Business Travel Problems - Reservations

[parkender102]

I've a Business Trip coming up for work and despite my preference to sort out the Rail Travel and claim it back myself the Company have told me it's their Policy to Book the Train Tickets for me (I assume by an outside agency).

I specified the exact journey and dates required with 2 changes each way and requested that they reserve Aisle Reserve Seats for me for each leg of the journey. Knowing what the Service is like and bound to be packed (Cross Country). I also suggested Standard Class Off Peak Return would be suitable allowing for any delays.

Tickets I received Electronically have 1 Reserved Seat on the first Leg and none for the other 2 legs (the last leg is 3.5 Hours!).

No Reservations for any of the Return Legs.

Looks like they were booked with Trainline Business. Before I reply back to them and tell them to sort it out is there a way I can just do the missing Reserved Seats Online? Carriers are Cross Country for most of the Journey. I don't normally travel or Book with Cross Country and usually book direct with a TOC and do the Reservations myself at the same time.

 

[Watershed]

You can get standalone reservations through the GWR website, the Ticketyboo app or possibly the TPE app or website (the function seems to have been intermittently removed and then reinstated recently).

You can request an aisle seat when making a reservation through any of these but since they don't have a seat selector you may have to make a couple of requests before you actually get an aisle seat (obviously you should then cancel the ones you didn't want).

 

[parkender102]

You can get standalone reservations through the GWR website, the Ticketyboo app or possibly the TPE app or website (the function seems to have been intermittently removed and then reinstated recently).

You can request an aisle seat when making a reservation through any of these but since they don't have a seat selector you may have to make a couple of requests before you actually get an aisle seat (obviously you should then cancel the ones you didn't want).

Cheers will check it out, although there is a Thread on here that GWR have removed the facility do just book Reserved Seats or Bike Reservations. You can only do it when purchasing a Ticket due to some misuse to Enter/Exit Gate Barriers.

I suppose the other option is to sort the Reservations out at a Station Ticket Office (or at the Departing Station on the day). I think I'd rather have it sorted before that though.

 

[Watershed]

Cheers will check it out, although there is a Thread on here that GWR have removed the facility do just book Reserved Seats or Bike Reservations. You can only do it when purchasing a Ticket due to some misuse to Enter/Exit Gate Barriers.

I suppose the other option is to sort the Reservations out at a Station Ticket Office (or at the Departing Station on the day). I think I'd rather have it sorted before that though.

The ability to do on the GWR website has since been reinstated

 

[Falcon1200]

Carriers are Cross Country for most of the Journey.

If you have access to Facebook seats can be booked with Cross Country through Messenger, I use this and their response is always fast.

 

[parkender102]

If you have access to Facebook seats can be booked with Cross Country through Messenger, I use this and their response is always fast.

Great - I'll try that - I've exhausted every other Avenue! If that doesn't work I'll just go to the nearest Station and do it there.

None of the TOC Websites seem to offer Seat Reservations without booking a ticket (which I already have). They just suggest email or Telephone.

Our Travel Department of work say 'When booking the tickets, I select reserve seats and it reserves all the ones it can.
Some trains don’t have seats that can be reserved, so I am assuming this is why it won't reserve them.'. I know it can be done as I've just Dummy Booked the very same journey on Raileasy and it offered Seat Reservations for the Longer Portions of the Journey.

 

[ricoblade]

Great - I'll try that - I've exhausted every other Avenue! If that doesn't work I'll just go to the nearest Station and do it there.

None of the TOC Websites seem to offer Seat Reservations without booking a ticket (which I already have). They just suggest email or Telephone.

Our Travel Department of work say 'When booking the tickets, I select reserve seats and it reserves all the ones it can.
Some trains don’t have seats that can be reserved, so I am assuming this is why it won't reserve them.'. I know it can be done as I've just Dummy Booked the very same journey on Raileasy and it offered Seat Reservations for the Longer Portions of the Journey.

Be aware that it is often impossible to get a reservation on XC services.

I travel from Doncaster to Bristol for business fairly often (luckily they let me book my own tickets) and more often than not, all ticket sites (including the forum's) won't give me a reserved seat. I have asked XC via X and also at Temple Meads ticket office but they just say "there are no seats avaialable".

 

[parkender102]

Be aware that it is often impossible to get a reservation on XC services.

I travel from Doncaster to Bristol for business fairly often (luckily they let me book my own tickets) and more often than not, all ticket sites (including the forum's) won't give me a reserved seat. I have asked XC via X and also at Temple Meads ticket office but they just say "there are no seats avaialable".

It's a complete mess isn't it! I'm actually travelling on Cross Country Trains for most of this journey.

