Virgin seat reservations - coincidence?

[daniel78]

Some weeks ago I helped my girlfriend book a trip from Glasgow to Leeds. She's not a regular rail user so I booked her an advance ticket on the Virgin website; Virgin Glasgow to Lancaster, then Northern to Leeds.

A couple of weeks later I made arrangements to join her so I booked another ticket for myself.

When we made the trip on Monday I made sure we arrived at Glasgow early and intended to get us the pick of the seats on the unreserved coach so we would be able to sit together. It was only as we made our way up the platform and she pulled her ticket out I realised we were sitting next to each other.

Was this a coincidence? Or does the booking engine check to see if there was a previous booking for a case like this? I was pretty impressed anyway.

 

[thenorthern]

Some weeks ago I helped my girlfriend book a trip from Glasgow to Leeds. She's not a regular rail user so I booked her an advance ticket on the Virgin website; Virgin Glasgow to Lancaster, then Northern to Leeds.

A couple of weeks later I made arrangements to join her so I booked another ticket for myself.

When we made the trip on Monday I made sure we arrived at Glasgow early and intended to get us the pick of the seats on the unreserved coach so we would be able to sit together. It was only as we made our way up the platform and she pulled her ticket out I realised we were sitting next to each other.

Was this a coincidence? Or does the booking engine check to see if there was a previous booking for a case like this? I was pretty impressed anyway.

I am almost certain that it was a coincidence that they were next to each other although I think the booking engine allocates the best seats by what information you enter which is why they may have been together.

 

[Greenback]

I'm sure it's coincidental.

Ina similar way, Mrs G and myself almost always end up with C37 and C38 when we reserve seats on FGW HST's!

 

[ItchyRsole]

It's fate.

Marry her.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I'm sure it's coincidental.

Ina similar way, Mrs G and myself almost always end up with C37 and C38 when we reserve seats on FGW HST's!

Same for my parents when they pop to London, they always have B27 and B28!

 

[DarloRich]

some sites remember your preferences and try to allocate seats on that basis

 

[Greenback]

That makes sense, I hope I never get to the stage where I feel annoyed if we don't get 'our' seats!

 

[DarloRich]

That makes sense, I hope I never get to the stage where I feel annoyed if we don't get 'our' seats!

I think both East Coast and Virgin do this - both seem to default to the quiet coach for me but will tell me if seats in those coaches cant be reserved