might break your on-route and then have another meal when you resume your journey.

 

[extendedpaul]

Is that a new policy? I'm sure I had hot food twice ( breakfast and lunch) between Inverness and Kings Cross on VTEC in 2015

On a journey from Glasgow to London in January 2016 while the West Coast main line was closed at Lamington my wife and I each had a light hot breakfast on the first (diverted) service from Glasgow to Carlisle, a full breakfast on leaving Carlisle and then a hot lunch on the same train between Warrington and Euston. Three drinks each too.

Probably my favourite journey ever as qualified for Delay Repay and whole fares were refunded.

 

[yorkie]

VTEC's complimentary food offer is on a per journey basis.

VTEC catering staff do not look at tickets.

It seems that with operators such as VTEC, in first class they limit you to one hot meal in a journey, however long your journey is. Do you think that if you have split tickets, you could have an interesting conversation with catering staff and justify being allowed another meal after each split point (provided that each leg of the journey is at least 70 minutes, as this is VTEC's minimum journey time for hot food)?

To be honest it should also be allowed if you have one through walk-up ticket, since you might break your on-route and then have another meal when you resume your journey.

What journey(s) are you thinking of? (give times too)

Is that a new policy? I'm sure I had hot food twice ( breakfast and lunch) between Inverness and Kings Cross on VTEC in 2015

You will get two food offerings on that journey. That is their policy and it remains unchanged. You might even get another offering.

 

[dave87016]

From Kings X you will generally get one meal between Kings X and Edinburgh another if travelling further North and the same vice versa If there is a menu changeover between Kings X and Edinburgh and vice versa you might get both I did when I travelled on the 08:30am Edinburgh - Kings X

 

[yorkie]

Yes, the meal offering always refreshes at Edinburgh. That said, if your journey was something like Kirkcaldy to Dunbar, you'd probably not get any hot food (they may need to pack up before Edinburgh, and start setting up after Edinburgh).

But for a journey like Newcastle to Dundee, you would almost certainly get two offerings.

 

[marshmallow]

VTEC's complimentary food offer is on a per journey basis.

Exactly

VTEC catering staff do not look at tickets.

True, however the hypothetical situation is I ask for another meal and they say no as I have already had one, so I show them my tickets to justify why I should be treated like a new passenger.

What journey(s) are you thinking of?

E.g. London Kings Cross (departure 17:30) to Newcastle (arrival 20:29), split at Newark North Gate (departure 18:46)

On a similar line of thinking, what if someone had a walk-up first class ticket from London to Newcastle, say, and stated to catering staff that they are travelling to Newcastle if asked, were served a hot meal before Peterborough but then decided to break their journey at Peterborough. Technically as they are alighting there they shouldn't have had a hot meal but would there be anything wrong with doing this?

On another note, I notice that normally on Southbound services no food or drink is offered beyond Peterborough; fair enough not to offer the hot food as there is less than 70 minutes left, however people might board at Peterborough having paid £154 for their return ticket, and understandably could feel short-changed not to receive any complimentary refreshments.

 

[ainsworth74]

Do you think that if you have split tickets, you could have an interesting conversation with catering staff and justify being allowed another meal after each split point (provided that each leg of the journey is at least 70 minutes, as this is VTEC's minimum journey time for hot food)?

No the offer is on a per journey basis. You may have split tickets but you are doing one journey.

 

[marshmallow]

No the offer is on a per journey basis. You may have split tickets but you are doing one journey.

I thought that technically that may be the case, however if I could travel on different trains at the same fares to have more meals, this does not make a lot of sense. Also technically if I alight and then board again at the split points, could I not argue that it is a separate journey?

And again this raises the point that [assuming the ticket allows it], one could split their journey and have another meal on the next train. As such, since passengers on longer journeys are paying more, I believe that they could justify having another meal if the journey is sufficiently long but I suppose that at the end of the day, it is down to the discretion of staff.

 

[yorkie]

I thought that technically that may be the case, however if I could travel on different trains at the same fares to have more meals, this does not make a lot of sense. Also technically if I alight and then board again at the split points, could I not argue that it is a separate journey?

And again this raises the point that [assuming the ticket allows it], one could split their journey and have another meal on the next train. As such, since passengers on longer journeys are paying more, I believe that they could justify having another meal if the journey is sufficiently long but I suppose that at the end of the day, it is down to the discretion of staff.

Just get another train if you are desperate for another food offering. Nothing to stop you doing that...

 

[bb21]

If you don't believe what people are telling you, try it and feedback on how you get on. This is not silly season so no one will entertain deliberately obtuse and absurd questions.

As yorkie said, if you are desperate for food, break your journeys into 70-minute chunks and hop on the next train each time, and no one can stop you.

And for your Peterborough question, no they can't stop you if you alight after finishing your meal before there. I doubt they'll worry much about one meal.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Just get another train if you are desperate for another food offering. Nothing to stop you doing that...

That’s definitely what I’d do, anyway!