I eventually managed to get Seat Reservations for the 3.5 Hour Leg of the Journey and some other shorter legs by Messaging Cross Country Trains on Facebook Messenger via their Facebook page. I also managed to secure a Reservation for one of the Legs which is an Avanti Service using the same method via their Facebook page. However the 3.5 Hour Leg Outward I received a message saying 'No Reserved Seats left' - same with the following service an hour later.............

So I've got to chance it and follow their advice to look for the unreserved coach - the first Service is only 4 coaches with '16 Unreserved Seats' available in one coach only!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 14:33 ==

If you have access to Facebook seats can be booked with Cross Country through Messenger, I use this and their response is always fast.

Thanks this worked for both Cross Country and Avanti apart from the 1 Leg I mentioned above so I'll have to wing it..............................

 

[xotGD]

Booking through corporate travel providers is always a PITA.

Hence me having to book 5 returns to Manchester instead of a one-week season ticket.

 

[parkender102]

So another option for the Monday Journey Chester to Plymouth has just entered my head. The last leg of the journey is 3.5 Hour 4 Coach Voyager journey Birmingham New Street to Plymouth via Bristol on Cross Country Trains. This is the only train I haven't got a Seat Reservation for - apparently there are 16 Unreserved Seats in one of the coaches. If I get on and it's rammed I could get off at Bristol Temple Meads and grab the next GWR Service to Plymouth instead. I think the journey is around 30 minutes longer with more stops. Is this acceptable on an Off Peak Return Ticket?

The only Restriction on the E-Ticket are Route 'via Bristol' and the Restriction Code 2V which is the standard Off Peak one of 'Not valid for trains scheduled to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30.' I think more likelyhood of Seat on the GWR Services?

 

[Watershed]

So another option for the Monday Journey Chester to Plymouth has just entered my head. The last leg of the journey is 3.5 Hour 4 Coach Voyager journey Birmingham New Street to Plymouth via Bristol on Cross Country Trains. This is the only train I haven't got a Seat Reservation for - apparently there are 16 Unreserved Seats in one of the coaches. If I get on and it's rammed I could get off at Bristol Temple Meads and grab the next GWR Service to Plymouth instead. I think the journey is around 30 minutes longer with more stops. Is this acceptable on an Off Peak Return Ticket?

The only Restriction on the E-Ticket are Route 'via Bristol' and the Restriction Code 2V which is the standard Off Peak one of 'Not valid for trains scheduled to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30.' I think more likelyhood of Seat on the GWR Services?

With an Off-Peak ticket you are not tied to any train and can change trains as often as you like even when there are direct trains that you could use to make the journey.

I would suggest that the GWR service is probably quieter if it's operated by a 5 coach IET, which some of them are between Bristol and Plymouth. But OTOH there will probably be a large turnover on the XC service at Bristol.

None of the TOC Websites seem to offer Seat Reservations without booking a ticket (which I already have). They just suggest email or Telephone.

As mentioned above, it is possible to obtain a standalone reservation (without booking a ticket) through the app and/or website of GWR, TPE and Ticketyboo. No purchase is needed for this; it generally involves creating an account. For example with GWR you login then go to My Bookings -> Create a bike/seat reservation.

 

[Adam Williams]

I understand (and I can see it is now in the public domain if you know where to look) RDG are keen to crack down on the issuance of standalone reservations, so that they can only be issued by the original retailer. Make the most of these services while you can.

 

[Watershed]

I understand (and I can see it is now in the public domain if you know where to look) RDG are keen to crack down on the issuance of standalone reservations, so that they can only be issued by the original retailer. Make the most of these services while you can.

That will certainly create an incentive to use a retailer that supports standalone reservations!

 

[parkender102]

With an Off-Peak ticket you are not tied to any train and can change trains as often as you like even when there are direct trains that you could use to make the journey.

I would suggest that the GWR service is probably quieter if it's operated by a 5 coach IET, which some of them are between Bristol and Plymouth. But OTOH there will probably be a large turnover on the XC service at Bristol.


As mentioned above, it is possible to obtain a standalone reservation (without booking a ticket) through the app and/or website of GWR, TPE and Ticketyboo. No purchase is needed for this; it generally involves creating an account. For example with GWR you login then go to My Bookings -> Create a bike/seat reservation.

Thanks for this! I've just managed to register with GWR and also managed to get a Seat Reservation for the Bristol Temple Meads - Plymouth part of this journey. Now to try and get something covering the Birmingham New Street - Bristol Temple Meads leg.........looks like splitting the journey is the way to go - just means shuffling seats / carriages which I don't mind. I'll try Unreserved Seating at Birmingham New Street first and then resort to the booked Reservations afterwards.