[dmuk]

Does it mean you get harassed by a flight steward for talking during the safety speech, or get chair kicked from behind by a 5 year old?

Probably not, what does it mean?

[Milky Joe]

One without a table?

[tomvoxx]

It means a seat alongside another with a drop down panel of the back of the seat in front which acts as a table.

[gillypanda]

A seat facing the direction of travel, not with your back to it I believe

I had a proper table on a Virgin train, when I booked an airline seat.

[tomvoxx]

Sorry gillypanda but not according to the Virgin Trains site:

Find your seat

Your reservation will show the coach letter and your seat number, whether your seat is facing the front (F) or back (B) of the train, or if you have an airline-style seat (A) with fold down table.

[dmuk]

Ah cool, airline is the best then, don't like table seats as i always bump my knee on the person in front of me (unless you get the table to yourself of course)

[Milky Joe]

Originally Posted by dmuk

Ah cool, airline is the best then, don't like table seats as i always bump my knee on the person in front of me (unless you get the table to yourself of course)

I hate that, never seems to be enough space does there. I sorta end up sitting diagonally...unless theres 2 people on the other side

[Mr. X]

I like the clapped-out old trains they run round the suburbs in Manchester; you can stretch out and put your feet up on the seats opposite!

[firehawk1]

love Virgin trains

[jen0607]

Presumably Virgin are too cheap to make 'train' seats, so they just use the one's from their planes.........

[Daisy Bennyboots]

Originally Posted by firehawk1

love Virgin trains

What do you love about them? I'm going on one next week for the first time and I'm curious!

[firehawk1]

well for me when i used them for the first time 3 years ago (since i was moving and the first time too into the "real world" - every bit counts for me), the service was great, cheery staff, friendly, and young staff too.

80% of the time the drivers are funny too on the speaker system....

pleasant service, quiet trains compared to say first great western, and its more open than other train service I know like in comparison to GNER where the seats are tight and small and uncomfortable.

[Mark.]

They have decent enough trains BUT whenever I've used them, I've had problems with double bookings.

[kyresa]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

I like the clapped-out old trains they run round the suburbs in Manchester; you can stretch out and put your feet up on the seats opposite!

MMM.. and just think.. the seat you're sitting on may have also had someones dirty shoes on too ...!

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by kyresa

MMM.. and just think.. the seat you're sitting on may have also had someones dirty shoes on too ...!

Dirty shoes my arse.

[ForestChav]

Originally Posted by dundee_mark

They have decent enough trains BUT whenever I've used them, I've had problems with double bookings.

Haha, so there's already someone in your seat by the time you get to it?

[Mark.]

Originally Posted by ForestChav

Haha, so there's already someone in your seat by the time you get to it?

It's mostly been the other way round and I've been on the receiving end of someone shouting at me for being in their seat I just show them my reservation info and proceed to ignore them.

It means you sit in a tiny, narrow seat, and bash your shins on the seat in front. The person in front then shoves their seat back, almost into your face.

[the spiz 2]

Originally Posted by tomvoxx

Sorry gillypanda but not according to the Virgin Trains site:

Find your seat

Your reservation will show the coach letter and your seat number, whether your seat is facing the front (F) or back (B) of the train, or if you have an airline-style seat (A) with fold down table.

They obviously have a different concept of facing front and facing back then to normal people. If I book a trip to London through the trainline.com from MK it gives me a complimentary seat reservation which is great on early morning trains as it means I get a seat and can make other people get up and stand.

But if I ask for a forward facing seat I always end up travelling backwards, and if I ask for a backward facing seat I end up travelling backwards, and if I ask for an airline seat I end up facing backwards.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by dundee_mark

It's mostly been the other way round and I've been on the receiving end of someone shouting at me for being in their seat I just show them my reservation info and proceed to ignore them.

I've had this when I've had to go down to London for things -- you book a seat and then get some old bugger coming up to you going "I'm sorry, I do believe I have a reservation made on this seat". Once, it was the other way round and I ended up spending an entire Manchester-London journey sitting outside the f--king toilet having to squeeze myself into a ball every time some muppet wanted to walk past (usually a kid running up and down). Virgin Trains? A joke.

[Mark.]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

I've had this when I've had to go down to London for things -- you book a seat and then get some old bugger coming up to you going "I'm sorry, I do believe I have a reservation made on this seat". Once, it was the other way round and I ended up spending an entire Manchester-London journey sitting outside the f--king toilet having to squeeze myself into a ball every time some muppet wanted to walk past (usually a kid running up and down). Virgin Trains? A joke.

The last time it happened to me, I'd booked from Dundee-Carlisle and someone got on at Edinburgh claiming I was in their seat. You can guess that I didn't move...

But they also have a habit of cancelling reservations as well. A couple of years back, my grandparents (in their 80s) travelled down to Macclesfield for a funeral, going via Manchester. On the way back, the train had four carriages missing (one Voyager set instead of two) and all reservations cancelled.

They only got seats when a couple of kind souls got up. From memory, I think they only got a half-refund.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by dundee_mark

The last time it happened to me, I'd booked from Dundee-Carlisle and someone got on at Edinburgh claiming I was in their seat. You can guess that I didn't move...

But they also have a habit of cancelling reservations as well. A couple of years back, my grandparents (in their 80s) travelled down to Macclesfield for a funeral, going via Manchester. On the way back, the train had four carriages missing (one Voyager set instead of two) and all reservations cancelled.

They only got seats when a couple of kind souls got up. From memory, I think they only got a half-refund.

The only good experience I've had of Virgin has been when a train was hopelessly overcrowded and they opened up first class so people could have seats. It's a bit daft on some trains; they have four packed normal carriages and six first class with about three people in each.

[Mark.]

They once gave me a free upgrade to First Class when the air conditioning wasn't working in the Standard Class carriage I was in!

[Mr. X]

We all once had free hot drinks all the way to London when the electricity, lights and heating weren't working in our carriage in December... !

[Mark.]

Anything you can do, I can do better...