TPE Edinburgh to Manchester Airport anaomalies

[DaveB10780]

This journey is not connected with a flight but just a fairly easy pick up point for us. I was looking to buy an advanced ticket for Dec 20th which the booking system allows me to do. The only ticket offered is Airport Advanced which is a few pounds cheaper than normal advanced to Piccadilly which seems a little odd. However it would not reserve a seat which is not something I am prepared to contemplate. I ended up getting an advanced through to our local station which did allow the reservation. For the future is it possible to get a "normal" advance to/from the airport.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

"Airport Advance" seems to be a route 'AP TPE & Connections' ticket, my understanding is that it's booked train(s) only, but does that mean no seat reservations are possible on the booked train, as they're all gone?

 

[DaveB10780]

When I tried I just got a message you are ok for the train but Take any free seat which was not helpful if it was full! System would not give a reservation no matter how hard I tried.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Yep. I'm also getting a "You’re booked on this train - You can sit in any vacant seat for your class of travel" type message on certain direct journeys that day, although I could get a randomly allocated reserved seat on the 20:11.

Not particularly helpful if the train you want is busy. Wonder what's going on, here?

 

[Wallsendmag]

TPE usually do this when they expect the trains to be very busy

 

[Mcr Warrior]

TPE usually do this when they expect the trains to be very busy

What, sell a train-specific advance ticket for a three-and-a-half hours plus journey, without an accompanying seat reservation? Great stuff!

 

[Par]

I have a similar situation. I bought tickets for travel on the
TPE website for travel from Edinburgh to Manchester on December 19th. These were purchased on the first day Advances became available on September 14th. It didn’t reserve seats for me and two calls to TPE Customer Services didn’t yield success either. I was however eventually able to book just seat reservations through the GWR website on 12th November.

See images attached.

 

[_toommm_]

What, sell a train-specific advance ticket for a three-and-a-half hours plus journey, without an accompanying seat reservation? Great stuff!

They've sold advance tickets for a while without accompanying seat reservations (in certain scenarios). I remember a few years ago when I bought a First Advance, but there were no more seat reservations for First, so I had to 'slum it' in standard.

 

[mmh]

"Airport Advance" is, as far as I recall, an advance ticket which allows flexibility returning from Manchester Airport, in the event you might miss your train due to a flight or airport delay. It's quite a good innovation in my mind, and understandable seat reservations aren't automatically issued for it.

 

[driverd]

"Airport Advance" is, as far as I recall, an advance ticket which allows flexibility returning from Manchester Airport, in the event you might miss your train due to a flight or airport delay. It's quite a good innovation in my mind, and understandable seat reservations aren't automatically issued for it.

Airport advance allows travel on any train up to 3 hours after the booked one (to allow for delays etc).

No seat reservations is usually the policy when trains are very busy. Logic is that it reduces dwell time slightly and saves conflict. An Airport advance will normally allocate a seat.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

"Airport Advance" is, as far as I recall, an advance ticket which allows flexibility returning from Manchester Airport, in the event you might miss your train due to a flight or airport delay. It's quite a good innovation in my mind, and understandable seat reservations aren't automatically issued for it.

But this is for a journey to Manchester Airport.

More about TPE's Airport Advance tickets at this 2013 link...

Airport Advance- Manchester Airport

I've got to pick someone up from the Airport. If I go by train, and buy airport advance tickets and the flight arrives late would my ticket still have the 3 hour window, even though I haven't got off a flight. I assume the person getting off the flight would be covered, but I'm not sure If I...

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