We recently returned from a visit to Innsbruck, Austria, travelling by train
from Glasgow. The journey there and back was comfortable and relaxing, a
most enjoyable way to travel, but on two of the long distance trains, the
seats did not line up with the windows: on Eurostar from London St.Pancras
to Paris for example, there was a large window pillar at our seat, so I was
unable to see out comfortably.
On the TGV, although we had a full window at our seat, the seat in front had
no view, except a large window pillar! We booked our tickets on the Internet
and there was nothing that gave any ability to choose individual seats, or
how seats related to windows. How can we ensure that we have a window seat
with a full view on any future long distance rail journey to Europe? Fred
Landery, Hamilton, Lanarkshire
Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: You are quite right;
the web-based booking systems for Eurostar and other trains, simply gives
you a choice of window or aisle, really meaning next to the aisle or next to
the outside of the train, bit not actually guaranteeing you of a window
view.
The solution is to make your next reservation over the phone. Make sure you
talk this through with the reservations agent, as if you just ask for a
window without explaining that you are looking for one with lined up with a
clear outside view, they might do the same as you would have done on the Net
and tick the "window" box when making the booking.
If you ask the Rail Europe (0844 848
4070) reservations staff nicely, for example, they will try and book this
for you.
It works on the Eurostar, French TGV, and Lyria trains into Switzerland.
It's done as a special request on a different booking system to the one you
can see on their website, so it might take a bit longer than normal to get
your confirmation.
If you want to find which seats have unobstructed views before you call a rail
ticket agent, there are detailed seat plans on the websites of Direct
Line City Breaks (0870 300 8 333), and Rail
Bookers (0844 482 1010), though oddly enough, not on the Eurostar
site, which unhelpfully shows a seat plan minus the seat numbers.
If you already have a Eurostar booking and find you aren't at a window, you
can ask to change your allocated seats at the staffed check-in kiosks on
departure, providing the train isn't full of course.
I absolutely agree with you Fred, I have travelled for leisure many times on the Eurostar and when I purchase a cheap ticket over the Internet invariably I get the "pillar" seat. I do also agree with the response from Richard green that the best way to avoid this is to telephone in or book direct at the station as the humans know where the pillars are and the computers may not (or perhaps they do and are programmed to give the pillar seats away to people lucky enough to book the 59GBP returns?)
Richard, London, UK