Seat Reservations on FGW

[whole diary]

[John R]

Just ask for one, I'm sure they'll oblige.

What's wrong with someone who wants to work? Have you tried working in an airline seat?

Yes, I understand it's frustrating for groups, but it is just a fact of life today that tables are scare. ALL people have the "right" to one. If you really want one, reserve.

On one occasion the occupant very genorously vacated their seat even before we made an attempt to sit down.

On the last occasion we flew back to Gatwick from the USA, so reserving a seat would have been rather hit and miss as to which train we actually caught. As it turned out our reserved seats would have been two days before we actually returned home, but that's another story which was well documented at the time.

So reserving seats isn't always the answer, particularly as when we've tried, we've never managed to reserve a table.    

[John R]

On a few occasions I've been travelling with the family on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) we've struggled to find a table (not surprisingly these days). But we've often found a table with one business type person (usually with laptop etc spread out) and three empty seats.

So the two children and one adult have occupied the remaining three seats, with the other adult sitting nearby. That way, the kids can get the cards/pass the pigs/other games out, together with the obligitary fizzy drinks and crisps that don't really balance well on an airline style tip up table.

We're entitled to take those seats, and we'll continue to do so if it makes our journey more comfortable.
If it makes aforementioned business person think twice before occupying one of only two tables in the coach then that's up to them.
 

Does it make any difference if its a Student trying to get an assignment done for submission - which is the guise I will be in on Saturday as I am going to Liverpool for a tutorial and meeting mother for lunch and shopping afterwards......

Er... no, all we're doing is sitting in 3 vacant seats, and presuming that the fourth person doesn't occupy the whole of the table. Doesn't matter whether it's a student, a business person, or Belle de Jour updating her blog.....  Actually, come to think of it, that might make a difference, as Mrs R might decide airline seats have their merits after all. 

[Mookiemoo]

On a few occasions I've been travelling with the family on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) we've struggled to find a table (not surprisingly these days). But we've often found a table with one business type person (usually with laptop etc spread out) and three empty seats.

So the two children and one adult have occupied the remaining three seats, with the other adult sitting nearby. That way, the kids can get the cards/pass the pigs/other games out, together with the obligitary fizzy drinks and crisps that don't really balance well on an airline style tip up table.

We're entitled to take those seats, and we'll continue to do so if it makes our journey more comfortable.
If it makes aforementioned business person think twice before occupying one of only two tables in the coach then that's up to them.
 

Does it make any difference if its a Student trying to get an assignment done for submission - which is the guise I will be in on Saturday as I am going to Liverpool for a tutorial and meeting mother for lunch and shopping afterwards......

Er... no, all we're doing is sitting in 3 vacant seats, and presuming that the fourth person doesn't occupy the whole of the table. Doesn't matter whether it's a student, a business person, or Belle de Jour updating her blog.....  Actually, come to think of it, that might make a difference, as Mrs R might decide airline seats have their merits after all. 

But do you expect you children to occupy more than 3/4 of the space?

My laptop happily sits in 1/4 of a 158/175 table - not much extra space but it does fit into 1/4 of one (I once got a ruler out in an argument)

So if I could use my laptop on my 1/4 of table I would be happy - I would not be happy if sticky sweets/drinks other crud encroached on my space  or if they were behaving like small animals but then I would not like that even if they were elsewhere.

And the reason I can use 1/4 of a table and not an airline seat is angle of screen - it is impossible to open a laptop screen on an airline seat and actually see what is one the screen

[John R]

No, three seats would equal 75% of available table space, nor would we resort to rulers, so long as your stuff wasn't spread out across the whole table. 

The kids don't behave like animals either. Indeed, when travelling alone with them several years ago when they were about 5 and 3 someone opposite complimented me on how well behaved they had been on the 90 minute journey. I didn't tell them about the valium of course.....

[Chris from Nailsea]

Three quick points from me: 

1. Any one individual at a four-seater table is entitled to no more than their quarter of that table's surface area;

2. John R's children (I've met them, albeit very briefly!) are models of good behaviour;

3. For further information on Belle de Jour, I can only suggest you google.

[thetrout]

The most irritating thing which for some reason happened to me when I went up to Birmingham International on the 07:01 Service from Westbury... Is to occupy a seat at table i'm sat at in First Class, when there are about 10 other empty tables available...

