03.05.17
Virgin unveils new ticketing structure to save customers £7.1m a year
Virgin Trains has announced changes to its advanced ticketing prices that could lead to customers saving around £7.1m per year.
Services on the East Coast will now allow customers to take advantage of cheaper advance fares on the day of travel, meaning that at the current rate of passenger walk-ups savings of £7.1m could be yielded from the change.
On the previous system, advance fares were only available to purchase up to midnight the day before travel. But now, passengers on the East Coast can save up to 43% by buying an advance ticket the same day they travel.
The savings can be felt by buying tickets on a number of retail channels including online, at ticket machines and at station travel centres.
Suzanne Donnelly, commercial director at Virgin Trains on the East Coast, said: “This is great news for many thousands of customers who will be able to take advantage of big savings on the day of travel.
“Virgin Trains has always positioned itself on the side of customers and we have a strong record of innovating for the benefit of rail passengers,” she explained.
“Customers who can buy tickets well in advance will continue to benefit from the very cheapest fares, with booking now available six months ahead.”
But Donnelly added that Virgin understood it wasn’t always possible to book this far ahead, which is why the change to advanced ticketing has been implemented.
“With more of our cheapest fares available on the day of travel, we’re providing customers with a more affordable and relaxing alternative to road or air travel and we’re proud to be leading the way with changes that will ensure customers get the best value for money,” she added.
The news also follows Virgin joining forces with Stagecoach and French operator SNCF to launch a bid for the WCP HS2 franchise last month.
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