• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Avanti West Coast Seats

Doomotron

Established Member
Joined
25 Jun 2018
Messages
1,425
Location
Kent
I've had a quick look but haven't found anything - what type of seat do Avanti use in Standard? I thought they were FISA Leans but looking at interior walkthroughs of the 805s and refurbished Voyagers they're clearly different seats. I have never been on a Voyager so I have no idea what the new Leans are like (and I haven't been on any other trains that have them), but I use the 805s/807s relatively often and really like the seats. They remind me of those white plastic garden chairs in the best way possible; they're hard but weirdly comfortable. Hopefully they're not an exclusive design so that other trains can use them; they're so much better than the Fainsa seats in the IETs.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Russel

Established Member
Joined
30 Jun 2022
Messages
5,496
Location
Lichfield
I've had a quick look but haven't found anything - what type of seat do Avanti use in Standard? I thought they were FISA Leans but looking at interior walkthroughs of the 805s and refurbished Voyagers they're clearly different seats. I have never been on a Voyager so I have no idea what the new Leans are like (and I haven't been on any other trains that have them), but I use the 805s/807s relatively often and really like the seats. They remind me of those white plastic garden chairs in the best way possible; they're hard but weirdly comfortable. Hopefully they're not an exclusive design so that other trains can use them; they're so much better than the Fainsa seats in the IETs.

By Voyager, do you mean Pendolino?
 

AlterEgo

Verified Rep - Wingin' It! Paul Lucas
Joined
30 Dec 2008
Messages
29,460
Location
LBK
I've had a quick look but haven't found anything - what type of seat do Avanti use in Standard?



Transcal Aerolite. Same seat is on Lumo East Coast. I agree these seats are unusually comfortable given their appearance, they're my favourite standard seats on the network!
 

Russel

Established Member
Joined
30 Jun 2022
Messages
5,496
Location
Lichfield
I don’t think so. The refurbished Voyagers use FISA Leans - as do the 805s and 807s in first, but not standard.

I think we need clarity from OP as to what they are actually asking on this one as Avanti haven't operated Voyagers for a couple of years now and never changed the seats when they gave them a light refresh.

The refurbished Voyagers with XC are nothing to do with Avanti.
 

sabanda

Member
Joined
25 May 2025
Messages
154
Location
Bournemouth
I think we need clarity from OP as to what they are actually asking on this one as Avanti haven't operated Voyagers for a couple of years now and never changed the seats when they gave them a light refresh.

The refurbished Voyagers with XC are nothing to do with Avanti.
I think the meaning is reasonably clear. They know that the seats used on XC’s refurbished Voyagers are FISA Leans, and as these are different to the seats used on the 805s in standard class they had ruled these out as the model now used on Avanti trains.

They have now had their answer above!
 

Russel

Established Member
Joined
30 Jun 2022
Messages
5,496
Location
Lichfield
I think the meaning is reasonably clear. They know that the seats used on XC’s refurbished Voyagers are FISA Leans, and as these are different to the seats used on the 805s in standard class they had ruled these out as the model now used on Avanti trains.

They have now had their answer above!

The initial question was fairly obvious, what sort of seats are fitted to the Avanti fleet, but referencing 805s and Voyagers in the same sentence just muddies the waters.
 

TT-ONR-NRN

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Dec 2016
Messages
12,851
Location
Cambridge
The initial question was fairly obvious, what sort of seats are fitted to the Avanti fleet, but referencing 805s and Voyagers in the same sentence just muddies the waters.
I'll try to explain it. I hope it doesn't sound patronising but if it does, know it's not meant to.

The OP said he thought "at first the Avanti seats were FISA Lean."

"But looking at interior walkthroughs of the 805s (the seats he's asking about) and refurbished Voyagers (fitted with FISA Lean) they're clearly different seats"

So the reason he's bringing up Voyagers, is NOT because Avanti used to have them.

But because he knows they (the refurbished ones) have FISA Lean.

Therefore he knows, because he can see they're different -- that the Avanti seats (as in 805) are NOT FISA Lean.


