Ridiculous LNER reservations again

[Deerfold]

Once again LNER reservations aren't working (1240 Kings Cross to Harrogate), but people are being told they'll have to move if the person with the reservation turns up.

LNER are running approximately 50% of their usual service between London and Leeds.

Apparently it's full and standing in Standard but no-one knows which seats will be claimed throughout the journey.

On the other hand, the First Class hosts are being marvelously efficient.

Here it's just very busy, but a large proportion of people are from other trains so don't know if their seat will be theirs for the whole journey.

EDIT: seat reservations appeared when we arrived at Stevenage.

 

[yorkie]

Once again LNER reservations aren't working (1240 Kings Cross to Harrogate), but people are being told they'll have to move if the person with the reservation turns up.

LNER are running approximately 50% of their usual service between London and Leeds.

Apparently it's full and standing in Standard but no-one knows which seats will be claimed throughout the journey.

On the other hand, the First Class hosts are being marvelously efficient.

Here it's just very busy, but a large proportion of people are from other trains so don't know if their seat will be theirs for the whole journey.

EDIT: seat reservations appeared when we arrived at Stevenage.

I'd like to know when LNER changed their policy in this area.

Years ago, LNER (and their predecessors) had the same policy as TPE, in that if reservations are not displayed, then there are no reservations and it's just like any other non-reservable train. Where two trains are combined into one, this is the only fair way.

Sadly, LNER now have a policy of invisible reservations and forcing passengers to play "musical chairs" at each stop.

Perhaps someone could create an FOI request?

I wonder if David Horne is aware of this, and the numerous other issues that can occur with LNER these days, and if he approved this policy...

 

[SuspectUsual]

I wonder if David Horne is aware of this, and the numerous other issues that can occur with LNER these days, and if he approved this policy...

If David Horne approved this policy it would worry me that LNER’s managers aren’t being delegated to sufficiently

Now, asking if he approves of it would be a fair question

 

[Magrar]

I have become used to just ignoring LNER reservation in car lights/info.

On my last journey (up and down in one day) i can only assume there had been an apocolyptical event nobody had told me about, given I had the choice of pretty much an entire almost fully reserved carriage to myself.

I repeat, up and down. A summer Saturday.

 

[81A]

Edit-not immediately relevant outside speculative discussion

 

[D1537]

Once again LNER reservations aren't working (1240 Kings Cross to Harrogate), but people are being told they'll have to move if the person with the reservation turns up.

I have travelled on a lot of LNER trains where reservations aren't working and the usual announcement is that if you have a reservation, to sit in that seat, and if you haven't, to find a seat in the unreserved coach (usually C standard or M first class). Except during major fiascos like this one where a train has been cancelled or the train turns up as 1x5 or 2x5 instead of 9 or vice-versa, in which case it's every man/woman/non-binary person for themselves. I haven't heard that particular announcement that the OP mentions in any situation...

 

[Blaine]

Strange failure today - reservations working fine across the entire carriage, but one seat shows Green / Available in G14. Confusion occurs when a guy turns up with a paper ticket showing a reservation, so the people in the seats move. Looking online, the seat is indeed reserved on the central system but somehow the local copy is wrong. I think the issue is that the reservations are only updating as they arrive in to a station - so if you make a reservation close to the initial departure it doesn't show on the train.

More confusion as the guard says in the pre-departure announcements that LNER have a traffic light system and green means unreserved, red means the seat may be used later (whereas it's really amber for this status).

 

[TUC]

I think there are two different issues. Allowing passengers to make reservations after a train has left its origin station and so risking displacing passengers who had occupied a seat in good faith, is just wrong. However, that is different to where the seat reservation notification system is not working on a train and a passenger turns up with proof of their reservation. I do thunk that should be honoured.

 

[Haywain]

Allowing passengers to make reservations after a train has left its origin station and so risking displacing passengers who had occupied a seat in good faith, is just wrong.

Those reervations should only to seats that are indicated as "may be reserved later".

However, that is different to where the seat reservation notification system is not working on a train and a passenger turns up with proof of their reservation. I do thunk that should be honoured.

I strongly disagree, if you don't have a reservation you could find yourself being moved on multiple times during a long journey.

 

[TUC]

I strongly disagree, if you don't have a reservation you could find yourself being moved on multiple times during a long journey.

But if you haven't bothered to make a reservation, that's your problem, isn't it?

