TPE Weekend First

[p.d87]

Hi all

I will be travelling with TPE this Saturday on the 10.10 Glasgow-Blackpool North service with standard class advance tickets. Would i be able to upgrade this type of ticket to First or is this not allowed due to being an advance. Also is it worth the money??

Many thanks

 

[All Line Rover]

Hi all

I will be travelling with TPE this Saturday on the 10.10 Glasgow-Blackpool North service with standard class advance tickets. Would i be able to upgrade this type of ticket to First or is this not allowed due to being an advance. Also is it worth the money??

Many thanks

Yes, you are allowed to upgrade an Advance ticket for £10.

I would say it is worth it for your journey, being 3 hours long. The seats are much more comfortable and they recline. Also, since the 10:10 is a service to/from Scotland, a trolley service is available providing free drinks and snacks to First Class passengers.

 

[yorkie]

...subject to space being available (but if you are starting from Glasgow and thet there early that shouldn't be a problem).

However whether it is worth the money depends on how busy standard is... I find standard class comfortable enough, but if standard was wedged and standing room only with no reservations, then £10 would be well worth it. It's highly subjective but if you give us an idea on what your criteria for value are, we may be able to advise.

 

[mountainmike]

Just be aware It isn't unknown for TPE to declassify 1st once into the journey if too many standing in Standard .

 

[All Line Rover]

...subject to space being available (but if you are starting from Glasgow and thet there early that shouldn't be a problem).

However whether it is worth the money depends on how busy standard is... I find standard class comfortable enough, but if standard was wedged and standing room only with no reservations, then £10 would be well worth it. It's highly subjective but if you give us an idea on what your criteria for value are, we may be able to advise.

I'm quite surprised you like Standard Class on TPE, Yorkie, considering that you are fairly tall. The Standard Class table seats are awful for legroom!

To the OP: The First Class seats on TPE are also wonderful for sleeping in! (East Coast's are too. Virgin's aren't.)

 

[p.d87]

thanks for the info, i have seats booked in standard but having travelled on the class 185s often I thought we could try out First, I wasnt sure if the trolley would be in the Manchester portion only, can anyone confirm this for me? Im not too fussed about the price of the upgrade. Our booked seats are 49 and 50 in coach F so I know we are at a table. Having one to ourselves would be much better. We are travelling with luggage so knowing what space is like on board I thought First would be a better option.

 

[All Line Rover]

thanks for the info, i have seats booked in standard but having travelled on the class 185s often I thought we could try out First, I wasnt sure if the trolley would be in the Manchester portion only, can anyone confirm this for me?

On weekdays, a trolley service is available on all services to/from Scotland and to/from Manchester.

On Saturdays, a trolley service is available on all services to/from Scotland and "selected" services to/from Manchester.

On Sundays, a trolley service is only available on services to/from Scotland.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

I'm not sure if it's official, but when I upgraded York to Liverpool tickets with TPE, who then declassified FC at Leeds, I got a refund after writing to Customer Relations

 

[yorkie]

If it's food you're after, I recommend buying £10 worth before you get on as you will get a lot more for your £10 (especially if you buy at a non-station outlet or, if you do buy at the station, use a bite card!)

 

[All Line Rover]

If it's food you're after, I recommend buying £10 worth before you get on as you will get a lot more for your £10 (especially if you buy at a non-station outlet or, if you do buy at the station, use a bite card!)

I agree that it's not worth upgrading just for the food. Only do so if you want a (much) more comfortable seat. (In my opinion it's much more comfortable.) Free tea/coffee and biscuits are an added bonus, but don't go on the train feeling hungry. You'll be starving once you reach Blackpool!

 

[p.d87]

If it's food you're after, I recommend buying £10 worth before you get on as you will get a lot more for your £10 (especially if you buy at a non-station outlet or, if you do buy at the station, use a bite card!)

The complimentary stuff is just an added bonus to be fair as im aware what catering is available. Its more so that I would like a comfy journey and space for my luggage. I normally use my bite card at stations before i board. Thanks though

 

[All Line Rover]

The complimentary stuff is just an added bonus to be fair as im aware what catering is available. Its more so that I would like a comfy journey and space for my luggage. I normally use my bite card at stations before i board. Thanks though

Obviously you can only upgrade once you have joined the train. I recommend waiting until the train has left Glasgow (it won't stop again until Carlisle) so that you can see how busy the First Class compartment is. If it is very busy, it wouldn't be worth upgrading. It shouldn't be busy, though.

