Caledonian Sleeper Fares Question

[Backdrifter]

I was planning to travel London to Edinburgh just before xmas using the sleeper, a service I've used many times, from Scotrail days and on into its current operation by Serco. I expect fares to be probably higher around xmas time. But compared to travelling around xmas last year, the cost of a return journey is 67% higher this year. The Edinburgh to London leg on its own is a massive 88% higher. I have politely asked them why but several emails have been ignored and when I tweeted the question to them, they blocked me.

My question here is: is it legal for them to make such large fare increases year on year? Aren't there limits set on this?

[Islay]

They are running a business and can pretty much charge what they want. Protest with your feet and travel another way.

[Gavmacp]

Flying can be cheaper than the train.

[Backdrifter]

Islay indeed I already resolved to not use their service if only on the basis of their very poor customer relations.

Gavmacp I generally find that even 1st-class day trains are cheaper than domestic flights and far less hassle so that's what I'll be using.

It's a shame as I always enjoyed using the sleeper and it had the advantage of giving you a full day at either end of the trip but the fare increases and the terrible customer relations from Serco have put me off. It's also been irritating that while they claim to offer a booking window of up to 12 months, they are never able to actually provide this due to having to wait for Network Rail to announce their engineering schedule, but they then never announce when their booking windows open, leaving us to randomly check. I fear that Serco are going to hasten the demise of the Scotland sleeper service.

[Islay]

I thought the sleeper service had already died once and Serco bought it back - I may be wrong.

[dzug2]

Given the massive losses incurred by running the sleeper I'm not really surprised

I'm a bit surprised that tickets are on sale already - maybe they will reduce nearer the date

[Backdrifter]

Islay - I've been using it since the early 00s and until last year it was run by Scotrail, then Serco took it over.

dzug2, part of Serco's sales pitch is to promise booking windows of up to 12 months, apparently it's in their contract to do so, but in practice Network Rail's engineering timetable (and their slowness in releasing it to Serco) prevents them from achieving this. At most they can provide a window of 6 to 8 months. But while the other TOCs offer only 3 months or so, they at least have set times when you know they go on sale, but Serco never inform the public when the latest booking window opens, you have to keep randomly checking or stumble upon it.

[Buenchico]

Only half of all rail fares are 'regulated'. They're primarily those paid regularly by commuters and other business passengers. All other fares are set at commercial levels:
https://fullfact.org/news/rail-fares/

[mikey4444]

My recommendation is to say knickers to the train and book the flight instead....it has to be cheaper surely ?

[Backdrifter]

Sigh... why are people so convinced flights are cheaper?! I just checked; the cheapest option came in about £20 more than a pair of advance 1st class rail day service tix, not including the costs of getting and to and from one of the more remote London airports from where I am, nor the Edinburgh airport transfers. Then outside of mere costs, there's the added hassle of the procedures of air travel that you don't get with rail. No, paying less to walk to the station and sit in a nice 1st-class seat while being fed and watered, without security checks etc and long and costly transfers either end, is a no-brainer. "Knickers", if that's the permissible word, to the sleeper and to flights.

[Buenchico]

Which flights did you check?

BA operate to Edinburgh from Heathrow, Gatwick and City.

easyJet operate from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

FlyBe operate from City.

Ryanair operate from Stansted.

[Backdrifter]

I did a search that gave me a range of options across different operators, listing the cheapest first. All the London airports incur transfer costs for me, the least problematic being City, and due to the worst customer service I have ever experienced I wouldn't use Flybe again if you paid me to.

I WILL BE TAKING A DAY TRAIN TO AND FROM EDINBURGH

[bodeker]

I wonder who will get Best answer?

[Buenchico]

>>> I did a search that gave me a range of options across different operators, listing the cheapest first

I hope that doesn't mean that you're relying solely on 'screen-scraper' websites, such Skyscanner. Budget airlines (and quite a few full-fare ones) go to great lengths to keep their bargain fares off such sites. (That's because they want passengers to book through their own websites, so that they can be offered all of the 'extras' - such as travel insurance, car hire and hotels - from which the airlines actually make much of their profits).

'Advance' rail tickets aren't usually available around the Christmas period. The normal return fares are as follows:
Standard Off-Peak £135.50
Anytime £281.00
First Off-Peak £344.50
First Anytime £430.00

London City to Edinburgh return (going out on Thursday 22nd December and back on Wednesday 28th December), with BA, costs £106.51

[mushroom25]

you might be interested to know that this thread is on Caledonian Sleeper's twitter feed......

[Backdrifter]

Buenchico, I was able to get advance tickets for a journey during the xmas period last year so will hopefully be able to again this year.

mushroom25, you nearly had me there - ha ha ha! So to answer bodeker's question, you win Best Answer

[Backdrifter]

Buenchico, Virgin East Coast have confirmed that normal advance tickets will be available as usual for xmas period travel. But thanks for clarification re air fares.

[fiction-factory]

Do you need to use the sleeper? I recall the journey time is only 4.5 hours now. We have bought advance off peak deals through Trainline for something like £30 return

[fiction-factory]

Sorry- I didn't tab down and see all those answers- I thought it was a new question

[Backdrifter]

No problem.

We always preferred to use it, as it means having a full day on arrival and departure, avoiding eating into the day as when taking a flight or a day train. But the skyrocketing prices have put us off.

On the day trains yes the prices are quite low even with 1st class if it’s advance. By catching a service at about 7am we can be in the city by 11.30-ish, which isn’t too bad.

I checked flights direct through providers’ websites and couldn’t find any return flights cheaper than 1st class return day trains.