Seat reservations and seating etiquette

[whole diary]

[Glovidge]

I'm peed off with having a reservation for a seat only to find some eejit sat in it. Today's tale of woe involves a woman with a dashchund. So I'm not going to ask her to budge as she is in the window seat and someone else is in the aisle seat.
So the only spare seats involve the usual selfish twits who think their ticket allows them to use the other seat as the luggage rack

Of course the train manager is nowhere to be seen. Isn't it about time these selfish so and so's were informed that on busy trains one could attempt to put hand luggage in the overhead racks and were reminded as such?

As for seat reservations its a complete waste of time and money.

[Brucey]

I've given up with seat reservations on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route and usually just sit in coach C when I don't have an advance ticket (and when a coach C is provided!).  Very few people actually observe the reservations and most reserved seats are not used by the people who reserved them.  They also cause delays with boarding, when some people spend a lifetime reading the ticket on every seat before deciding where to park themselves.

[Tim]

I've given up with seat reservations on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route and usually just sit in coach C when I don't have an advance ticket (and when a coach C is provided!).  Very few people actually observe the reservations and most reserved seats are not used by the people who reserved them.  They also cause delays with boarding, when some people spend a lifetime reading the ticket on every seat before deciding where to park themselves.

The problem is caused by people being given reservations automatically when they book online or with AP fares without really wanting them.   I'd be in favour of charging a nominal fee (say 50p per leg) for a reservation.  Result would be fewer reservations which would make it easier for both those who want them and those who do not. 

[devon_metro]

I've given up with seat reservations on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route and usually just sit in coach C when I don't have an advance ticket (and when a coach C is provided!).  Very few people actually observe the reservations and most reserved seats are not used by the people who reserved them.  They also cause delays with boarding, when some people spend a lifetime reading the ticket on every seat before deciding where to park themselves.

Whilst I often have a reservation I don't choose to sit in it since when I travel late in the evenings there are often better seats than my reserved seat which is invariably always the wrong way round. I personally try to avoid Coach C, merely because the chances of getting one of those awful 'Richmond' seats is far higher, where as most of A&B have the old BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) seats with about a foot of padding to relax in!

[grahame]

... I'd be in favour of charging a nominal fee (say 50p per leg) for a reservation.  Result would be fewer reservations which would make it easier for both those who want them and those who do not. 

And it would also save that soul-destroying job of putting out tickets on seats where they won't be used.  Perhaps trains might be ready a few minutes earlier at Paddington ...

[Phil]

50p a leg is a bit steep. That's a pound per reservation! And it's discriminatory as well: pity the poor blind passenger who has to pay for his guide-dog, where 4 legs + 2 legs = ^3.00

[bobm]

One TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) did charge for seat reservations but this was dropped when the franchise changed. They charged ^2.50 per journey.

Personally I'm against the idea. Apart from the notion if it being an added extra like the budget airlines I often find it works in my favour. You can often get a "decent" seat by checking the label and occupying one where the origin station has been passed.

While more labour intensive the paper labels are better than the electronic ones on the voyagers. You have to wait a good few seconds while it scrolls through.

[Timmer]

Other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) should follow SWT^▸ (South West Trains) and Southern in not bothering with seat reservations anymore. I bet you would see a marked improvement in punctuality. If you board a train that is rammed and you seat is say in the middle of the carriage, chances are someone is already sitting in it or that you won't be able to get to the seat anyway.

[Super Guard]

If you charge for reservations and then someone is in your seat and won't budget, one is unlikely to be very happy 

It either needs to be more thoroughly enforced or for AP, just have the specific train and it's tough titty if you get a seat or not - might make things slightly fare-r to those paying a lot more than a AP too.