to think Seat Frog has ruined First Class Rail travel

[Goldfsh]

I've paid extra for First Class train tickets for the last few years for three reasons: my mobility has been very decreased and I'm unable to stand for long (but unable to qualify for a Disabled Railcard); my immune system is also shot so I appreciate that it's more spacious; and I can work on my laptop. Basically I pay because it's quieter and cleaner.

Over the last month or so, every time I've travelled the First Class carriages have been full with families, especially young babies and children and OMG ALWAYS listening to ipads and phones without headphones - and I suspect this is because of apps like Seat Frog that buy out the First Class fares and offer them cheap.

First Class travel is pointless IMO if it's as noisy and full of noisy families. Is there any point to it if this is the case? Has anyone else noticed this lately?

I think children on iPads without earphones is absolutely awful behaviour. Actually any noise from anyone. My children are both AuDHD (6 and 9) and we have taught them respectful train behaviour. You wouldn’t hear a peek from us!!
Ask staff to intervene next time.
You have gotten too accustomed to having the carriage almost to yourself - you’ve been spoilt. But it isn’t your train, it’s public transport- you are coming across as a little snobby

Yabu - if they want to they can trave 1st class too... wtaf

Every time i go on seatfrog its barely any cheaper than just booking first class!

You are probably better booking the quiet carriage or travelling during school hours to avoid kids.

It’s completely unacceptable to listen to iPods and phones without headphones. The train manager is useless if they allow it.

I have been using seatfrog for years - it isn’t a new phenomenon.

i mainly use it when travelling solo for work - it doesn’t make as much sense when travelling as a family, as no guarantee you get seats together. Pretty sure your reasoning is off, though agree that not using headphones is antisocial.

Seat Frog is only available on a limited number of trains, the maximum number of tickets they ever sell per train is nine (typically lower, assuming any are even available) and those seats won’t be together. Therefore, if you are seeing families together on First Class it’s because they have paid to be there.

Seat Frog has to ensure that anyone with an open first class ticket gets to have a seat so they could never sell out the carriage anyway and some trains have 40 or so first class seats.

Lots of people pay for first class for a number of reasons. You can’t just assume they are poor and only travelling in the carriage because of a cheap seat upgrade. YABU.

Seat frog has been around for years so definitely nothing to do with the last few months... Probably much more likely to do with it being summer and less business travel so they may have reduced their prices.

You remind me of the person who when we'd booked and paid for first class tickets with my DS (as we regularly do as it generally means if bookings are removed due to cancellations, a common occurrence, if we have first class tickets we're still generally guaranteed a seat as they aren't fully booked, we are willing to pay for that peace of mind) who when we sat in our seats lent over to 'warn' us that we might want to go to another carriage as that one wasn't really 'for children'.

We checked with the guard multiple times, and he confirmed we were in our allocated, paid for seats and didn't need to move. It was still an intensely uncomfortable journey as she glared at us regularly. Kids are a fact of life, first class isn't that expensive, you might need to get over it.

I use seat frog a fair amount and have never encountered a family in first class. In fact I’ve never seen an opportunity in the app to get more than one seat, they’re usually quite limited per journey.

I must say I preferred it when the way to get a cheap first class ticket was to buy it well in advance! Those were great days.

I don’t like the fact that seat frog had you necessarily waiting til the last minute to see if you’ve managed to upgrade.

But otherwise I disagree with you.

I like to buy first class because of anxiety but I can’t actually afford the full fare.

No it doesn’t. Seatfrog isn’t new. How odd.

Haha, imagine the proles being in first class. Quelle horreur!

So what do the parents of the noisy kids say when you ask them if they'd mind keeping the noise down?

I agree that people listening to things on public transport without headphones is an annoying. I travel first class on trains regularly for work - if I have work that I need to concentrate on or I want to relax undisturbed, I put my noise cancelling headphones on.

Seat frog often isn't much cheaper than an advance first class single now.

We do a lot of train travel for DD4's hospital appointments and FC hasn't seemed any busier than previously.

We always go first as it tends to be quieter so people don't feel the need to store their luggage in the wheelchair space, and the train manager tends to be more helpful if they have. It's amazing how many people get offended if they have to move a suitcase for a child in a wheelchair.

There is a limit on seat frog sales as well so you're definitely not seeing multiple families per trip all having used seat frog.

I also find that on trains there are many more men 20-45ish who watch films without headphones than kids.

Last train I was on 4 having a conference call got told off by the train manager for asking someone to shush their (not being overly noisy at all) child. Lovely Scottish woman pointing out it wasn't a board room and asked them to keep the noise down as they were the noisiest in the carriage 😂

@Goldfsh if first class is now just as likely to be inhabited by people being noisy on phones/screens (urgh I hate them! Use headphones or turn it off fgs)
you may as well slum it with the rest of us in standard class.
I take a folding walking stick with me because of my inability to stand. If it’s busy and a seat isn’t likely to be available, I get it out of my bag and stand there leaning on it visibly in genuine pain. So far…… I’ve always been offered a seat within a couple of minutes. Sorted.
The London Underground will also send you a “please offer me a seat” badge for free which is also handy to have (useful beyond London too)

We have 2 babies and always go first class. Never heard of seat frog, only discount we get is by using a railcard. We want extra space too…!
Choose a quiet carriage if that’s what matters to you? Or just drive if you hate being around other people that much.
We travel business class when we fly too. No regrets or guilt.

Er seatfrog has been about for years I’ve been using them for business trips since around 2019 and I have not seen an influx of families using them. In fact the noisiest people are those on their oh so important business calls!

As people have said there are limits to the number of seats so if you are seeing families maybe they’ve actually paid to be there!

btw I have also managed to reserve seats in the quiet standard carriages!

What a snob

Must be something else behind it. Seat frog has been around for years now.

Looking forward to travelling by train with my two kids and well-behaved dog using Seatfrog at half term. Much easier as two of us are disabled. Kids will be making normal conversational noise and certainly won’t be playing tablets or anything noisy via a speaker.

I travel first class for work so I can get work done on the train. Biggest demographic I see there being a nuisance are middle aged men braying loudly on phone calls that they have on speaker, and young tech whiz kid types on YouTube and TikTok without headphones.

I travelled first class with DS1 to go to a university open day in London last year. He's autistic and a stickler for rules, and he was the one telling the adults off for not using headphones! Maybe I should rent him out as a travelling companion for those who hate bad travel etiquette 😂

Some of the loudest, selfish and ill-mannered people are also well off.

OMG ALWAYS listening to ipads and phones without headphones

YANBU I’ve often paid up for the considerably more expensive ticket for the peace and quiet and ability to work.

Ask them to turn off the sound or use headphones.Some people have no manners (ie consideration for others in shared space). They don’t know how to behave in any class of travel.

Standard quiet carriage probably suit you better.

The quiet carriages aren’t quiet any more. I’ve given up booking them. At least I expect noise in standard carriages.