 

[ainsworth74]

However, that is different to where the seat reservation notification system is not working on a train and a passenger turns up with proof of their reservation. I do thunk that should be honoured.

But that seems just as unfair as the issue you outlined with a seat becoming reserved on the way. Indeed morseo in some respects!

Seat Reservation System Working

I board a train at Darlington and sit in a seat which is showing "May be reserved later". At York someone boards and shows me that they have reserved the seat, I have to move. I took my chances sitting in a seat which warned me it could be reserved later and lost.

Seat Reservation System Not Working

I board a train at Darlington and sit in seat which is showing no information at all as the screen, along with all the others, is blank. At York someone boards and shows me that they have reserved the seat, I now have to move having had no warning at all that the seat could be reserved.

The latter feels far worse to me than the former!

If the seat reservations are not working on the train the only fair thing to do, in my view, is to consider the train as being unreserved. Otherwise you're constantly playing musical chairs and worrying whether you'll be turfed out of your seat at the next station!

But if you haven't bothered to make a reservation, that's your problem, isn't it?

I thought you were against short notice reservations? Or are people who are unable to book far in advance to be disadvantaged? Because they couldn't confirm which train they wanted to catch until the day of travel?

 

[TUC]

I thought you were against short notice reservations? Or are people who are unable to book far in advance to be disadvantaged? Because they couldn't confirm which train they wanted to catch until the day of travel?

I simply mean that they are surely a second order priority to those who have made a reservation?

 

[ainsworth74]

I simply mean that they are surely a second order priority to those who have made a reservation?

Why? If there are no reservations displayed why should someone who cannot make a reservation in advance be forced to place musical chairs? Surely the only fair thing in that scenario is that people simply have to use available seats because there is no way of knowing whether a seat may or may not be reserved.

 

[ricoblade]

Seat Reservation System Not Working

I board a train at Darlington and sit in seat which is showing no information at all as the screen, along with all the others, is blank. At York someone boards and shows me that they have reserved the seat, I now have to move having had no warning at all that the seat could be reserved.

The latter feels far worse to me than the former!

This happened to me last week, both ways from Doncaster<>King's Cross. Booked, I think, 7 car 91-hauled sets had been swapped out for 5-car Azumas both ways.

My coach letter on the way down did not exist and there were no announcements at Doncaster, luckily an LNER member of staff so me looking confused on the platform and explained.

Similarly at King's Cross with no announcements or indications on the departure boards. My coach letter was there but I was confused (again!) when my seat was an airline aisle when I'd booked a table window.

Both ways the announcments on the train were clear that all reservations were off and passengers sorted themselves out even though the train was very busy. In the past I've seen passengers forcibly arguing that they had paid to sit in "their" seat.

 

[yorkie]

I think there are two different issues. Allowing passengers to make reservations after a train has left its origin station and so risking displacing passengers who had occupied a seat in good faith, is just wrong. However, that is different to where the seat reservation notification system is not working on a train and a passenger turns up with proof of their reservation. I do thunk that should be honoured.

In theory only the orange coloured seats should become red en-route.

I have no issue with this, providing the displays are working correctly and providing there are is a reasonable proportion of green seats provided.

The issue I have is where there is no display showing reservations, or the display shows as available, in which case no-one should be booted out and it should be the responsibility of the Train Manager to help the customer whose reservation isn't being honoured, where appropriate/possible to do so.

 

[35B]

I'd like to know when LNER changed their policy in this area.

Years ago, LNER (and their predecessors) had the same policy as TPE, in that if reservations are not displayed, then there are no reservations and it's just like any other non-reservable train. Where two trains are combined into one, this is the only fair way.

Sadly, LNER now have a policy of invisible reservations and forcing passengers to play "musical chairs" at each stop.

Perhaps someone could create an FOI request?

I wonder if David Horne is aware of this, and the numerous other issues that can occur with LNER these days, and if he approved this policy...

I've experienced this policy a few times over the last few years, always when there's been service recovery going on, and things have become, erm, tricky.

The worst example I've experienced, where the guard in question made himself a laughing stock, was three years ago. I forget precisely what was happening, but a number of trainloads were combined into one working (as it happened, the one I was booked on with my family) - the Azuma did a passing imitation of a sardine can. We weren't in the first rush of people to the train, and our seats had been taken. As it was a hot day, and tempers were inflamed, I decided discretion was better than valour, and didn't try to get those in our seats to vacate them - I could see the reaction when others did likewise.

