TPE Illogical reserved seat allocation

[John Luxton]

Yesterday I took a trip to York from Liverpool with TPE. First time I have used the service and decided to take up the Club 55 offer as I hadn't been to the NRM in years.

I booked a first class return on line and reserved seats for outward and return trips.

When I joined the train at Lime Street I noted that I was allocated a window seat as I had wanted a window seat - however it was in a bay of 4.

I noted that whilst I was the only occupant in the 4 seat bay until York I was to be joined at Leeds by three others travelling to Newcastle.

However, virtually all bar one of the single window seats on the other side of the aisle were marked as available.

At Leeds I decided to move to one of these to avoid having to disturb the people due to surround me at Leeds when I alighted at York

On my return trip I noted I had been booked in a bay of 4 seats with another single passenger who on seeing me unmasked promptly put on her mask!

However, one again most of the single seats were again shown as "available".

I decided to move.

Other passenger then removed mask!

However, it did strike me as odd given the number of available single seats in the carriage why passengers travelling on their own are not automatically given a reservation for one of these.

 

[DanNCL]

I encountered something similar in standard class on a TPE 397 last week. I was travelling with one other person and the reservation system had allocated us seats on opposite sides of the aisle, whilst another pair of people travelling together had been allocated the other two seats, again separated by the side, in that row. Safe to say it was a no brainer and we swapped seats so those travelling together could sit together but it was an utterly pointless allocation of reservations in the first place, I’d have thought the reservation system would have been intelligent enough to allocate seats together for those travelling together where available, which they would have been in this case had it not also split up the other pair of passengers!

 

[John Luxton]

I encountered something similar in standard class on a TPE 397 last week. I was travelling with one other person and the reservation system had allocated us seats on opposite sides of the aisle, whilst another pair of people travelling together had been allocated the other two seats, again separated by the side, in that row. Safe to say it was a no brainer and we swapped seats so those travelling together could sit together but it was an utterly pointless allocation of reservations in the first place, I’d have thought the reservation system would have been intelligent enough to allocate seats together for those travelling together where available, which they would have been in this case had it not also split up the other pair of passengers!

Well I am glad I am not the only one who has found it a bit crazy. As yesterday was the first time I had used TPE, I wondered if my experience might just be a bit of a one off - but perhaps not?!

 

[yorkie]

Default seat allocations can be a bit off on trains that are lightly reserved.

If you book through Trainsplit you can choose your seat using their seat selector.

Disappointing to hear some people are still wearing masks but fortunately it's a small minority now.

I encountered something similar in standard class on a TPE 397 last week. I was travelling with one other person and the reservation system had allocated us seats on opposite sides of the aisle, whilst another pair of people travelling together had been allocated the other two seats, again separated by the side, in that row. Safe to say it was a no brainer and we swapped seats so those travelling together could sit together but it was an utterly pointless allocation of reservations in the first place, I’d have thought the reservation system would have been intelligent enough to allocate seats together for those travelling together where available, which they would have been in this case had it not also split up the other pair of passengers!

I don't trust any default allocation. If the reservation matters I would use the seat selector.

 

[John Luxton]

I don't trust any default allocation. If the reservation matters I would use the seat selector.

TPE only allow one to book window or aisle seats not specific seats and obviously I wanted a view!

 

[Bletchleyite]

TPE only allow one to book window or aisle seats not specific seats and obviously I wanted a view!

Book using Trainsplit and you can have a seat selector for any TOC (other than XC, on which it doesnt work at the moment).

 

[John Luxton]

Book using Trainsplit and you can have a seat selector for any TOC (other than XC, on which it doesnt work at the moment).

I was using the Club 55 offer on TPE web site and obviously used the TPE booking system.

 

[Techniquest]

Disappointing to hear some people are still wearing masks but fortunately it's a small minority now.

Why is it disappointing? I wear mine as much as possible, but I'll be here all day explaining why properly.

Better to be safe than sorry, as far as I'm concerned, especially when working in an environment where the virus spreads like wildfire!