AIBU to think empty first class should be opened on crowded trains?

[boredsoscrollingonMNagain]

I was on a long journey this weekend , It was a 5 and a half hour journey with one change.

our first train was massively delayed , meaning we missed our next one. But , we coped and it’s all done now and we will get compensated .

However , I was really cross at this:

We had reserved seats on both trains. We don’t travel on trains with no reserved seats as my eldest is autistic and gets distressed with nowhere to sit. He prefers a certain seat, so we always try for that, but the main thing is he has a seat. The train was taken from 9 to 4 carriages so all reservations cancelled and this first train was a 2 hr journey for us. My husband wasn’t with us and we had large cases so I was stressed ! My eldest was obviously worried - luckily we found seats and all was ok . But , when the train came in I saw a carriage empty and my worry was getting these cases on alone and having no space , so I went to the empty carriage and was turned away because it was first class. We got on fine in the end, thanks to the help of lovely strangers and we got seats right next to first class and I could see in and it said all seats were available- not reserved - and maybe 2 people in the whole carriage. For the whole journey , the other carriages were like sardines - it was awful. They announced they couldn’t get the refreshment trolley out because it was so busy ( also it was during a heatwave ) . First class was empty. I saw a family - including a woman with a tiny baby in a carrier and young children, turfed out. I saw many families struggling to find places to sit.

Now , I understand if you have paid for first class and the carriage was full of people who hadn’t , you would be angry . I agree if you have paid first class you should be able to sit in it. But if it’s empty , why were people turfed out when everyone’s reserved seats were cancelled ? I would understand if first class was busy , so all were reserved and they kept that carriage for that reason - it costs a lot . I also would understand if maybe they usually had 2 first class carriages ( I don’t know if they do ) , took one off , so kept all the first class seats for those with first class tickets , but on a first come first served basis. But to have them all free , the whole journey , with lots of people - families coming back from holiday - who reserved seats for a long journey and lost them , standing and struggling - but then keep it empty and leave people standing , and actively turn people holding babies in arms away - I found this disgusting !

Just to add - this isn’t about me wanting to go in first class , we had seats , we were ok and I did offer my seat up too.

It wasnt important to her to get a first class seat.
It was important to her to get a standard seat which she booked and paid for.
The train company cock up caused her to lose that seat. They should be required to provide another seat. And if 1st class is all they have then so be it, that's what they give you.

Likewise!

1st class is not sterile or sealed.
It will have 100s of billions of bacteria in the air and on every surface. The ficticious immunocompromised person will easily get an infection in first class.

My attitude is that if I have booked a standard seat and unpunctual trains deprived me of that seat then I will sit in sodding first class.

We don't have this on trains in Australia it's the same ticket for everyone and no it doesn't mean you get a seat automatically if there aren't any you just stand

Pay for a first class ticket then 😊 if not quit bitching

You have never been guarenteed a seat in standard class. Taking a first class seat off someone who has paid for it is outrageous.

You don't have to sit next to anyone in first class and there are fewer people in the carriage so the risk is lower.

You can't always reserve a seat in first class so getting one does rely on the carriage not being full. I need a seat as I am disabled so getting a refund doesn't help.

They can fine you if you refuse to move just as they can fine you for not having a ticket at all.

People who pay for first class don't do so to have people who haven't paid in there. This is a commercial enterprise you are talking about. If you pr anyone wanted to sit in first class where the aisle is wider and fewer seats then it's really simple pay for it.

But what you want is not to pay and have it - imagine feeling that entitled in life for that to be your one solution to the problem.

Where else do you feel entitled to have something you haven't paid for - what about if you buy Wagon wheels do you think you should be upgraded to receive Whoppalossus.

Your post is all that is wrong with people's mentality today you want something but not to pay for it. Pay for first class get first class.

Ive just been to Switzerland for 10 days using trains to get around, about 10 train journeys per day on average, the difference is astounding, they were literally like clockwork with the timetable , only one was delayed, by 4 minutes.
It makes you realise what can be done …

Coming back from London recently I wasn't made aware that the time of my train on my ticket had changed and we missed it. We spoke to a member of staff who booked us on the next train but then we found he'd booked us onto first class. There was myself and my niece eating our McDonalds, bought to take onto our original train, furtively eating it in the first class lounge! Not only that but I put in a delay repay claim and was delighted to find it was approved and compensated £52. Thank you GWR.

So dispense with classes on trains

I sometimes travel in first class. It would bring me no pleasure to be in a mainly empty carriage while other people stood in standard class. They should declassify in these types of situation (which hopefully shouldn’t happen too often)

They should just do away with first class on trains (as indeed some train companies have).

The difference with flights is that everybody is guaranteed a seat so first class is just paying for an upgraded travel experience. On trains, the very existence of first class coaches means that there are fewer seats in the first place (exacerbating the terrible problem of overcrowded services that we have in this country) and it leads to the ridiculous situation described by the OP where people are forced to stand or crowd into corridors when there are unused seats on the train.

I say this as somebody who does sometimes travel first class and frequently works on the train in standard class (generally with no issues as long as there is a seat reserved or available).

In many European countries you can’t buy a ticket if the train is full

YABU. You’re saying first class passengers are “not entitled to an empty carriage” and sure, that’s true and people could buy first class tickets and first class could be fully booked… except that’s rarely the case.

People book first class because it is pretty much almost always only 1/3rd full at best. They book it because it’s quiet and other passengers who have booked first class understand how to behave.

You cannot just let anyone and everyone fill up the seats because the train is crowded. A train ticket does not guarantee you a seat like a plane ticket does.

They have done this before on a couple of trains I travelled on in the past purely because they were so busy people were sitting in the aisles and doorways so it made sense to. I guess it’d be annoying for the people who pay extra for first class but the provider should refund the difference for them.

They do either declassify first class or selectively upgrade as needed but sounds like you had seats anyway.

Butif people who wanted to be in first class paid for first class there would be less people in standard class and more in first class in the first place

If you want a seat book one in first class then

Sorry but no. I sometimes treat myself to first class and I’d be fuming if others came in for free with their noise and whatnot,

I suppose a policy that might work would be to offer reduced price first class upgrades on busy trains. Weekend upgrades are often very good value (whereas upgrading last minute can double the cost of a ticket).

Though I’d still abolish first class personally - it would be fine if it didn’t affect others’ experience but the level of overcrowding makes it increasingly unjustifiable in my view to have anything that worsens that issue. Quiet carriages are a much better option for working or being away from noisy passengers anyway - there’s no guarantee of that in first class.

Perhaps also worth bearing in mind that a lot of people in first class will actually have paid less than many of those in standard class - they were just in a position to book sufficiently far in advance to secure a good price. I guess that point could cut both ways depending on how much sympathy you have for passengers who aren’t in a position to plan travel months in advance!

I used to live in Switzerland and even though I left over twenty year’s ago, I still think wistfully about their trains every time my train here is late or overcrowded (which is a lot!!).

I think it’s a bit of a myth about getting a better price if you book far in advance. I’ve tried that and the price is the same as if I’m booking tomorrow.