Virgin Weekend First price increase

[AY1975]

I understand that Virgin has recently increased the price of its Weekend First upgrades, and that Euston-Glasgow is now £30. If so, they haven't updated their website, which still gives:

£10 Euston-Milton Keynes, Carlisle-Glasgow
£15 Euston-Coventry/Birmingham/Wolverhampton, Manchester-Edinburgh (even though there are no direct MAN-EDB Virgin trains: all through services are TransPennine Express!)
£20 Euston-Manchester/Liverpool/Crewe/Preston
£25 Euston-Oxenholme/Carlisle/Glasgow, Milton Keynes-Edinburgh

I presume each of these has simply been increased by £5?

 

[_toommm_]

I understand that Virgin has recently increased the price of its Weekend First upgrades, and that Euston-Glasgow is now £30. If so, they haven't updated their website, which still gives:

£10 Euston-Milton Keynes, Carlisle-Glasgow
£15 Euston-Coventry/Birmingham/Wolverhampton, Manchester-Edinburgh (even though there are no direct MAN-EDB Virgin trains: all through services are TransPennine Express!)
£20 Euston-Manchester/Liverpool/Crewe/Preston
£25 Euston-Oxenholme/Carlisle/Glasgow, Milton Keynes-Edinburgh

I presume each of these has simply been increased by £5?

I believe, weirdly enough, with VT MAN-EDB you're permitted to travel via Crewe for the VT only flow, as their Edinburgh services all stop there AFAIK.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Thirty quid? Ouch.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thirty quid? Ouch.

25 was a bit much. They're clearly monetarising what they can before the end this year. Watch out for car park increases too...

 

[Mag_seven]

I remember when BR first introduced "weekend first" it was for the sum of £1 - yes £1!

 

[MalaiseForever]

This is a shame. I travel frequently in first at the weekends and whilst it doesn’t affect me, as I have a 1st class PRIV, it will definitely put off family and friends who travel, and upgrade, at the weekend.

Anecdotally, first is never anywhere near full whenever I travel so perhaps they just don’t want people in first on the weekend to save staffing costs?

 

[Aictos]

Just to point out that the official response from Virgin Trains is as follows:

Hi *******, we will be increasing our weekend prices for First Class upgrades soon and are currently reviewing this. Once this has been completed, our website will be updated and reflect the prices available onboard.

So yes prices are being increased but the increases haven't been set in stone yet but when they have been finalised then both the Virgin Trains and National Rail Enquires websites will be updated to take the increase into account.

I hope this is helpful?

 

[Merseysider]

£30 is a bit much to pay for a sandwich and a fancy seat, but perhaps they've decided enough people will pay it...

 

[Aictos]

Note that nothing has been confirmed yet to the new prices so I would advise caution as at the moment all the prices being discussed on RUK is pure speculation as Virgin Trains themselves have confirmed that they are reviewing the prices so until they have officially stated what the new prices are, any prices on here is just guesswork and nothing else.

 

[boxy321]

Well, Business Zone on Chiltern is £27 and look what you get for that! No sandwich or hot drink.

 

[Silver Cobra]

I've paid for the weekend first upgrade a few times when travelling back from Manchester, Preston or Liverpool to Euston (I like to do standard out and first return for long distance journeys where it's not too overly expensive). Seeing this price rise, I'm glad I chose to buy a first class advance to begin with for an upcoming journey to Manchester this weekend rather than wait to get an upgrade on the train, as it only cost me an additional £13 over the standard class advance available at the time, so has potentially saved me £12.

Anecdotally, first is never anywhere near full whenever I travel so perhaps they just don’t want people in first on the weekend to save staffing costs?

I've noticed how empty first at weekends can be as well. On one mid-afternoon journey from Liverpool to Euston, I had coach G on an 11-coach pendolino to myself from Stafford to Euston and saw only around a dozen or so people alight from the other first class coaches at Euston.

 

[Kite159]

£30 is a bit much to pay for a sandwich and a fancy seat, but perhaps they've decided enough people will pay it...

Especially since free WiFi is getting rolled out in standard class, so another little 'perk' of 1st class is no longer there.

Sandwich snack box, plus a cup of tea/coffee/bottle of water

 

[Starmill]

Say it very quietly but it is actually worthwhile sitting in First Class at the weekend most of the time anyway. A significant proportion of my journeys result in either no ticket check (cash for weekend first not collected), a complimentary upgrade (no weekend firsts issued with the ticket inspection), or weekend first at a lower rate than published (some Train Managers seem to have the idea that they will just charge everyone £10, for presumably their own convenience and to promote customer goodwill). So in general I find these times balance out with the relatively high price on all of the times I am actually asked to pay!

There is no reason why I might be getting any form of special treatment from them I hasten to add. Usually I have a railcard discounted Off Peak ticket to go with Weekend First.

Say it even more quietly but a small section of the current Weekend First prices are probably offering quite a bit of 'consumer surplus'. Lancaster to Birmingham for example is £10, and it used to be £15. £30 for London to Glasgow is probably not all that unrealistic. £25 for Manchester to London seems like quite a lot though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, Business Zone on Chiltern is £27 and look what you get for that! No sandwich or hot drink.

