"Annabel Smyth" wrote in message
...
Arthur Figgis wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 29 Sep 2004:

On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 13:30:19 +0100, Annabel Smyth
wrote:

Well, it's not free, as it's about the only reason to pay a huge premium
for travel in First Class! Me, I'd rather pack a sandwich and sit in
Economy.

The huge premium was about a tenner last time I travelled first. It
can be worth checking the foreign prices as well as the UK ones, and
if you are lucky special offers can make first similar to steerage.

Oh, I didn't know that - maybe I will check. But mostly we go on the
Shuttle, anyway.

You also get better seats (2+1) (and a newspaper). You don't get let
into the lounges unless you have the right sort of first class ticket,
which I think is a bit rude.

It is, rather. Still, I suppose the poor business travellers on
expenses feel they need to be sheltered from the oiks.
--
But the "right sort" of First - Premium First - is set at quite a premium
(rather appropriate given the name!) - when we went to Paris from Ashford
earlier this month we paid about £130 each in normal First Class, whilst the
cheapest in Premium First was a smidgin over £500! I suppose you could
compare it to airlines - with First being the equivilant of business class
(albeit rather cheaper than on an airline!).

I personally think the little bit extra for First is very worthwhile - you
don;t have to queue for your food and drink (and there appear to be no
limitations on how much you can drink), the seats and seat-pitch are larger
and more comfortable, and most appealling of all, you are very unlucky if
you have to put up with a screaming baby next to you for the whole journey.

Of course there are disadvantages as well - mostly for those joining at
Ashford, who tend to miss out on their free class of champagne and are lucky
if their starter arrives before everyone else has finished their dessert.

Robert