Avanti West Coast has followed the long-established airline practice of allowing customers to select their choice of seat when booking their journeys.

The ‘Seat Picker’ feature is available on Avanti’s app, and allows them to choose where they want to sit onboard and to see how busy trains are when booking journeys.

Previously, customers could specify their preferences, such as a window seat or plug socket, although these could not be guaranteed The upgrade helps customers tailor their reservations to secure their ideal seat, and makes it possible to view on a digital layout of the carriage how many seats have already been booked on a selected train.

During the booking process, customers can choose between the options that matter most to them when travelling by train, whether it’s a window seat, sitting in the Quiet Coach, their preferred direction of travel, or having a table or plug socket. Customers are also advised if their chosen seat is close to a luggage rack, near a toilet, or has a restricted view.

Once customers have chosen the train they wish to travel on, they can change their assigned seat by clicking ‘change seat’ and scrolling the layout of each carriage to select an alternative. Characteristics for each seat they click will then be displayed; to secure their favoured seat, customers can simply click ‘save selection’. Customers can also choose seats for everyone in their booking, so friends and families can sit together.

More information about the new app is available on Avanti’s website here.

Giuliano Pelella, Digital Programme Director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re always striving to make every moment of our customers’ journeys the best it can be, so we’re excited to roll out Seat Picker across all our digital channels.

“We understand how important it is to our customers to know they have the seat they want. That’s why we’ve made it easier for those booking through the Avanti West Coast website and app to choose their seat. By offering tailored reservations we hope all customers will have journeys that match their individual needs.”