Seat reservations, how are they allocated?

[trainophile]

I’m on a sparsely occupied GWR, there are only four reservations showing in my coach, and three of them line up with the panels between windows. Needless to say they are all unoccupied as nobody wants to sit next to a blank wall.

Particularly puzzled by the”window“ seat reservation (the others are aisle seats), as you’d think that someone selecting window seat in the options might actually like to look out of one.

We shouldn’t have to rely on seat selectors where they are available, and in any case they don’t always show which are “no view” seats. Is it the retailer who chooses your seat or the TOC, or is there some central database somewhere that they all come from?

 

[PyrahnaRanger]

I'd be interested in that too - when reserving Avanti seats, I ask for Aisle, Forward, Window, Table every time.

I occasionally get "Window (No View)" given to me, and no matter how many times I try, it won't change. I then do a search on a different train, come back to the one I wanted and get a different seat?

(the pendolinos make me feel queasy going backwards, or if I can't see the outside world - same mechanism as being seasick).

 

[OscarH]

Is it the retailer who chooses your seat or the TOC, or is there some central database somewhere that they all come from?

Certainly not by default, most retailers it will be allocated by the reservations system, where the TOC decides in detail how things are allocated

 

[Mikey C]

I'd be interested in that too - when reserving Avanti seats, I ask for Aisle, Forward, Window, Table every time.

I occasionally get "Window (No View)" given to me, and no matter how many times I try, it won't change. I then do a search on a different train, come back to the one I wanted and get a different seat?

(the pendolinos make me feel queasy going backwards, or if I can't see the outside world - same mechanism as being seasick).

On the Avanti website you can choose your own seats when making a booking. The train diagrams are helpful for avoiding wall seats, but there are also seat maps elsewhere for the 390s.

Other company websites don't give you this option. One really annoying thing on GWR, is that if I split my ticket to use my Network Railcard on part of the journey, e.g. London to Didcot with a railcard, Didcot to Swindon without, it'll give me completely different seat reservations for the 2 legs, in different carriages!

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you want to select a seat on TOCs that don't offer it themselves, book via Trainsplit or the Forum site and you can.

 

[Lytham Local]

I always ask for facing, individual seats when I book on Northern then get a backwards table seat when I look at the number they give me. At least the Avanti app gives the option of being able to select your seat.

 

[styles]

I'd be interested in that too - when reserving Avanti seats, I ask for Aisle, Forward, Window, Table every time.

I occasionally get "Window (No View)" given to me, and no matter how many times I try, it won't change. I then do a search on a different train, come back to the one I wanted and get a different seat?

I tend not to put all my preferences in, just the most important (table, power as often am working), can't remember the last time I didn't get one now!

 

[D1537]

On the Avanti website you can choose your own seats when making a booking. The train diagrams are helpful for avoiding wall seats, but there are also seat maps elsewhere for the 390s.

Other company websites don't give you this option. One really annoying thing on GWR, is that if I split my ticket to use my Network Railcard on part of the journey, e.g. London to Didcot with a railcard, Didcot to Swindon without, it'll give me completely different seat reservations for the 2 legs, in different carriages!

You can do this on the LNER website as well (and the app, where it's surprisingly easy). I have the Azuma seat layout diagram PDF downloaded on my phone so I can switch to it quickly.

Worryingly, since most of the trains from our station are 9-car Azumas, I've done this so many times that I've almost memorised where the "bad" seats are on them!

 

[styles]

You can do this on the LNER website as well (and the app, where it's surprisingly easy). I have the Azuma seat layout diagram PDF downloaded on my phone so I can switch to it quickly.

Worryingly, since most of the trains from our station are 9-car Azumas, I've done this so many times that I've almost memorised where the "bad" seats are on them!

The opposite for me and the Caledonian Sleeper - I've memorised the good seats.

11A is the dream seat - opposite end from the toilet, nobody sat next to you, lots of legroom, and the table is fixed to the wall in front rather than folding down from the seat; this is more spacious, sturdier, and ideal for putting your feet up on (keep your socks on please!) if you struggle to sleep sat upright.

 

[yorkie]

We shouldn’t have to rely on seat selectors where they are available...

