A couple Eurostar questions

In message , Hatunen
writes
On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 07:38:53 +0100, Arthur Figgis
] wrote:

On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 13:43:20 -0700, Hatunen wrote:

On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 21:24:23 +0100, Jonathan Morton
k wrote:

Incidentally, many people (myself included) think it's worth paying the
extra to go first class, provided you can get the cheapest first class
fares.

I see little point in paying for first class on a trip that lasts
less than three hours. Standard class isn't all that
uncomfortable. And surely the meal isn't worth the difference in
price.

It is probably worth the extra if you can get a cheap ticket.

I owuld expect that on days when you can get a cheap first class
ticket you can also get a cheap standard class ticket.

It's 6 or 7 years since I was last on the Eurostar, but the cheapest
first class ticket I know is the (very quota-controlled) GBP 44 one-way
(of which GBP 20 goes to Eurotunnel as a tunnel toll) which railway
staff can get. If I recall correctly, their standard class rate is GBP
25.

--
Arwel Parry
http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 00:08:51 +0200, Mike Roebuck
wrote:

Regards

Mike

(on the 1305 King's Cross -Leeds)

Grrr

forgot to change my sig.

Riding ICE's today, for a nice change :-)


--
Regards

Mike

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:12:03 +0100, Arwel Parry wrote:
It's 6 or 7 years since I was last on the Eurostar, but the cheapest
first class ticket I know is the (very quota-controlled) GBP 44 one-way
(of which GBP 20 goes to Eurotunnel as a tunnel toll) which railway
staff can get. If I recall correctly, their standard class rate is GBP
25.

On Brussel - London, the cheapest second class fare is 40 euros single;
first class is 80 euros. Normal FIP fare is 28.50 second and 57 euros
first class for a single; during the summer (until 1 September) there's
a FIP fare 37.50 first and 15 euros second.

Regards,

Rian

--
Rian van der Borgt, Leuven, Belgium.
e-mail: www: http://www.evonet.be/~rvdborgt/

Hatunen wrote:

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 07:38:53 +0100, Arthur Figgis
] wrote:


On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 13:43:20 -0700, Hatunen wrote:


On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 21:24:23 +0100, Jonathan Morton
k wrote:


Incidentally, many people (myself included) think it's worth paying the
extra to go first class, provided you can get the cheapest first class
fares.

I see little point in paying for first class on a trip that lasts
less than three hours. Standard class isn't all that
uncomfortable. And surely the meal isn't worth the difference in
price.

It is probably worth the extra if you can get a cheap ticket.


I owuld expect that on days when you can get a cheap first class
ticket you can also get a cheap standard class ticket.

snip
The example of the cheap 1st class being 10 pounds more than the
cheapest available economy makes that expectation questionable.

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 03:10:27 GMT, "Frank F. Matthews"
wrote:


I owuld expect that on days when you can get a cheap first class
ticket you can also get a cheap standard class ticket.

snip
The example of the cheap 1st class being 10 pounds more than the
cheapest available economy makes that expectation questionable.

Indeed. I am surprised. I wonder, though, if that GBP 10
differential is for fares on the same day, and how far in advance
the cheap first class ticket must be purchased?

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:46:51 -0700, Hatunen wrote:

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 03:10:27 GMT, "Frank F. Matthews"
wrote:


I owuld expect that on days when you can get a cheap first class
ticket you can also get a cheap standard class ticket.

snip
The example of the cheap 1st class being 10 pounds more than the
cheapest available economy makes that expectation questionable.

Indeed. I am surprised. I wonder, though, if that GBP 10
differential is for fares on the same day, and how far in advance
the cheap first class ticket must be purchased?

Same train (or at most the one before), and no idea. The Voyages
SNCF website often comes up with "upgrade for only EUR xxx", though
not always helpfully.

Quite a few people would probably never think to check if first class
is close in price to standard, just as they wouldn't think to try to
split UK domestic journeys across two tickets. Perhaps it was train
which would attract business travellers (wanting some flexibility, but
not allowed by their company to go first class), but not leisure
passengers (willing to splash out, but can commit to a particular
service).

Then there are the people who boycot first class because it is a
symbol of the oppression of the masses, or something. I have met one
or two.

There weren't any cheap tickets when I booked my next trip, but that
is going out via Paris on a Friday night.
--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at 22:16:49 on
Thu, 24 Aug 2006, Arthur Figgis ] remarked:
Quite a few people would probably never think to check if first class
is close in price to standard, just as they wouldn't think to try to
split UK domestic journeys across two tickets. Perhaps it was train
which would attract business travellers (wanting some flexibility, but
not allowed by their company to go first class), but not leisure
passengers (willing to splash out, but can commit to a particular
service).

Then there are the people who boycot first class because it is a
symbol of the oppression of the masses, or something. I have met one
or two.

I think it's simpler than that. Each train has a quota of cheap standard
and first fares, and on some trains there are still a few first fares
available when all the standard have sold out. The only way to prevent
this would be to cancel the remaining first quota as soon as standard
sold out, and that seems a bit complicated.

It's not just E*, either; I have found Advance Purchase firstclass fares
on MML when all the standard AP fares have sold out. This seems to
happen on trains close to the peaks, where it feels doubly odd to be
travelling First Class for half the walk-up standard fare.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 19:31:42 on
Wed, 23 Aug 2006, Arthur Figgis ] remarked:
Anyone know a decent off licence near Paris Nord, where one can stock
up on liquid refreshment for the trip back home, at a sensible price?

Not in Paris, but there's a small supermarket in the station at
Brussels, about a hundred yards from E* checkin.

I found that one earlier in the summer. One to keep note of (lots of
variety, very goold prices, for example they ha bottles of Chimay (in
three colours) for 99 cents). Only trouble is they don't have any
refrigerated.

Robin

R.C. Payne wrote:

Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 19:31:42
on Wed, 23 Aug 2006, Arthur Figgis ] remarked:

Anyone know a decent off licence near Paris Nord, where one can stock
up on liquid refreshment for the trip back home, at a sensible price?


Not in Paris, but there's a small supermarket in the station at
Brussels, about a hundred yards from E* checkin.


I found that one earlier in the summer. One to keep note of (lots of
variety, very goold prices, for example they ha bottles of Chimay (in
three colours) for 99 cents). Only trouble is they don't have any
refrigerated.

Robin

They need one of the little wine chillers that our local supermarkets
have. A few seconds spinning in the chiller will do.

"drevil0208" wrote in message
ups.com...
My wife and I are planning a holiday to England for early next year...
instead of flying to London we're contemplating flying into Paris and a
couple of days later taking the Eurostar to London...


This might be of interest:

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release...ease_id=149367

Book early for the lowest fare

Pricing on high-speed trains such as Eurostar is similar to airline fares in
that there are a wide range of fares or "buckets," when the lowest fare is
sold out, the passenger gets the next higher fare, until those are sold out.
"It really pays to book your Eurostar ticket as soon as you know your
plans," adds Morel. Eurostar tickets may be booked 9 months in advance from
Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com), and if your plans change, most fares are
now exchangeable.

More one-way fares for passholders and seniors (over 60)

Travelers holding a Eurailpass, France Railpass, BritRailpass or Benelux
Tourailpass now have more one-way passholder fares; before there was only
one passholder fare each in standard and 1st class -- which meant these
fares were often sold out. Passholder fares start at $77 US/$94 CAD (std) or
$136 US/$165 CAD (1st) (the new passholder fares are $1-2 more than the old
fares). Passholder fares are all exchangeable prior to departure (low-priced
non-passholder one-way fares are not).