LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Small rant here.
I was passing the First Class Lounge at Stoke on Trent today, and it had a rather tatty notice on the door saying:
"Entry only for holders of Virgin Trains First Class Tickets.
First class tickets of any other operator are, unfortunately, not accepted".
I am aware this is a device to prevent users of XC and LM advance tickets getting in.
But how is the general public supposed to know what a Virgin Trains ticket is?
If I have, for the sake of argument, an walk-up FOR for the following, do they let me in:
Euston (Any Permitted, but joining the LM service)
Birmingham New St (Any Permitted FDR, joining XC)
Bristol TM (Not via London, joining XC)
Manchester Stns (Any Permitted FDR, joining NT)
None of these say "Virgin" (or any other TOC) on the ticket.
The last 3 are, according to Avantix 11, set by Cross Country.
Can Virgin ban use of their lounges for such interavailable tickets?
A bit later, on the platforms, I noticed the XC and NT departures to Manchester had the message "Virgin Tickets Not Valid" scrolling around.
The same applied to the LM departure for Euston.
What nonsense is this? The TOCs are pretending interavailable tickets do not exist.
I think a great deception is being played out on the public's ignorance of the ticketing system.
I bet most of the public think a Virgin ticket is one they have bought from a Virgin station, or via VT's web site.
Does anybody agree?
I was passing the First Class Lounge at Stoke on Trent today, and it had a rather tatty notice on the door saying:
"Entry only for holders of Virgin Trains First Class Tickets.
First class tickets of any other operator are, unfortunately, not accepted".
I am aware this is a device to prevent users of XC and LM advance tickets getting in.
But how is the general public supposed to know what a Virgin Trains ticket is?
If I have, for the sake of argument, an walk-up FOR for the following, do they let me in:
Euston (Any Permitted, but joining the LM service)
Birmingham New St (Any Permitted FDR, joining XC)
Bristol TM (Not via London, joining XC)
Manchester Stns (Any Permitted FDR, joining NT)
None of these say "Virgin" (or any other TOC) on the ticket.
The last 3 are, according to Avantix 11, set by Cross Country.
Can Virgin ban use of their lounges for such interavailable tickets?
A bit later, on the platforms, I noticed the XC and NT departures to Manchester had the message "Virgin Tickets Not Valid" scrolling around.
The same applied to the LM departure for Euston.
What nonsense is this? The TOCs are pretending interavailable tickets do not exist.
I think a great deception is being played out on the public's ignorance of the ticketing system.
I bet most of the public think a Virgin ticket is one they have bought from a Virgin station, or via VT's web site.
Does anybody agree?
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