to think Seat Frog has ruined First Class Rail travel

This is what I was wondering…

I went FC and the two people who shared the carriage were taking work phone calls in very loud voices for much of the journey. Presumably their tickets were covered by work company. Haven’t used it since - but all journeys have been pleasant and reasonably quiet.

Are you sure about the upgrade? I decided to upgrade once (West Coast Main Line), spent ages in a queue at Euston thinking I had to do it there, and when I got to the front of the queue was told to just get on the train and the conductor would do it.

I asked what if the conductor didn't come round, and the person said something along the lines of well, you've got a free upgrade then! (The conductor did come round.)

They still do it on the train now. Literally did England to Scotland and back on the WML this week and they announced several times that if you wanted to upgrade to sit in the carriage (either first or standard premium) and they'd take payment when they came around

Exactly! I never knew about it until this thread.

Are you sure about the upgrade? I decided to upgrade once (West Coast Main Line), spent ages in a queue at Euston thinking I had to do it there, and when I got to the front of the queue was told to just get on the train and the conductor would do it.

I asked what if the conductor didn't come round, and the person said something along the lines of well, you've got a free upgrade then! (The conductor did come round.)

Seat Frog has been around for ages, I’ve been using it since at least 2020 - I’m not sure why it would have made a difference in the last few months.

Yes, I always travel first class and I'm pig sick of guards not booting them out.

I took my kids to Cornwall in first class on the train because they both get car sick. This was affordable because one of them (under 5) travelled for free on my lap and my 6yo was half price. It meant that we had space, food and a guaranteed table seat with a power point. It was brilliant, loads to look at out of the window and they could get up and use the loo whenever they wanted.

We did use headphones for the brief period they were using a device/tablet. People who don’t use headphones are just as likely to be seen anywhere on a train in my experience.

The attitude that children should be seen and not heard feels a bit Victorian to me but I do agree that not using headphone is anti social.

I used to travel on the West Coast mainline most weekends in my twenties and early thirties. There were consistently lots of carriages and you could usually find a seat, even if you hadn't pre booked. If not, you could pay virgin around £15 on Sat/Sun for an upgrade and I often did this on a Sunday. It was always calm and quiet.

More recently, every time I've travelled on the same route, I've had to stand for 4 hours because there were nowhere near enough carriages. Train fares are a fortune and you often can't even get a seat. I always try to book a seat but you only find out you haven't been allocated one after you've paid.

I imagine lots of people are upgrading via Seatfrog or similar because there just aren't sufficient numbers of carriages or seats on the trains. There is a very stark difference.

Alright Jeremy Corbyn

i think they should do away with FC on trains. Make it equal for all

Your attitude towards who can afford first class is annoying, automatically presuming families have got it cheaper so that's why they are sat there.
It's still public transport, a shit hole, with a variety of different people ranging from middle class - working class. You will get noise wherever you are, maybe less so in the quiet carriage but noise will still be there.
As for influx in noise, new gadgets are developing all the time, this is now an electronic age, so it's only going to continue and grow. Kids are now becoming increasingly more entertained with iPads/iPhones etc.
Gone are the old days, which you prefer.

Families are allowed in, if there are seats they can be filled and only the quieter coach is for peace. Sadly not even there these days. I have sympathy for ipads out loud and music, adults do this too and it does my absolute head in and I'm convinced it shows society collapsing and eroding around us 😆

However your other reasoning isn't fair, first class to YOU means quieter but it isn't one of the official perks of first class.

We first used seatfrog 8 years ago, so it isn’t a new thing by any stretch of the imagination.
We used it with a young child, however you will be pleased to know he didn’t have an iPad at the time -haha

I’ve used (or tried to use) Seat Frog a fair few times. It’s quite hard to win the seat and they are often quite expensive in the end.

Oooh… I’d never heard of seat frog, thanks for the heads up!

Seat frog has been around longer than the last few months. I’d have never taken my kids to first class when little. They managed train journeys without tech as they didn’t have a phone or ipad until secondary. It’s also not just kids with no headphones, on my commuter train it’s usually men listening to clips with volume up. A lady asked one man to turn the volume down last week, and he did oblige, with a face on him. Why can’t people be respectful on trains? Zero consideration for anyone else.

I agree with you OP.

The companies that cover my area don't have "quiet" coaches, but this was never an issue because bar the odd self important businessperson being Very Important on a loud call it was fairly quiet both in volume and numbers of passengers.

Like you, I primarily book 1st due to disability (though am fortunate to be entitled to a railcard) - extra legroom, more comfortable seats making a longer journier more accessible, refreshments to the seat etc

I've definitely noticed a change in the demographics and use of 1st class recently, and it is making travelling a less pleasant experience which is a shame.

It's definitely part of a wider decline in polite behaviour over the past decade so by no means solely the fault of SF

TBF almost everyone is eligible for a railcard of some sort, which is often worthwhile to buy even for one journey, other than an adult aged 30-60 travelling alone.

Aren’t first class train carriages ‘quiet’ ones with signs up? I always assume they are. I think if people are allowing children to listen without headphones surely you can ask them to lower the volume or ask any staff if they can ask them. If the carriage you’re in isn’t a ‘quiet space’ there might be another on the train that is a designated quiet space you could move to.
YANBU to think that people should be using headphones and be conscious they are in a shared space with others. I personally don’t think children should be on the screen full stop on trains / restaurants etc but that’s another debate!!

Buy some headphones and listen to something relaxing. You’ll hardly be able to hear them.

Not true. I have tried sitting in First Class when the train is full & been told I have to pay to upgrade or move to stand in 2nd class.

Just a reminder to other parents who say they pay "full price" for their FC tickets... Family rail cards. Especially if you are travelling regularly. It can work out cheaper to get a toddler a ticket with a family railcard and therefore a seat booking fir them,than a single adult ticket without one.

Reading this thread (and learning so many parents are booking first class tickets) - the train companies have created this situation by not letting you choose seats on some lines, no seat reservations for children, and allowing the trains to get so full there’s often barely any standing room.

It is actually quite funny to hear so many people who are doing exactly the same thing as me re: travelling in first - making the whole experience far more pleasant for an extra £100 is very worth it over a few hours.

Thank you for reminding me OP. I’ve bid on mine and 11yo DS’s return journey from Edinburgh. An upgrade through LNER costs £175 at the moment.