If people are particularly keen to get a seat of their choice, then I would definitely recommend using a seat selector.

Apart from Hull Trains, LNER and Avanti, which only works if the journey is with them, the only way to do that is to use Trainsplit (which includes the forum's site; using that also helps support the forum too, which is greatly appreciated!)

 

[styles]

If people are particularly keen to get a seat of their choice, then I would definitely recommend using a seat selector.

Apart from LNER and Avanti, which only works if the journey is with them, the only way to do that is to use Trainsplit (which includes the forum's site; using that also helps support the forum too, which is greatly appreciated!)

Hull Trains also has a seat picker

 

[Mikey C]

You can do this on the LNER website as well (and the app, where it's surprisingly easy). I have the Azuma seat layout diagram PDF downloaded on my phone so I can switch to it quickly.

Worryingly, since most of the trains from our station are 9-car Azumas, I've done this so many times that I've almost memorised where the "bad" seats are on them!

Eurostar also enables you to pick your seat. I usually refer to the diagrams on the Seat 61 website for help with this, especially with the 2 different types of trains.

 

[OscarH]

I tend not to put all my preferences in, just the most important (table, power as often am working), can't remember the last time I didn't get one now!

This is a good method I think. The reservation system does not know which ones you prioritise, and could probably be told by the TOC which ones it should prioritise if there's multiple and it cannot meet them all.

 

[Lee_Again]

The options are also unhelpful if there's two of you. What if you want to sit next to each other, facing forwards around a bay of 4 (windows and aisle) or facing each other in a bay of two (facing/back). Both contradictory requirements when only one is offered. For me, I select the seats when I can, and if I can't, I simply refresh, refresh, refresh until I get the sets I want.
I've always said, if the rule for Advance tickets is, you must sit in your reserved seat, they must allow me to select it. Imagine 8 hours to Inverness next to a wall, especially when you've requested a window.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've always said, if the rule for Advance tickets is, you must sit in your reserved seat, they must allow me to select it. Imagine 8 hours to Inverness next to a wall, especially when you've requested a window.

I have never known a member of staff actually bother enforcing that (assuming you picked a seat that wasn't reserved to someone else). It was I believe put in at the request of GNER, a TOC that doesn't even exist any more.

 

[Gwr12345]

If people are particularly keen to get a seat of their choice, then I would definitely recommend using a seat selector.

Apart from Hull Trains, LNER and Avanti, which only works if the journey is with them, the only way to do that is to use Trainsplit (which includes the forum's site; using that also helps support the forum too, which is greatly appreciated!)

If you also have a certain seat in mind etc it can definitely be booked through ticket offices as well.

 

[kingston_toon]

Maybe I'm unlucky but every time I allow the system to choose a seat for me (specifying window, airline) I'm given one with limited or no view! Most recently was a day trip to the Toon on Lumo on Saturday, first train up, last back, both pretty quiet, but every seating preference I put in as an experiment resulted in a different pair with limited view. Of course I then used the seat selector to get a full window, and was rewarded with the sun rising over Durham Cathedral.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Avanti seems to favour not reserving people into Coach D, I was booking a ticket for a group of 4 yesterday and despite me asking for a table, it put us at 4 isle seats one behind the other, instead of giving us one of the many tables in Coach D that had no reservations at it.
For the way back it gave us a table but I moved it to coach D because it'll probably be quieter.

 

[Master29]

I have never known a member of staff actually bother enforcing that (assuming you picked a seat that wasn't reserved to someone else). It was I believe put in at the request of GNER, a TOC that doesn't even exist any more.

I've never known it to be enforced at all on any TOC in either my case or with anyone else.

 

[styles]

Avanti seems to favour not reserving people into Coach D, I was booking a ticket for a group of 4 yesterday and despite me asking for a table, it put us at 4 isle seats one behind the other, instead of giving us one of the many tables in Coach D that had no reservations at it.
For the way back it gave us a table but I moved it to coach D because it'll probably be quieter.

