I have a couple of mid-week trips planned to Leeds with unknown outbound and return times but travelling "off-peak". Are there any reasonable get arounds LNER's new ticketing system that will give me flexibility without having to get a full priced anytime return.
You need to buy singles now.
(Except for loophole fares, which would get removed if they were published; you can find them by spending the time looking at BRFares.com or alternatively by attending a forum walk/meal/fares workshop, where such information can be shared without pricing managers making changes that result in higher prices being paid by everyone)
Also how do you select their 70min flex ticket if I am forced down that route?
They are not yet available from Leeds, but from Newcastle, here's how:
First, choose the
cheapest train within the time window you are happy with, not necessarily the train you want:
Then click "change ticket selection", and then choose 70 min flex single:
I thought I was reasonable au fait with ticket buying but LNER's ticketing system has me very confused.
The old pricing was extremely "complicated" according to LNER, as you simply bought a return ticket with some restrictions and were able to excess it by paying the difference if the restrictions were too onerous. This is simply not acceptable to LNER as it limits their revenue.
It is now much "simpler" in the world of LNER-speak, as you buy two lots of tickets for each journey, and you also need to book trains you do not want to catch, to get the best price, as this is considered by LNER to be far, far easier than understanding a concept such as "not valid to arrive into King's Cross before 11:17" which is apparently "outdated".
Of course, other benefits for LNER include that you can't get a refund, and that your ticket is restricted to a 140min window instead of many hours, and there is a greater chance you will have to buy a whole new ticket again. Oh, and they got rid of fares regulation, so they can really ramp up the price at weekends.
LNER are also very keen for people to "book direct", as otherwise people will pay less through split ticketing; this provides the best possible deal for "taxpayers" (i.e. the Government's priority, being car drivers who pollute the planet and don't use the train).
