Including their own app, or have they sneakily turned that off for this trial?
All the app does is look for cheaper splits at a few pre-defined locations, for LNER only journeys. It doesn't offer cheaper walk-up fares, which is what we will be doing to circumvent this.
Trainline also do splits. In both cases only the cheapest (so Advances), but that'll be a split involving Advances still capped by Super Off Peaks rather than the no doubt cranked up through ones.
Yes if LNER have through Advances that are more than the sum of cheaper ones, in some cases Trainline will find them.
Do bear in mind Trainline's split ticketing is much more limited than ours.
If someone finds a split we are not offering, all you have to do is tell me, and I will tell the relevant people, and they will usually get it sorted for the next morning. It's only happened about once in the last 6 months:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...for-booking-rail-tickets.258764/#post-6530760 and if anyone finds a load of these, we'll absolutely pay for you to have a forum meal and a drink on us!
No you won't. You'll drive.
Some people will (and that is fine; the DfT do not want too much growth!) but for Newcastle / Edinburgh to London, there are enough people who, if pushed, will pay a three figure sum for one-way travel, as a distress purchase. DfT/LNER know there are plenty of people to be milked. It's not run as a public service any more.
(Borrowing or even hiring a car is cheaper and, for the longer journey, is still so even if you have to factor in an overnight stay). Or, if you have any choice in the matter, you may decide not to go - thereby missing the arrival or departure of someone from this world. Or the person for whom you would have provided emergency cover (on the stage, caring for baby, whatever) will have to cancel their plans, or make other suboptimal arrangements. (I can assure you that the rates paid for professional musicians would not make an Anytime return from London to Newcastle worth their while).
I think this may be why LNER have done this huge "freedom" campaign, to make people think twice about driving.
Either way, LNER, far from gaining revenue, will lose their custom.
They will gain overall. Yes some will drive, some will go by air (which the Governement is encouraging). Some will take other operators. A few may go by coach.
However overall the demand for journeys is rising and the Government have to avoid too much growth. There is nowhere near enough capacity for the demand there would be if ticket prices for flexible travel was cheap. It would cost too much for the Government to cater for the demand. Losing some customers is not a problem for LNER; they don't value customers in the way that (say) a restaurant does. If a passenger makes a mistake, it's deemed fair game to charge them £190, on the basis that if the customer vows never to use LNER again, it's no great loss.
Most people will continue to travel, either through lack of choice or just being accepting of the higher fares, and the revenue per customer will go up.
It's not a positive change for passengers, but this move is about reducing subsidy and increasing the amounts people pay for their journeys. It achieves the aims the DfT set out to achieve.
So as far as DfT/LNER are concerned, it will be deemed to be a success.