The guard compounded things, badly, by announcing that reservations still applied, and then focusing most of his effort on instructing people to leave 1st if they didn't have a first class ticket. As we were late leaving and they couldn't have got into Standard, the announcement was farcial - doubly so as he made no attempt to come through the train and deal with things.

 

[TUC]

It would help if LNER's app (and other TOCs which offer reservations en route) enabled you to enter the seat where you are sitting and to see if there is a reservation for it anywhere on the journey (and immediately self-reserve it if not).

 

[Blaine]

that is different to where the seat reservation notification system is not working on a train and a passenger turns up with proof of their reservation. I do thunk that should be honoured.

I think the reservation system was working as designed, it just showed old information - presumably loaded as the train entered Kings Cross or just before boarding was allowed. Whilst it was sat there, the ticket office sold a ticket with a reservation, but the on-board display didn't update until the train reached Stevenage.

 

[D1537]

Seat Reservation System Not Working

I board a train at Darlington and sit in seat which is showing no information at all as the screen, along with all the others, is blank. At York someone boards and shows me that they have reserved the seat, I now have to move having had no warning at all that the seat could be reserved.

The latter feels far worse to me than the former!

If the seat reservations are not working on the train the only fair thing to do, in my view, is to consider the train as being unreserved. Otherwise you're constantly playing musical chairs and worrying whether you'll be turfed out of your seat at the next station!

I have been on trains out of KGX twice fairly recently where this had happened - once because our train was a 9-car instead of the booked 2x5 in disruption, and once on an IC225 where it simply wasn't working.

On both occasions the TM asked passengers to sit in their booked seats where possible, and for passengers without a reservation to sit in the unreserved section.

It would help if LNER's app (and other TOCs which offer reservations en route) enabled you to enter the seat where you are sitting and to see if there is a reservation for it anywhere on the journey (and immediately self-reserve it if not).

Try to buy a ticket for your journey (starting at the next stop) and therefore you can see the seat map. If that seat is greyed out, there's a reservation for it somewhere. If it's not, back out of the ticket buying bit and reserve the seat only.

 

[Haywain]

It would help if LNER's app (and other TOCs which offer reservations en route) enabled you to enter the seat where you are sitting and to see if there is a reservation for it anywhere on the journey (and immediately self-reserve it if not).

I've used it in that way - board a train, find a seat with an orange flag and then reserve that seat from the next calling point.

 

[Bikeman78]

If the seat reservations are not working on the train the only fair thing to do, in my view, is to consider the train as being unreserved.

GWR has this policy. On the very rare occasion that I have reservations, when travelling with my children, we sit in our reserved seats if the system is faulty. But if someone else beat us to it (it hasn't happened yet), we'd just sit somewhere else. I do recall an occasion where the reservation system sprang to life between Paddington and Reading. It wasn't popular.

 

[Falcon1200]

Those reervations should only to seats that are indicated as "may be reserved later".

But that is not what happens however - Last month, having tried in vain to reserve a seat from Leeds to Kings X (I just wanted a seat, not buy a ticket) I sat in a green-lit seat only for it to become reserved during the journey.

 

[Blaine]

Indeed, all green seats are able to be selected in the app for reservation during the journey (other than C if you're not doing shenanigans!)

 

[Falcon1200]

Indeed, all green seats are able to be selected in the app for reservation during the journey (other than C if you're not doing shenanigans!)

Thanks. Which means of course that showing some seats green is effectively meaningless! This does however seem to be the railway's new modus operandi, as the same thing (green seats becoming reserved) has also happened to me recently on Avanti and Cross Country.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm beginning to wonder whether there's anything left that isn't ridiculous about LNER these days.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm beginning to wonder whether there's anything left that isn't ridiculous about LNER these days.

The breakfast in 1st class is still decent if you're on one of the trains serving it

 

[yorksrob]

The breakfast in 1st class is still decent if you're on one of the trains serving it

Isn't that the one that doesn't have baked beans (which is ridiculous to my mind).

 

[voyagerdude220]

Isn't that the one that doesn't have baked beans (which is ridiculous to my mind).

I never have beans on my Breakfasts.

 

[yorksrob]

I never have beans on my Breakfasts.

Shock and disbelief !

 

[Wallsendmag]

I never have beans on my Breakfasts.

Not surprising on a Voyager