Trout occupied one of these... Then grumpy businessman gets on at Pewsey and also occupies trouts' table... little does Businessman know that trout has ordered a Vegetarian Breakfast from the Travelling Chef just before Pewsey... Businessman proceeds to take up 90% of the table, as trout is only using his MP4 Player... Trouts' Breakfast arrives just before Newbury... Pi$$ed off Businessman vacates the table and selects one of the other 8 empty tables... Clearly the thought of runny egg splatter across some important health and safety document was unacceptable

Trout then alights train at Reading

Why didn't he choose an empty table first off...?? Commuters are strange beings... (tounge in cheek of course )

[Mookiemoo]

The most irritating thing which for some reason happened to me when I went up to Birmingham International on the 07:01 Service from Westbury... Is to occupy a seat at table i'm sat at in First Class, when there are about 10 other empty tables available...

Trout occupied one of these... Then grumpy businessman gets on at Pewsey and also occupies trouts' table... little does Businessman know that trout has ordered a Vegetarian Breakfast from the Travelling Chef just before Pewsey... Businessman proceeds to take up 90% of the table, as trout is only using his MP4 Player... Trouts' Breakfast arrives just before Newbury... Pi$$ed off Businessman vacates the table and selects one of the other 8 empty tables... Clearly the thought of runny egg splatter across some important health and safety document was unacceptable

Trout then alights train at Reading

Why didn't he choose an empty table first off...?? Commuters are strange beings... (tounge in cheek of course )

Very similar to the two I saw tonight sharing a two seater table when the rest of F just had me in it north of Oxford.  No, they were not connected as far as I could tell and one got off at pershore and one at WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains). 

Why?  Maybe it was busy until Reading - given the number of people falling out I suspect it was but why not move at Reading!  Even then there was more space to be had if you distributed yourselves properly.

However - to go back to the original topic - the very nice man at WOS tonight made me a reservation for saturday on a facing table seat on the train home......as long as it stays booked a 175 I'll be ok.  He was reluctant to do it but I think he recognized me as the idiot from worcester

[inspector_blakey]

Just as an aside, if you're reserving for a journey between Swansea and Carmarthen on a 175 you need to request the opposite direction from the one you want to face in, since the CMN/MFH services reverse at Swansea (and the MFH ones reverse again at Carmarthen...)

[Tim]

So why does your right to sit together outweigh my right to do some work......

'cos if every individual has an equal right to the tables a group of 4 has 4 times as much right to the table as a person on their own?

[Jez]

The Chester train is usually a 175 if its going to Cardiff Central but a 158 if its going to Birmingham International I think?

[thetrout]

The Chester train is usually a 175 if its going to Cardiff Central but a 158 if its going to Birmingham International I think?

Thats correct...

Chester > Cardiff Central is normally a Class 175... Anything to Birmingham New Street or Bhm Int is normally 158 or 2x 158's

[unfarepayingpassenger]

I was fed up of getting on busy commuter trains from Swindon - Reading, especially coming up to Christmas and not being able to find a seat. This got worse with the new timetable. The previous train was made first stop Paddington (after Swindon). Day ticket holders often had reserved seats, so after bringing this to fgw's attention I was told that it is possible to reserve seats with a season ticket.
You can email forward@firstgroup.com with your travel requirements and photocard number and they will sort you out.

[ChrisB]

This works for seasons that are registered - i.e. NOT with weekly tickets unfortunately.

[adc82140]

I've just bought a really cheap Twyford-Swansea AP ticket (^13.00), and as such have been given a seat reservation.

However the seat allocated is fairly poor (corridor seat, no window alignment)- am I required as a part of the AP discount to sit in my allocated seat, or can I go and sit in any unreserved one? (for the sake of fairness I would remove the card from my reserved seat)

Thanks.

[Mookiemoo]

I've just bought a really cheap Twyford-Swansea AP ticket (^13.00), and as such have been given a seat reservation.

However the seat allocated is fairly poor (corridor seat, no window alignment)- am I required as a part of the AP discount to sit in my allocated seat, or can I go and sit in any unreserved one? (for the sake of fairness I would remove the card from my reserved seat)

Thanks.

Technically yes

In reality

Unless its sardines at dawn

Nope so long as you are on the right train

Just remove the ticket from your seat so some other person can sit there