That's on a weekday, isn't it? VTWC appear to be trialling a £50 upgrade then.

I'm not fussed about freebies, I just want a 2+1 (well, 1) seat.

 

[Starmill]

Sandwich snack box, plus a cup of tea/coffee/bottle of water

I was recently offered just one single complimentary hot drink from Manchester to London too, which is remarkably stingy.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Say it even more quietly but a small section of the current Weekend First prices are probably offering quite a bit of 'consumer surplus'. Lancaster to Birmingham for example is £10, and it used to be £15. £30 for London to Glasgow is probably not all that unrealistic. £25 for Manchester to London seems like quite a lot though.

With the Off Peak Return at £89.60 that makes a First Class return 1.56x Standard, which is still, to be fair, within my 1.5x-1.6x "value range" for 1st based on what it tends to cost in most other countries.

One of the problems though is that it's the same from MKC, where the Off Peak Return is a flat £70, taking it to 1.7x which is a bit much.

Having said that, what is outrageous is the First Off Peak fare which is over 3 times Standard and represents appalling value. One assumes that without fares regulation the Off Peak Return, if it did exist, would be around £135 (I've used a divisor of 1.6 there). Now where did I put my car keys?

(The First Anytime is £322, which is only approximately 1.4 times Standard)

 

[GarethW]

I remember when BR first introduced "weekend first" it was for the sum of £1 - yes £1!

NSE soon after it came into existence used to do 1st class upgrades for a quid for Network Card Holders on weekdays after 10!

Very fond memories of countless midweek trips to the smoke sitting pretty in a compartment of a 442.

 

[kkong]

A significant proportion of my journeys result in either no ticket check (cash for weekend first not collected), a complimentary upgrade (no weekend firsts issued with the ticket inspection), or weekend first at a lower rate than published (some Train Managers seem to have the idea that they will just charge everyone £10, for presumably their own convenience and to promote customer goodwill).

Similar experience. e.g. last Saturday I did Glasgow Queen Street to Haymarket (ScotRail guard said "nae bother, ye're alright").

Connected onto CrossCountry from Haymarket to Aberdeen and the guard seemed to accept my request for an upgrade but never came back to collect the money.

 

[Westcoast-ting]

Prices went up as the weekend offer had been improved. This unfortunately happened just before the weekend of the announcement that stagecoach had been kicked out the franchising for west cost.
As this looked like it was a knee jerk reaction to losing the franchise it was decided to revert back for a few weeks.

 

[MalaiseForever]

Prices went up as the weekend offer had been improved. This unfortunately happened just before the weekend of the announcement that stagecoach had been kicked out the franchising for west cost.
As this looked like it was a knee jerk reaction to losing the franchise it was decided to revert back for a few weeks.

How has it been improved?

 

[Starmill]

How has it been improved?

It hasn't so far as I can see. It's still the packaged sandwich and snack with hot drink that it evolved into a couple of years ago.

 

[MalaiseForever]

It hasn't so far as I can see. It's still the packaged sandwich and snack with hot drink that it evolved into a couple of years ago.

Thought so. I was on it the other week and noticed no difference!

 

[infobleep]

Prices went up as the weekend offer had been improved. This unfortunately happened just before the weekend of the announcement that stagecoach had been kicked out the franchising for west cost.
As this looked like it was a knee jerk reaction to losing the franchise it was decided to revert back for a few weeks.

So does that mean they updated their Web Site but then reverted back?

 

[infobleep]

It hasn't so far as I can see. It's still the packaged sandwich and snack with hot drink that it evolved into a couple of years ago.

Well perhaps they rolled back the improved offer too!

 

[Howardh]

If you have a senior railcard, does that entitle you to a reduction on the walk-on upgrade?

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you have a senior railcard, does that entitle you to a reduction on the walk-on upgrade?

No. However you can upgrade a discounted ticket.

 

[Bungle965]

The price increase has been postponed anyway.
Sam

 

[Howardh]

No. However you can upgrade a discounted ticket.

Thanks, I didn't know that, so next time I will have to work out which of the ordinary advanced 1st less 30% or the 2nd less 30% + addition is better! Have a feeling it's probably going to be the latter in most cases.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks, I didn't know that, so next time I will have to work out which of the ordinary advanced 1st less 30% or the 2nd less 30% + addition is better! Have a feeling it's probably going to be the latter in most cases.

worth noting that XC claim they do not allow Advance Std class fares to be upgraded using w/e 1st, tho in practice guards often are happy to do so as I guess they know if their train is not likely to be full in 1st

 

[Bungle965]

worth noting that XC claim they do not allow Advance Std class fares to be upgraded using w/e 1st, tho in practice guards often are happy to do so as I guess they know if their train is not likely to be full in 1st

It varies greatly, the last two times I have attempted to upgrade I have been denied.
One of the times First Class was completely empty.
Sam