Avanti Seat Reservations - What are my options?

[Marty82]

Hi all,

Have a booking from Aberden to Abergavenny which includes a portion on Avanti from Edinburgh to Crewe. I bought these on traintickets.com and I only received seat reservations for the Aberdeen to Edinburgh portion on LNER.

Avanti is recommending seat reservations at present, I'd have made them anyway even without their advice, but Avanti can't make them as I booked with a third party. I contacted train tickets.com who have autoreplied saying there will be a "significant delay" in getting back to me.

I am worried that seat reservations will be in short supply during Christmas week (fewer seats available and more travellers) so am keen to make my reservations as soon as possible. Do I have any other ways to make a reservation? My local station is Scotrail so I guess that's not an option either.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer any advice.

 

[Haywain]

My local station is Scotrail so I guess that's not an option either.

There is no good reason why a Scotrail station would not be able to make a reservation on an Avanti service. They will almost certainly expect to see the ticket before doing so, though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Avanti certainly can make reservations where they didn't sell the ticket (though their awful station tablet-based ticket machines may well not do it, their customer services should be able to). You've been fobbed off there.

 

[Marty82]

There is no good reason why a Scotrail station would not be able to make a reservation on an Avanti service. They will almost certainly expect to see the ticket before doing so, though.

Thanks. So I should print the tickets at the machine and then go to the travel centre?

Avanti certainly can make reservations where they didn't sell the ticket (though their awful station tablet-based ticket machines may well not do it, their customer services should be able to). You've been fobbed off there.

Urgh. Surely their customer service people on email should know that. Why would they not? Thanks for your reply.

 

[35B]

Have Avanti released reservations for the date(s) of travel, though?

 

[Elecman]

Print the ticket then contact Avanti on twitter asking for seat(s) on He relevant tra8ns include a picture
of your ticket

 

[Wallsendmag]

Avanti certainly can make reservations where they didn't sell the ticket (though their awful station tablet-based ticket machines may well not do it, their customer services should be able to). You've been fobbed off there.

It will.

 

[Marty82]

Thanks all for your replies. Picked up my tickets at the station and made seat reservations there. Just as well as still haven't heard back from traintickets.com. Is it worth me complaining to Avanti about their refusal to make seat reservations when the consensus here is that they should have made them?

 

[trainophile]

I changed my plans slightly on Monday and was able to catch an earlier train than I had a reservation for from Wigan North Western on my Off Peak Day ticket. I asked at the counter if this would be okay as I was under the impression that you had to have a seat reservations, and they said no problem at all. They presumably realise how empty the trains currently are.

 

[Hadders]

Seat reservations are not compulsory on Avanti trains. That said it is a good idea to have one or else you may not be able to board your preferred train if it is too busy given the restricted capacity available.

 

[SickyNicky]

Seat reservations are not compulsory on Avanti trains. That said it is a good idea to have one or else you may not be able to board your preferred train if it is too busy given the restricted capacity available.

However, many (all?) of their trains are set as requiring mandatory reservations in the data, so TIS's shouldn't be able to sell tickets with itineraries without seat reservations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, many (all?) of their trains are set as requiring mandatory reservations in the data, so TIS's shouldn't be able to sell tickets with itineraries without seat reservations.

I think this is to avoid breach of contract (and for staff safety), i.e. people buying a ticket "for" a specific train then being denied boarding, and all the issues this would cause.

It does have negative side effects, though, in that a particular train may show only first class available online, but if they'd rocked up and bought a Standard ticket from the TVM they'd have got on.

 

[Hadders]

However, many (all?) of their trains are set as requiring mandatory reservations in the data, so TIS's shouldn't be able to sell tickets with itineraries without seat reservations.

Nothing to stop someone buying a walk on ticket without a reservation at a TVM, ticket office or even some websites without a reservation.

 

[route101]

Announcements at Glasgow Central state reservations are mandatory and they have ticket check on platform.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Nothing to stop someone buying a walk on ticket without a reservation at a TVM, ticket office or even some websites without a reservation.

Unless ofcourse the TVM is cpable of issuing reservations. Web sites if they are accredited should not issue a ticket without a reservation where the reservation flag is set to mandatory

 

[Hadders]

Unless ofcourse the TVM is cpable of issuing reservations. Web sites if they are accredited should not issue a ticket without a reservation where the reservation flag is set to mandatory

It is possible on some websites to buy a walk on ticket without selecting an itinerary. The reservation flag is irrelevant then.

 

[HSP 2]

I'm going out on Saturday 19/12/20 and will be using a number on Avanti trains on my Lancashire day ranger, the website is not very clear on how to get reservations on a pre-bought ticket but after going around the houses I got the following phone number.

0345 528 0253 Option 5

It took a while to get through but when I did it took about 5 minuets to get all the seats sorted out and for the reservations to be collected at my local station.

 

[trainophile]

I'm going out on Saturday 19/12/20 and will be using a number on Avanti trains on my Lancashire day ranger, the website is not very clear on how to get reservations on a pre-bought ticket but after going around the houses I got the following phone number.

0345 528 0253 Option 5

It took a while to get through but when I did it took about 5 minuets to get all the seats sorted out and for the reservations to be collected at my local station.

That's useful to know. Did you get to choose your seats?

These compulsory reservations do rather take the spontaneity out of ALRs though.

 

[HSP 2]

That's useful to know. Did you get to choose your seats?

All I asked for was a window seat with a table, maybe I should have also asked for facing as well. All the trains that I'm using I have got what I asked for, sometimes facing some times backwards. As all the trips are less than an hour I'm not that bothered.
I thought that the phone number could be useful.

 

[Kite159]

All I asked for was a window seat with a table, maybe I should have also asked for facing as well. All the trains that I'm using I have got what I asked for, sometimes facing some times backwards. As all the trips are less than an hour I'm not that bothered.
I thought that the phone number could be useful.

Hope you actually got a proper table seat rather than an airline seat which they class as with table due to the seat back table.

 

[HSP 2]

Hope you actually got a proper table seat rather than an airline seat which they class as with table due to the seat back table.

I've checked the seat plans for the trains that I'm traveling on and all seats are proper tables seats.

 

[trainophile]

I've checked the seat plans for the trains that I'm traveling on and all seats are proper tables seats.

Lined up with a window I hope!

 

[HSP 2]

Lined up with a window I hope!

I hope so.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I hope so.

From memory, although few seats match the windows on a 390, the table ones all do, so you will have a view.

 

[Kite159]

From memory, although few seats match the windows on a 390, the table ones all do, so you will have a view.

There are a couple table seats which have a lovely view of plastic on one side. E1-4 spring to mind as my preferred seats is the other side of that table as I can use the window ledge as an arm rest