Virgin East Coast Sale 50% off

[mercalia]

Virgin East Coast Sale: You have only until 26th Feb to book

for bookings 5th march 29th June

The piggies indicate a discounted fare

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/

interesting note - when you reregister there is a click box if you want them to pass on your details to the next rail operator for that line......

[nomisp]

Hi. seems a very short lived offer , have looked at east coast web site and can find no mention of this offer at all. any ideas ? nomisp

[mercalia]

was an email offer

if you enlarge the 2nd picture it says that the special offer are indicated by the PIGGIE. ie I think you have to search for your preferred trip and of the options displayed the ones with a PIGGIE icon attached are the special offer ones. There isnt a special code to use. Thats my understanding. I havent looked as rather disenchanted with their cycle booking policy ie cant do it online now - I had enough stress when I was able to book a trip to Berwick last year with putting bike on and off the train so dont want the extra hassle now


here are a few I found - near the word discounted a TINY piggie they couldnt have made it smaller could they
CLICK TO ENLARGE

piggie

seems like some veyr good deals eg London to Berwick upon Tweed - £15.50 outward and £11.50 return 22nd May

I found another one London to York in middle June £8 each way with senior railcard

[mercalia]

The only thing that worries me if booking a ticket for say JUNE 2018 is whether Virgin will still be running the line then as this news report says

"Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Stagecoach would continue running the London to Edinburgh line only for "a small number of months and no more"."

"In November, the Department for Transport said Stagecoach and Virgin would withdraw from running the service three years early, in 2020, after running into difficulties.

But on Monday Mr Grayling told the House of Commons the situation was now "much more urgent" and that new arrangements were needed "in the very near future". "

that was reported 2 weeks ago?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42945709

any one any ideas what would happen if they werent then running the line? would the tickets still be valid?

[mercalia]

when I looked agaon today the special offer piggie trains seem to have been removed - and it aint 26th yet- the 2 trains I was looking at still have the 2 advanced fares I found last night but now at £16 not the £8. so it seems the offer may have been ended prematurely so the offer ran for just 2 days or so

[mjr]

The only thing that worries me if booking a ticket for say JUNE 2018 is whether Virgin will still be running the line then [...]
any one any ideas what would happen if they werent then running the line? would the tickets still be valid?

Yes, I'd expect the tickets to be valid despite a change of operator. This looks like an attempt both to maximise sales for the last days of Virgin/Stagecoach getting a cut (but without the cost of actually having to deliver them) and to hand the new operator a thumping loss for the first few months.

East Coast Main Line Company Limited is the Virgin Rail Group subsidiary holding the franchise. I wonder if someone is preparing to liquidate the company, which technically neither of the other East Coast collapses did.

[JohnW]

Buying a train for half price is all very well, but where would you keep it?

[mercalia]

ah the piggies are still there I think just dont put in a RAIL CARD 1/3 off or you might not get the special offer of 50% OFF

[mercalia]

if any one is interested and is going to the York Rally June 22-24th or what evere Virgin has 2 spaces from London @£8 each way under the special offer

june 22nd 13.06
june 25th 14.02

I dont know about bike reservations if there are any spaces

[pete75]

any one any ideas what would happen if they werent then running the line? would the tickets still be valid?

Last time this happened to the east coast line it didn't make any difference to tickets and all remained valid.

[The utility cyclist]

I checked the price early hours of Friday, for my trip from Stevenage to Hull there was no changes in price anywhere, no piggies, nada. Still just under £27 isn't too bad but the whole trip is just such a hassle particularly at Doncaster now they've moved the platform for the change to outside the station, (about 400metres away) and 4 lots of stair or 4 lifts.

[mercalia]

well the offers depend on time and day. Furthermore I get the impression the piggies offers keep on going away then coming back - I thought it was my putting in my rail card but no. so may be worth looking at another time ( before middnight 26th )

[Sweep]

I have sometimes seen the offers and sometimes not.

I'm wondering if to see them, such is the devilishness of modern "relationship" marketing, you have to use the link/click on the graphic in the initial promo email you were sent to see them.

Of course any attempt to book via one of the sites that still allows one-step booking of you and your bike will ensure that you definitely DO NOT see them.