As has been discussed at length here, Avanti are only releasing their timetables a few days in advance. I'd booked a trip from Lime Street to Euston tomorrow before the 8th August. This meant that my seat reservation was cancelled. My train is timetabled to run so I used the change journey option, chose the same train and same seat - I wanted a single seat in Standard Premier. It cost me an additional £11.50 to guarantee the same seat that I'd booked and paid for originally. Ridiculous, and more fool me for doing this but I wanted some peace of mind.
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Avanti Emergency Timetable - had to pay more for the same seat.
- Thread starter Birkonian
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I'd not have bothered. Reservations are not being properly displayed and SP is often being declassified or "reclassified" up to 1st.
Ticket offices can make you a seat reservation free of charge, assuming they have been made available for the train in question.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It might be that a non-Avanti booking office will do it, but Avanti are presently refusing to make reservations for people caught up in this issue.
It's fairly pointless anyway, the displays don't seem to be working properly.
Vespa
Established Member
I have stopped travelling with Avanti since they started cancelling trains and journeys not showing for the dates I wanted and too much uncertainty that I could have done without.
Arrived in London today having travelled with LNWR, I booked in a few weeks in advance, dates were available and paid £33 with railcard, it was a straightforward no fuss booking.
Arrived in London today having travelled with LNWR, I booked in a few weeks in advance, dates were available and paid £33 with railcard, it was a straightforward no fuss booking.
More fool you indeed, you effectively paid £11.50 for a seat reservation.
Next time just send them a tweet or call them up and they'll make you a free seat reservation. Your ticket was valid.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
More fool you indeed, you effectively paid £11.50 for a seat reservation.
Not only that but one that likely won't be honoured.
They are presently refusing to re-make reservations for people affected by the cancellations, though as I mentioned I expect a non-Avanti booking office wouldn't know that so would probably do it.
Sadly Birkonian (and welcome by the way) your experience typifies that of many who are unfamiliar with the ways of the dis-integrated and dis-spirited railway. Hoping your experiences will be better, and as you would hope and should expect, in the future.
IIUC, someone with a bad experience tells many more people (and they pass it on!) than someone with a good experience.
How would having your seat reservation cancelled make an already purchased ticket invalid?
Nothing to do with the railway being dis-integrated. You can have poorly run national organisations as well
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I've had them collected one time out of four. I used them last Saturday and it was explicitly declassified.
LA50041
Established Member
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I travelled on Avanti today and the train manager made an announcement at Euston saying if you reserved a seat prior to 8th August head to coach C, by which time was already full, as although your ticket is valid, your seat reservations are cancelled
Whatever Avanti's failings, that approach does seem to involve making life needlessly hard for themselves, especially if it involves paying more for the same train.
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