Two years ago, in May 2021, Avanti West Coast’s launched a Standard Premium service as an additional class of travel, since then, customers have taken advantage of the service 1.5 million times.

Avanti West Coast was the first train operator to offer an additional class of travel.

Positioned between Standard and First Class, Standard Premium customers benefit from roomier seats, more space, and a guaranteed table.

When it was launched, Standard Premium was only available to purchase as an upgrade on the day of travel, but in September 2021, customers could purchase tickets for upgrading to Standard Premium in advance.

Prices for an upgrade from Standard Class range from £15 for Standard Premium between Birmingham and London to £30 for Glasgow to London.

The most popular route is to Manchester, where customers upgraded to Standard Premium over half a million times, closely followed by the Anglo-Scottish route between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh. Liverpool has also been a popular route for Standard Premium, where over 300,000 journeys have been made in Standard Premium Class.

In a breakdown of the type of customers opting for Standard Premium, the main reason for travel is leisure, with many customers attending special occasions such as birthdays. The most popular day has been Thursdays when customers have made over a quarter of a million journeys.

Andy Mellors, Manager Director at Avanti West Coast said: “Standard Premium is all about giving our customers extra choice, seven days a week.

“We’ve listened and the ticket’s popularity is a great example of why it’s vitally important to innovate on the railways. Coupled with £117m investment to transform the interiors of our Pendolino fleet, we have to work harder than ever, deliver on our promises and give people more reasons to return to rail.”