Treating trains like planes would revolutionise our railways

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

I think it's also worth noting that the airlines and supermarket being held up as examples of good customer service (which they are) are all companies that are well-known for being far from the cheapest in their respective markets - in fact, one of the top suggested questions Google comes up with for all three airlines is "Why is X so expensive?"!

There are two discrete models in aviation, as in supermarkets. An airline may choose the budget option, where the seats are spaced close enough to just fit the average 22-stone British holidaymaker and their issue. The aim is to get them to the Costa del Lager quickly enough to stop them complaining. Get that plane 90% full, and the rest is profit. The other option is to get as many upper class travel tickets sold as possible, leaving the passenger to decide between cash or comfort. If you can entice enough people to pay a thousand quid extra for a free glass of champagne or two and a reasonable kip, then the folks at the back can pay a bit less and you still come out on top. In the supermarket, you can go to Aldi or Lidl (with many good items on sale) and see if you can pack your bag fast enough to keep up with the one remaining till operator, or choose Waitrose or Marks and Spencer and part company with a bit more money for possibly better quality and a choice of checkouts.

It's difficult to see which option the rail companies aim for. Probably it's somewhere between the two, with little chance of making either side happy all of the time. It doesn't matter what you pay for your ticket - if your journey begins on an early train from Clifton Down, you are going to be shoe-horned in with the rest.

[Celestial]

The other option is to get as many upper class travel tickets sold as possible, leaving the passenger to decide between cash or comfort. If you can entice enough people to pay a thousand quid extra for a free glass of champagne or two and a reasonable kip, then the folks at the back can pay a bit less and you still come out on top.

It's not just that though, is it?  You get:-
Can get to the airport later
Shorter check-in/bag drop
Fast track security
Nice lounge to wait in (variable, VA much better than BA^» (British Airways - about)), with food and drink
First on plane, no scrum at gate
Flat bed, can actually have a comfortable flight and sleep if needed or much more space to work if you want to
First off plane
Fast track immigration (variable, and not always needed)
Bags on belt first (in theory).
Arrivals lounge if you need to freshen up before onward journey.

So it makes the whole journey much more civilised and comfortable. You can (or could - pre COVID) get return flights to NYC for around £1300 in business if you wait for the seat sales that pop up every couple of months like clockwork.  So not cheap, but not so stupidly expensive that it's not worth considering if you can afford it.  Call it 18p a mile and it doesn't sound that bad.

[TonyK]

It's not just that though, is it?  You get:-
Can get to the airport later
Shorter check-in/bag drop
Fast track security
Nice lounge to wait in (variable, VA much better than BA^» (British Airways - about)), with food and drink
First on plane, no scrum at gate
Flat bed, can actually have a comfortable flight and sleep if needed or much more space to work if you want to
First off plane
Fast track immigration (variable, and not always needed)
Bags on belt first (in theory).
Arrivals lounge if you need to freshen up before onward journey.

So it makes the whole journey much more civilised and comfortable. You can (or could - pre COVID) get return flights to NYC for around £1300 in business if you wait for the seat sales that pop up every couple of months like clockwork.  So not cheap, but not so stupidly expensive that it's not worth considering if you can afford it.  Call it 18p a mile and it doesn't sound that bad.

I went for brevity, unusually for me, but you are right. You get what you pay for. I'm the sort of tightwad who is prepared to suffer  the ignominy of hanging around the terminal drinking mediochre coffee, sitting up straight for 7 hours , and being an hour later getting to immigration at JFK, but having a few hundred quid left to spend on my actual holiday. Which is we once flew to Santiago, Chile, via Atlanta, Georgia, then home from Buenos Aires via a few days in New York. IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), it cost less than £700 each for the lot, but the outbound trip was definitely something of a schlep.