London North Eastern Railway has revealed that rail passengers could be spending more than they need to by booking train tickets too late.
36% of those questioned on behalf of LNER by YouGov say they would enjoy a day out by rail.
The study revealed that whilst overnight stays are decided a month before, with hotel rooms booked at the same time, train tickets are not booked until a week before.
LNER is encouraging passengers to book ahead to save money, with no booking fees via the app or the LNER website.
“This research shows that our customers are planning trips weeks and months in advance, but missing out on best value fares by not actually booking their tickets at the same time.
“We want LNER customers to get the best deal possible, so we’d encourage people to book early. Right now, tickets are on sale through the summer holidays for many dates well into September 2024. If you’re looking to travel between now and then, we encourage you to plan ahead and make the most of our fantastic destinations.”
David Flesher, LNER’s Commercial Director
Responses
Ofcourse LNER want people to buy advance tickets,they like getting money for nothing.
If you buy weeks in advance and then need to cancel,for whatever reason,you lose ALL your money.No full or part refunds!
LNER are trolling passengers here 😡
They only have a limited number of advance tickets at each fare point, so if one person books earlier to get a cheaper deal then the person who would otherwise have bought that ticket now has to buy a more expensive one. The tickets don’t get more expensive as you get closer to the day of travel unless other people have bought the cheap ones first. It’s an arms race and the only winners are LNER, who get to crank the prices up higher the quicker they sell the tickets.
The easiest way to save money is not to buy LNER’s scam price tickets!
It would really be extremely helpful if the Unions could plan their days of disruption months in advance, and advise us, so that customers could synchronise their travel days with strike days.
You do not need public surveys to discover this.One of main disincentives to booking ahead, or at all, is the pernicious threat of rail strikes, which must be detering thousands of people not to travel by rail.LNER have not done the public any favours by cancelling the sale of Off-peak tickets on London to Edinburgh route.
I booked a break in London recently. However I didn’t book my train tickets in advance. Why? Because I knew I could cancel my hotel booking up to 24 hours before my stay. As the possibility of rail strikes loomed, I was reluctant to purchase tickets – and, even without strikes in the offing, getting refunds on Advance Purchase tickets can incur a substantial fee.
I just don’t get this article. Isn’t it a well know fact advanced tickets cost less than on the day? Am I missing something?
Lack of advanced information on engineering works, strikes and other timetable issues puts the risk on the passenger. I book later than I prefer to in case I need to postpone my trip or find alternative means of transport. People will book far in advance when we have more reliability and more confidence in our beloved railways.
See my comment below – I agree 100%
LNER literally set the fares so they already know that it’s cheaper to book ahead. If they wanted people to save money they wouldn’t be ripping them off with anytime walk-up fares.