Basically, he wondered if the Avanti seats were FISA Lean, so he took a picture of a train interior he KNEW had FISA Lean (in this case a refurbished XC 220, but could have very well chosen a 458/4, etc. same thing), put it alongside an Avanti 805 with the mystery seats, saw they were clearly different, and deduced the Avanti seats were indeed, not FISA Lean.
 

Russel

Established Member
Joined
30 Jun 2022
Messages
5,496
Location
Lichfield
I'll try to explain it. I hope it doesn't sound patronising but if it does, know it's not meant to.

The OP said he thought "at first the Avanti seats were FISA Lean."

"But looking at interior walkthroughs of the 805s (the seats he's asking about) and refurbished Voyagers (fitted with FISA Lean) they're clearly different seats"

So the reason he's bringing up Voyagers, is NOT because Avanti used to have them.

But because he knows they (the refurbished ones) have FISA Lean.

Therefore he knows, because he can see they're different -- that the Avanti seats (as in 805) are NOT FISA Lean.

I get what OP was asking, after reading the post a couple of times, but the fact that you've had to post this just emphasises my previous point that bringing up other TOC's fleets just muddies the waters.
 

TT-ONR-NRN

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Dec 2016
Messages
12,851
Location
Cambridge
I get what OP was asking, after reading the post a couple of times, but the fact that you've had to post this just emphasises my previous point that bringing up other TOC's fleets just muddies the waters.
But, respectfully, I think so far you've been the only person confused by it. It seems quite a straightforward question to me?
 

TT-ONR-NRN

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Dec 2016
Messages
12,851
Location
Cambridge
See post #4.
Ah yes. I'll grant you that saying "refurbished Voyagers" when talking about Avanti, gives the impression it refers to Avanti's former 221101-118/142/143 which they refreshed, as opposed to CrossCountry's refurbished 220s. Possibly should have said "CrossCountry's refurbished Voyagers." :lol:

Ah well, at least we now know :lol:

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

To summarise for anyone interested: @Doomotron

Class 390 Avanti refurbished interior (ALL UNITS) -- Transcal seating in standard, Antonin* seating in first
*The Antonin first class seats have gained a new large white headboard to resemble the Evero first class seats

Class 390 original Virgin interior (NOW GONE) -- Antonin seating in standard and first


Class 805 Avanti interior -- Transcal seating in standard, FISA Lean seating in first
Class 807 Avanti interior -- Transcal seating in standard, FISA Lean seating in first
Image 11.jpegImage 12.jpeg


Class 220 CrossCountry refurbished interior -- FISA Lean seating in standard, FISA Lean seating in first
Image 7.jpegImage 13.jpeg

Class 220/221 CrossCountry unrefurbished original Virgin interior -- Antonin seating in standard and first
Image 9.jpegImage 10.jpeg
Class 221 CrossCountry former Avanti interior -- Antonin seating in standard and first. First Class has leather instead of moquette.
Image 8.jpegImage 6.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Doomotron

Established Member
Joined
25 Jun 2018
Messages
1,425
Location
Kent
Sorry, I didn't mean for this to become an English exam. I do mean the refurbished CrossCountry Voyagers, not the Avanti ones.

But thanks to those who helped out, I've never heard of Transcal before. How do the Leans in the (XC) Voyagers compare?
 

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member
Joined
20 Oct 2014
Messages
113,432
Location
"Marston Vale mafia"


Transcal Aerolite. Same seat is on Lumo East Coast. I agree these seats are unusually comfortable given their appearance, they're my favourite standard seats on the network!

Yes, I'm a big fan of these too. That little bit better than the similarly shaped Grammer IC3000 which was used on the GWR and ScotRail HSTs.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

But thanks to those who helped out, I've never heard of Transcal before. How do the Leans in the (XC) Voyagers compare?

I've not sat on them in Voyagers but in other applications I find they are quite hard, and the shape of the back leads to poor legroom unless you have skinny legs where it's comfortable to have your knees pushed together into the niche.

I'd definitely say the Transcal was markedly better than the LEAN. Certainly better than the infamous Fainsa Sophia too!
 

Top