Avanti Reservations

[Scottychoo]

Hi does anyone know if Avanti are still insisting on reservations?
Is there always an unreserved coach in each train?
Thank you

 

[duncanp]

They are strongly suggesting that you get a seat reservation, but then do nothing to enforce this.

(ie. they do not check that you have a seat reservation before boarding, nor do they deny you entry without a reservation)

I travelled from Edinburgh to Birmingham last Monday on an Avanit West Coast service, and the electronic display at Waverley Station said "reservation only" for my chosen train (the 06:52)

However, virtually no seats were reserved, and everyone just got on and sat down as normal.

 

[Scottychoo]

OK thanks, what about getting through the barriers at Euston without a reservation?

 

[DorkingMain]

No checks on reservations at the barriers, just checks you actually had a ticket.

I've been reserving seats via email anyway to save the hassle - just dropped an email to seat.reservations @ avantiwestcoast.co.uk and told them "I'm on boxes" and they sent one back a few hours later.

 

[Huntergreed]

At Glasgow central they’re very heavily enforcing reservations and they insist you must have one before letting you on (they do check it along with the ticket).

Everywhere else they just let you on regardless

 

[philjo]

Is there a way to make a reservation online for an Avanti service Without also booking a ticket? I would already hold an off peak return ticket.

I am returning from Church Stretton later this month changing at Crewe to Euston.
The journey planners by default would book the Avanti service from Crewe that originates at Glasgow as that would the first departure after the Church Stretton train arrives at Crewe. How busy are these Glasgow services currently? It would be a Friday lunchtime. I would expect the train from Manchester 25 minutes later to be less busy as there are other Manchester to Euston services. So would prefer to wait for that one. So would want to book a seat on that one if possible, though may not know which service I will be boarding at Church Stretton until an hour beforehand.

 

[Howardh]

Coming back from Birmingham I noticed a train due to depart had "full" on the screens. May have been Cross-Country, but one assumes that there were empty seats for distancing, and all pax had a given seat. As for Avanti, I haven't com across any way to obtain a ticket without a seat reservation (which is annoying as the seat is dictated to you and you don't have a choice - even if you want "forward" you get "backward....grr) but I've always searched specific trains for cheap tickets.

Therfore a single ticket, anytime on an Avanti could well not have a seat reserved - as the pax wouldn't be committed to a particular train?

 

[DorkingMain]

Is there a way to make a reservation online for an Avanti service Without also booking a ticket? I would already hold an off peak return ticket.

I am returning from Church Stretton later this month changing at Crewe to Euston.
The journey planners by default would book the Avanti service from Crewe that originates at Glasgow as that would the first departure after the Church Stretton train arrives at Crewe. How busy are these Glasgow services currently? It would be a Friday lunchtime. I would expect the train from Manchester 25 minutes later to be less busy as there are other Manchester to Euston services. So would prefer to wait for that one. So would want to book a seat on that one if possible, though may not know which service I will be boarding at Church Stretton until an hour beforehand.

See my #4 post above - you can email them with the journey you want to make and the ticket number and they'll send you back a reservation

 

[Bletchleyite]

Coming back from Birmingham I noticed a train due to depart had "full" on the screens. May have been Cross-Country, but one assumes that there were empty seats for distancing, and all pax had a given seat. As for Avanti, I haven't com across any way to obtain a ticket without a seat reservation (which is annoying as the seat is dictated to you and you don't have a choice - even if you want "forward" you get "backward....grr) but I've always searched specific trains for cheap tickets.

If you want a seat selector for Avanti (or indeed any other TOC) use Trainsplit/Trainscanbecheaper.

 

[Emaharg]

The Avanti seat reservation was changed from compulsory to strongly recommended on Wednesday. Their reservation system isn't fit for purpose if you have a valid ticket without a reservation, so therefore was unenforceable. I emailed the reservation email link with no reply. Also tried to get a reservation from ticket office in Warrington without success on Wednesday morning. I have been on about six services since Friday with no reservation or attempt to make one. They are empty, really dire passenger numbers on West Coast mainline.
LNER have a brilliant system, which by the way I haven't seen enforced at the gate line at Kings Cross. I also haven't had my ticket checked on LNER this week while doing an all line rover. LNER services though do have really healthy loading's so maybe that's the benefit of a good reservation system.
I sent them a few complaints earlier in week, but it just went over their heads.

 

[ScotTrains]

I've just made a redspottedhanky booking for Avanti for my wife and I with a two together Railcard. We were each allocated a seat reservation at a table for two but at different tables!
The new Avanti coronavirus seating plan shows only one seat available per table. Should I assume it will will be ok to sit together if the train is quiet enough, or are seats being taped off?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've just made a redspottedhanky booking for Avanti for my wife and I with a two together Railcard. We were each allocated a seat reservation at a table for two but at different tables!
The new Avanti coronavirus seating plan shows only one seat available per table. Should I assume it will will be ok to sit together if the train is quiet enough, or are seats being taped off?

No seats are taped off on the 390s.

 

[matt]

The only seats tapped off on Pendolinos are in coach C so there shouldn't be a issue with you and your wife sitting at the same table.

 

[ScotTrains]

Thanks for the replies. Haven't been on a train since before lockdown. Just thought it was strange that it separated us even though we booked together with a two together Railcard. I guess the reservation system errs on the side of caution and spaces people out.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks for the replies. Haven't been on a train since before lockdown. Just thought it was strange that it separated us even though we booked together with a two together Railcard. I guess the reservation system errs on the side of caution and spaces people out.

The system isn't clever enough to do "put people from the same household next to each other" because it has no way to know who's from the same household - people on the same booking may well not be.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I'm travelling from Wigan NW to Warrington BQ on Saturday morning. No option other than Avanti for the 10 minute journey. Not sure of train time until the morning so will book on Trainline on the day like I did last time. I doubt there will be ticket checks.