NXEC website offers me a Pendo seat with a view :)

[jamesontheroad]

Just grabbed one of the last advance tickets on a Friday evening for a trip from Euston to Glasgow Central next month (on the 4h 10m 16.30 departure). When I got to the reservation stage of the NXEC website, I noticed (for the first time) that under preferences (window, aisle, table, airline etc) that there was an additional check-box simply marked 'View' ! Because, as we know, a standard class window seat in a Pendo is no guarantee of actually being next to a window.

Is this a new feature? A sneaky opportunity for those who know what the inside of a Pendo is like to grab a seat with a window in standard class ...

 

[Failed Unit]

There is also a clause stating that what you want may not be offered, hopefully you won't be looking at some plastic but it is worth getting a seating plan I remember them having one a some stations on posters showing seats with restricted / no views. Even if I am reading working, it is nice to look up and see country side rather than plastic. Feel the same when I am flying as well, even when there is nothing to see out the window anyway!

 

[87031]

If they would of designed the interiors better of the pendolinos there wouldnt be a problem in the first place.....i think it's only fair to the paying customer that they should be allowed a seat with a view.

 

[tony_mac]

I played with this a while ago and the 'view' option just gave you a window seat, but it seems to work now.

Although, if I ask for a quiet coach, window, view, then I can't get one (and it offers the non-quiet coach). If I only ask for a quiet coach with view, then I get offered one, which is a window seat!

 

[jamesontheroad]

Here are the seat maps for the Pendolinos and Voyagers courtesy of V-Flyer. Seats are colour coded to indicate restricted or no view.

I could be wrong, but IIRC the sure fire way to guarantee a window in standard class on a Pendo is to request a table, which I always do, so the additional check-box was redundant this time.

Looking forward to trying out the (almost) non-stop Euston - Glasgow; first class advances were available for less than £50, but I'd have to eat and drink far too much to justify the extra fare

 

[MCR247]

The seating plans are on VTs website

 

[Failed Unit]

Here are the seat maps for the Pendolinos and Voyagers courtesy of V-Flyer. Seats are colour coded to indicate restricted or no view.

I could be wrong, but IIRC the sure fire way to guarantee a window in standard class on a Pendo is to request a table, which I always do, so the additional check-box was redundant this time.

Looking forward to trying out the (almost) non-stop Euston - Glasgow; first class advances were available for less than £50, but I'd have to eat and drink far too much to justify the extra fare

Those are the ones I have seen on the stations It is worrying the high % of seats on the pendo that are limited / no view. No wonder people prefer the mk3's and mk4's. Hopefully lessons are learned for the IEP and we don't see aircraft views on trains again.

 

[jopsuk]

I asked for a view on the 16:30 on Friday, and got it. Well, i say got it. Turned out the seat was double booked. Luckily, there were still only three of us at a table, so this wasn't a world-ending disaster, and the lady and kid I was sharing with graciously let me have "my" seat after some boggling at the identical seat reservation coupons. Spoke to the TM later on, after Preston where they got off, and apparently this is not an uncommon problem- it's to do mainly with the way the seats are reserved at ticket offices versus internet reservations. he thanked me for bringing it to his attention- apparently he's logging such incidents to try and get something done about it.

First time I've been on a Pendo. Comfy enough, but I agree about the "cramped" feel- worse than Voyagers in that respect. Came back down the east on an HST, the difference is marked.

Side question though: would it really have hurt that much to put in a power point per seat? This applies equally to Voyagers, Pendolinos, HSTs, Mk4s etc.

 

[jamesontheroad]

The seating plans are on VTs website

Indeed they are, never knew that. For them's what's interested...

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/img/twu/seating-plan.pdf

 

[northwichcat]

Hearing about seats double booked is not good. It happened to me when I had Stockport-London included on a Eurostar booking last year. Some had the same seat booked for Manchester-Stoke when I got on, when they alighted I moved to that seat but then someone else got on at Stoke with the same seat as me reserved!

I've got a Stockport-London table seat with a view booked for a few weeks time. I've now got the feeling that someone boarding at Manchester Piccadilly will have the same seat reservation.

 

[jopsuk]

As I said- if it happens, and it is a problem (ie no suitable nearby empty seat) track down the TM and tell them. With any luck they'll be helpful and see you sorted. Even if it isn't a problem, try and inform them anyway. They won't know it has happened otherwise. If they know, they can report it; the more reports they send in, the bigger the problem will appear and the more inclined someone higher up will be to get it all sorted out.

 

[northwichcat]

I personally prefer to send it to the Customer Relations team afterwards, as a conductor/guard/train manager may have to deal with another issue going back to the cab and forget about it.

Speaking of which I just remembered a Northern conductor 'forgot' that he owed me 50p change, even when I took it up with him on alighting the train he said he didn't remember saying he'd come back when he had change

 

[Mojo]

Indeed they are, never knew that. For them's what's interested...

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/img/twu/seating-plan.pdf

I think they're more up-to-date, the V-flyer ones haven't taken into account the relettering or changes in seat layout/buffet location.

 

[Mystic Force]

Back in BR days when are APEX seats had been double booked we were put in first class. Very nice,