Great Western Coffee Shop

FGW have a promotion for season ticket holders, free first class upgrades off peak on your route. Might come in handy at the weekend.  :)

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1488

This looks good.  Is the voucher only valid for one journey, or unlimited journeys for the three months period?  I dont know if I am reading it correct?  The latter seems too good to be true....but if it is....then I am not complaining!!!  :)

Here are some of the terms and conditions attached ...

The voucher is valid for unlimited off-peak journeys on the route for which your Standard Class season ticket is valid

This upgrade is only valid on journeys made between 09.30 and 16.30 and after 19.30 on weekdays or at anytime at weekends

The offer is only valid on First Great Western services

The offer is subject to seat availability in First Class

So, basically - yes, it's very generous if you travel quite a bit on your season out of the peak hours - it could almost get you used to that extra space!

Wow!

More on this in the link below.
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/07/first-class-upgrades.html

But not very generous to travellers like me who do not commute by services that have first class on them. A great many people travel on services where no first class has operated for 30+ years. I still feel that FGW forgets that some of its services are operated by vehicles little better than buses. Actually some of First's buses are superior and much newer than FGW's trains!

Still at least I got a 10% discount on my season ticket when I renewed it today. As they saying goes - "Every little helps".

Helen from Pangbourne tries this out and gets seduced by a flapjack (link below.)
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/07/seduced-by-flapjack.html

Even Economy Klaus seems impressed....
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/2007/07/good-news-about-first-great-western.html

Economy Klaus , a First Class Upgrade , and a raid on a catering trolley.....(link below.)
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-which-i-raid-first-class-trolley.html

I have enjoyed this 'perk' three times now, and to be honest, the reconditioned carriages make a huge difference. Unlike Economy Klause I am not seduced by a sweets trolley, I prefer comfortable seats, air conditioning and space.

It miight be worth FGW offering a similar perk to standard travellers of coffee/biscuits/nuts similar, but in the normal carriages as this appears important to some people. After all, the price of many FGW tickets is determined to control demand and not to meet costs, FGW could offer this perk to many passengers at a nominal cost, or to season ticket holders.

 

He's a class act is Economy Klaus. If he keeps travelling first class all the time perhaps we should rename him Club Class Klaus!

You will find that very hard to get that officially confirmed, of course  ;)

But if you're along the right lines, it shows just what clever marketing the First upgrades are - they encourage season ticket holders to move away from the peak hour when the trains are busiest, and away from standard class which is also busiest.  Then there is more capacity at those peaks to sell for th ethree months.  The bonus is than that a number of people who get "hooked" on the extra will probably pay for First class in the future leading to a small but permanent shift.

I know that ...

The cost of a weekly season ticket on London bound trains corresponds to 2 days travel
The cost of a weekly season ticket on NON London bound trains corresponds to 4 days travel

Why the difference if not to constrain demand? Surely not to extract as much money as possible?

If FGW want to encourage more off peak travel, they should introduce an off peak season ticket with a significant discount.

Economy Klaus , an off-peak season ticket upgrade voucher , and the concept of googlewhacking....(link below.)
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/2007/08/fine-art-of-googlewhacking-first-great.html

Economy Klaus gets his cash (link below.)
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/2007/08/were-in-money.html

More on the upgrade offer in the link below.
http://www.iworkforfgw.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

The First Class upgrade draws to a close with a plea from Economy Klaus (link below.)
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/2007/10/very-minor-victory.html

Helen mourns the end of the upgrade (link below.)
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/10/sad-day.html

A friend of Helen's has been refused a first class upgrade , even though she was prepared to pay for it on the train. However , it is thought that the Train Manager was technically in the right (link below.)
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/10/you-cant-sit-down-not-even-if-you-pay.html

Apparently , she has paid for the upgrade on the train several times before.

The TM was right, officially she should have been  given the option of  being charged the full first class single on the train, or a Penalty fare if she wished to continue her journey in first class but any excess should be purchased before boarding the train.

whats the next offer for us?  FORWARD has gone but we were told there was to be a replacement of some sort!