You will definitely have more space for luggage, and you will definitely have a comfier journey! (Providing, as I said above, that the compartment isn't too busy.)

 

[p.d87]

Thanks, I will most likely board the train at the first class section and check for seat reservations if it is busy then I wont bother going in and just take my booked STD seats, if its quiet then i will take the upgrade. Does anyone know what the loadings are like on the direct Blackpool services as this is the first tme ive used the service. Im hoping its nothing like the Manchester services!!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I thought that it was a Manchester train that had Blackpool carriages detached at Preston...

 

[All Line Rover]

I thought that it was a Manchester train that had Blackpool carriages detached at Preston...

After checking, you are correct! 5 bonus points!

But perhaps the Blackpool section of the train will be less busy? I can't imagine a service from Glasgow at 10am on a Saturday morning being very busy anyway.

 

[WestCoast]

The Standard Class table seats are awful for legroom!

The priority airline seats have great legroom. I really don't mind the so-called "horrendous seating" either.

Is TPE first class worth it? It depends on how busy the train is since the catering offer isn't amazing!

But perhaps the Blackpool section of the train will be less busy? I can't imagine a service from Glasgow at 10am on a Saturday morning being very busy anyway.

It's been a while since I've done a TPE Scotland service, but the Glasgow - Euston VT services are well loaded generally throughout the day, none of these "half-empty" services you see on the Manchester - Euston route.

 

[John @ home]

On Saturdays, a trolley service is available on all services to/from Scotland and "selected" services to/from Manchester.

Yes, but it's not at all clear to me whether a Glasgow - Blackpool / Manchester service has a trolley in one set or in both. See this post for the complaint of a disappointed First Class Edinburgh - Lockerbie passenger in the opposite set from the trolley in 2009. If it is only in one set, I would expect it may well be in the Manchester portion, and First Class passengers in the Blackpool set may have to do without their complementaries. Perhaps one of the TPE staff on the forum could advise us. It may well be worth p.d87 checking with the catering staff before leaving Glasgow, and if necessary travelling in the Manchester set as far as Preston.

My personal experience is that TPE's First Class offer on Anglo-Scottish services is significantly better than on its Leeds - Manchester trains. But I think I've used the Anglo-Scottish route on weekdays only. Things may be different at weekends.

 

[zoothorn]

I'm not sure if it's official, but when I upgraded York to Liverpool tickets with TPE, who then declassified FC at Leeds, I got a refund after writing to Customer Relations

I was on a Barrow to Manchester Airport service last weekend, and it was rammed, so much so that 1st class was declassified around Ulverston and the TM was assiduous in announcing that 1st class ticket holders could get a partial refund so looks official

 

[WillPS]

FTPE First Class is only worth it if Standard is rammed, but then it seems to get either officially or unofficially declassified now. I guess if you can get a refund it's worth it.

I had a disastrous FC experience with them in February 2010. I had the forms and everything to complain, then completely lost my tickets (they later emerged from under a bloody carpet).

 

[Donachie]

After checking, you are correct! 5 bonus points!

But perhaps the Blackpool section of the train will be less busy? I can't imagine a service from Glasgow at 10am on a Saturday morning being very busy anyway.

Yes it may not be too busy as the 09:52 From Edinburgh picks up at Lockerbie and most passengers from Carlisle before the 10:10 from Glasgow attaches to the Edinburgh train at Carlisle. Passenges with resivations from Carlisle in the Glasgow portion are vey confused when the 09:52 arrives in Carlisle and they cant find their coach !!

Regards,
Donachie.

 

[snail]

I had the forms and everything to complain, then completely lost my tickets (they later emerged from under a bloody carpet).

Intriguing. How did the blood get on the carpet, that's what I want to know?

 

[John @ home]

the 09:52 From Edinburgh picks up at Lockerbie and most passengers from Carlisle before the 10:10 from Glasgow attaches to the Edinburgh train at Carlisle.

Ah! I didn't realise that this is an Edinburgh / Glasgow - Manchester / Blackpool service. In that case, my advice in post #17 does not apply, but there remains the risk that there may be a catering trolley in only one of the two units.

 

[Donachie]

Ah! I didn't realise that this is an Edinburgh / Glasgow - Manchester / Blackpool service. In that case, my advice in post #17 does not apply, but there remains the risk that there may be a catering trolley in only one of the two units.

Ah, hold on a minute, this may not happen on a Saturday, just looked at timetable and it appears these are seperate trains on a Saturday only , from Carlisle .