I too have noticed that carriages seem to get booked up 'in order'. If my reserved seat is the far end of the platform I'll often walk past the other carriages looking in to see how reserved/not they are, and if I spot an 'unofficial unreserved' coach for want of a better word, I'll often head there for a quieter journey.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I too have noticed that carriages seem to get booked up 'in order'. If my reserved seat is the far end of the platform I'll often walk past the other carriages looking in to see how reserved/not they are, and if I spot an 'unofficial unreserved' coach for want of a better word, I'll often head there for a quieter journey.

I made good use of it on my way back from Scotland last summer, had a booked seat in Coach A, but decided to check if the rest of the train was as booked (since Coach A was all booked up), walked into Coach D and it was almost unreserved! (A decent few people got on later, but leaving Glasgow it was almost empty).

Had a full table to myself the whole way to Wigan.

 

[trainophile]

My next train today compounded the craziness - my reservation was in Coach C. Cross Country train pulls in to Taunton with only four coaches, C being the missing one. Luckily again it wasn’t rammed, so I was able to find a suitable seat, albeit backwards facing but happily on the coast side. Probably wouldn’t be so easy in high season or school holidays.

 

[yorkie]

My next train today compounded the craziness - my reservation was in Coach C. Cross Country train pulls in to Taunton with only four coaches, C being the missing one. Luckily again it wasn’t rammed, so I was able to find a suitable seat, albeit backwards facing but happily on the coast side. Probably wouldn’t be so easy in high season or school holidays.

That's highly unusual; was there definitely a coach B and not a coach C? But this is a whole new topic, so probably best discussed in a separate thread. Perhaps you can say which train it was.

I've never known it to be enforced at all on any TOC in either my case or with anyone else

A few IC East Coast franchise guards did many years ago, before it was branded LNER, and several of them used to be very strict (which led to negative headlines). Even today, some of them make announcements asking people to sit in their booked seats, but without enforcing it.

If you also have a certain seat in mind etc it can definitely be booked through ticket offices as well.

True, but that's a faff. I had so many bad experiences of being denied the tickets I wanted over the years, I am very glad to be able to pick the ticket, and seat I want online!

 

[Bungle965]

True, but that's a faff.

Says who? Avanti have live seat maps now on their Desktop TIS. Not just for Avanti either!

 

[yorkie]

Says who? Avanti have live seat maps now on their Desktop TIS. Not just for Avanti either!

I didn't mean for the staff necessarily; I meant it's a faff as a passenger going to a ticket office to get a specific seat and these days, I think most people would agree it's much easier to use online seat selectors. This goes for all aspects of ticket purchasing, as can be evidenced by York ticket office being not only downsized massively, but also very quiet and often empty, compared to being a very busy place years ago.

The thing that surprises me is that there are only 3 TOCs who offer this on their websites, and only one online retailer that offers a seat selector across all TOCs, that I know of.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The thing that surprises me is that there are only 3 TOCs who offer this on their websites, and only one online retailer that offers a seat selector across all TOCs, that I know of.

The thing that REALLY surprises me is that Trainline haven't done it and applied an additional fee to it. Unless that would be contrary to the rules to charge for the service, I suppose.

 

[Bungle965]

as can be evidenced by York ticket office being not only downsized massively, but also very quiet and often empty, compared to being a very busy place years ago.

Sadly the biggest detriment to the booking office is often the staff themselves, poor training & lack of care from managers fosters that.
You have a quality booking office with knowledgable/friendly staff with access to the correct equipment then it beats anyone’s website.

 

[Flying Snail]

I didn't mean for the staff necessarily; I meant it's a faff as a passenger going to a ticket office to get a specific seat and these days, I think most people would agree it's much easier to use online seat selectors. This goes for all aspects of ticket purchasing, as can be evidenced by York ticket office being not only downsized massively, but also very quiet and often empty, compared to being a very busy place years ago.

The thing that surprises me is that there are only 3 TOCs who offer this on their websites, and only one online retailer that offers a seat selector across all TOCs, that I know of.

And none, TOCs or independent retailers (except LNER for their own trains), offer reservation with seat selection for those already holding valid tickets.

 

[Bungle965]

And none, TOCs or independent retailers (except LNER for their own trains), offer seat reservation with selection for those already holding valid tickets.

GWR do if you have an account with them

 

[Flying Snail]

GWR do if you have an account with them

No seat selection just random allocation.