Some LNER questions

[38Cto15E]

Do any members know if LNER will have another seat sale before Christmas? A train crew member told me they would.

Secondly, I am beginning to look like a Ham sandwich, any idea when the First class complimentaries are due to change?

Finally, I just tried to book a First class Newark-Aberdeen for a date in October, but there is no availability, yet if I split the journey at Edinburgh for exactly the same train, there is availabilty on both halves. NNG-EDB is £62.35 and EDB-ABD £21.60, so why isnt Newark-Aberdeen available for £83.95?


TIA members.

 

[YorksLad12]

Do any members know if LNER will have another seat sale before Christmas? A train crew member told me they would.

Pass

Secondly, I am beginning to look like a Ham sandwich, any idea when the First class complimentaries are due to change?

Before 21 December, assuming astrological 'autumn'; see https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coast-experience/first-class/menu/

Finally, I just tried to book a First class Newark-Aberdeen for a date in October, but there is no availability, yet if I split the journey at Edinburgh for exactly the same train, there is availabilty on both halves. NNG-EDB is £62.35 and EDB-ABD £21.60, so why isnt Newark-Aberdeen available for £83.95?

It might be because there's no seat free for the whole journey but there are two different seats for each leg. The LNER booking engine doesn't let you see actual seats until you commit to the purchase routine, which is annoying; if you could see up front which services are being booked up you could try a different one, for example, rather than have to back out of the process and start again.

 

[ainsworth74]

It might be because there's no seat free for the whole journey but there are two different seats for each leg. The LNER booking engine doesn't let you see actual seats until you commit to the purchase routine, which is annoying; if you could see up front which services are being booked up you could try a different one, for example, rather than have to back out of the process and start again.

It's not the actual seats that are a possible issue it's the availability of tickets. There may not be any Newark - Aberdeen fares still available but there could still be Newark - Edinburgh and Edinburgh - Aberdeen fares available. Being able to see on the seat selector would obviously indicate how busy a train is but means little in terms of how many of a certain sort of ticket might be available.

 

[38Cto15E]

Thank you for your answers both.

 

[yorkie]

Do any members know if LNER will have another seat sale before Christmas? A train crew member told me they would.

They don't tend to reveal this in advance

Finally, I just tried to book a First class Newark-Aberdeen for a date in October, but there is no availability, yet if I split the journey at Edinburgh for exactly the same train, there is availabilty on both halves. NNG-EDB is £62.35 and EDB-ABD £21.60, so why isnt Newark-Aberdeen available for £83.95?

Difficult to say, especially as you've not stated the date and time.

But this is why I book on Trainsplit instead of TOC websites!

 

[38Cto15E]

OP here again. Being retired I have time on my hands and I am thinking of going to Scotland again, Inverness this time.(then Kyle and Wick) I have become used to travelling First Class but I have found single seats facing, harder to find and book on the Azuma trains. I have not booked yet but I will probably buy Standard Class and use the passenger assist service, as I am now in my 8th Decade and not being able to walk very far, this includes nearly the full length of a 9 car Azuma. I had a sit down in a Standard Priority seat on my last journey and the leg room was excellent, so I may give this a try next time.

Just on another LNER note, with the modern seat reservation system used on the Azuma's there can be quite a lot of passengers moving to and from their seats on a long journey. On the blocks of 4, could LNER have not gone for the Eurostar type tables which partly fold allowing easier access and exit for passengers in the window seats?

 

[YorksLad12]

As a basic rule, the single seats in First are all on the eastern side of the train. The ones at the London end of the carriage face north, the rest face south in coach L and in split coaches D and K. In coach M they all face north. I know this because I'm one of those annoying people that likes to travel on his own, which means I sometimes end up reserved in a priority seat. Can't remember if they show up in the booking engine as priority seats though - last time I did First it was a five-car set, evening peak, so not much choice about.

I'm not keen on those fold-up tables (not on the Class 373 sets anyway, which shows you how long it's been since I did Eurostar), but they do have them in the priority seats in First on LNER. None of the Standard priority seats have tables, that I can see. There's an updated Azuma seating plan pdf - now with some added window info! - at https://www.lner.co.uk/globalassets/_page-structure/azuma-content/Azuma-seat-maps

Have fun in Scotland, you're braver than I am in this weather!

 

[38Cto15E]

Many Thanks YorksLad12, yes the First Class singles on the East Side give you the best views. The First priority table tips up a bit too much IMHO.
The seating plan is a good asset but I am not sure if seats 7 to 10 and 79 to 82 in most Standard coaches have limited window view because the colour doesn't seem to match the guide below, ie: 7-10&79-82 are Pink but the guide shows limited priority seats with Limited window view in Orange. Seats 3-6 seem to have very good leg room as well,plus I am sure they have a window.