Gatwick to Bath: £13 or £55?

[Envoy]

A journey from Gatwick to Bath can be pre-booked with Advance single for specific trains for £13. A turn up and pay on the day single from Gatwick to Bath (via change at Reading) is £55. So, that is one heck of a price difference. The trouble is that one does not know if the plane will land late or how long it will take to clear customs/immigration/baggage collect.

So, what does one do - Pre-book the £13 fare and give yourself plenty of time and maybe have to hang around the station for 2 hours watching trains depart on your route or pay a whopping £55?

I think the system is all wrong. What really matters to the train company is supply and demand. They already know which services are likely to have higher demand and those with lesser demand. Why can’t we have say a peak fare/ an off peak fare and a shoulder fare where a train crosses ‘two demand zones’? Thus, we could cut out all this book 11 weeks ahead to get a low fare and the customer simply pays the price for the time/day service(s) that they wish to use.

I also note that First have a system for departures from Manchester Airport that allows pre-booked passengers to catch alternative trains with no penalty. Why can’t they do this for all passengers arriving at airports?

 

[trainmania100]

An advance ticket to and an advance ticket from bath for £13 would probably be best and cheapest, get the earliest possible flight . Customs isn't usually that bad at Gatwick only about half an hour queues during the busier times

 

[Paul Kelly]

There is a huge saving to be had on this route by splitting at Dorking Deepdene. A walkup single from Dorking to Bath is only £27.50.

 

[bkhtele]

Slightly cheaper & fully flexible, if more than one person is traveling, is the Gatwick flyaway ticket. £95 for 2 to 4 people.Therefore £47.50 each if 2 are travelling. Same ticket is £55 from Swindon or £60 from Didcot if you then buy a combined split ticket.

 

[FenMan]

An advance ticket to and an advance ticket from bath for £13 would probably be best and cheapest, get the earliest possible flight . Customs isn't usually that bad at Gatwick only about half an hour queues during the busier times

The problem isn't so much the queues at customs, but the poor timekeeping of many airlines at Gatwick.

 

[Envoy]

Many thanks for your responses to my query. It looks like the Gatwick Flyaway ticket is impossible to buy. Nothing on GWR.com

The split at Dorking looks like a good idea but it should be noted that one would have to catch the 9.10am (or later) from GTW to be able to get the £27.50 fare to Bath as they have higher fares during the morning & evening peaks. GTW to DPD = £6.

 

[causton]

It looks like the Gatwick Flyaway ticket is impossible to buy.

Just because something is not available to buy online does not make it impossible to buy!

Try any ticket office or conductor with an Avantix

 

[Hadders]

Why can’t we have say a peak fare/ an off peak fare and a shoulder fare where a train crosses ‘two demand zones’?

We have that already:

Gatwick-Bath Spa:
Super Off Peak Return £56.50 (Single £55.50)
Off Peak Return £71.20 (Single £70.20)
Anytime Return £192.00 (Single £96.00)

Available on the day of travel too at the same price, no need to book in advance!

 

[FenMan]

Gatwick Flyaway prices can be obtained on NRE, provided the search is from [home GWR station] to GTW and return and two or more adults are selected.

Given the BTH to GTW Flyaway price for two adults - £95 - is significantly lower than an Anytime return for one adult - £192, would GWR staff object if only one person travels using a Flyaway ticket?

 

[dzug2]

They would very much object

 

[Envoy]

We have that already:

Gatwick-Bath Spa:
Super Off Peak Return £56.50 (Single £55.50)
Off Peak Return £71.20 (Single £70.20)
Anytime Return £192.00 (Single £96.00)

Available on the day of travel too at the same price, no need to book in advance!

Those prices are massive increases on the £13 that you can pay for the advance purchase specific train(s).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Gatwick Flyaway prices can be obtained on NRE, provided the search is from [home GWR station] to GTW and return and two or more adults are selected.

Given the BTH to GTW Flyaway price for two adults - £95 - is significantly lower than an Anytime return for one adult - £192, would GWR staff object if only one person travels using a Flyaway ticket?

I made the enquiry on the behalf of a foreigner who is only going one way from Gatwick to Bath. This person will tour the country and eventually return to Gatwick from London. Anyway, many thanks for clarifying that the Gatwick Flyaway is for 2 or more travelling as a return from a GWR station.

 

[Greenback]

You could buy two £13 Advance tickets a couple of hours apart and use whichever one ends up being most convenient on the day. You'd even save a bit of money on the split at Dorking fare.

There's still a risk of a serious delay, in which case you'll end up out of pocket by quite a bit,. but as Jim Bowen used to say 'That's the gamble'!

 

[paul1609]

Subject to the current Southern woes if you don't mind an additional 30 mins journey time you can get an anytime single ticket by travelling via Barnham and splitting at Salisbury for £25.70+17.40 total £43.10
Its generally only 1 change and usually same platform at Fareham (or Hove for the 2 through GWR Brighton trains) much easier than Reading.

 

[mugam4]

I've had advance tickets booked for 25 minutes after landing time and made the train.. but I usually like to allow at least an hour and a bit at Gatwick! If the flight is delayed and I miss the train, I just accept this as part of the inconvenience of a delayed flight to be honest, it's a gamble after all

 

[bnm]

Gatwick Airport - Reading, Off Peak Day Single (valid after 0859) £17.90
Newbury - Avoncliff, Super Off Peak Single (1059 or later service to Bath from Reading) £11.30

Total £29.20

Second ticket can be use to start journey at Reading and end it at Bath.