APPENDIX 12
Memorandum submitted by Joyce Glasser
I belong to an Architecture group called the
Twentieth Century Society. The Society was founded 25 years ago
to save valuable buildings from 1914 onwards. Our Chairman, Gavin
Stamp, was instrumental in saving what is now the Tate Modern
and introducing the (then derelict) site to Nicholas Serota. Our
case work is supported by funds raised through events, architectural
tours, local, national and international. They are volunteer led.
One such event begins in Warrington Bank Quay
on 15 October and the joining letters suggested those going from
London take the 7:06 train from London Euston and return on the
18:10. The coach at Warrington would be timed to meet and drop
us off for those train times. This event (which covers a wide
area around Runcorn) costs £25.00 for the whole day: guide,
coach hire, notes.
On 25 September I phoned travel information
and was told that the best fare to Warrington at those hours on
that day was Virgin's super saver, buying two separate tickets,
each for £12.50—subject to availability. I figured
that phoning nearly three weeks before the departure, and a departure
very early on a Saturday morning for a destination that was hardly
a big tourist attraction, I would get the £25 round trip
fare (2 X £12.50). That way, my day out would cost £50
plus lunch.
I phoned Virgin immediately after learning the
fares to book. I waited 15 minutes (on an 0870 number, so that
Virgin made money from the call, and I paid money) and was finally
greeted by a someone who immediately told me that the £25
(2 X 12.50) fare for 15 October was all taken. I expressed astonishment.
I was told the tickets went on sale six weeks before the 15 October
and all available tickets at that fare were taken.
I wrote to Virgin to ask them how many £12.50
(£25.00) return tickets they had issued for that day and
that train. I was told that information was confidential.
Here is Virgin's Reply
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding ticket
availability.
All tickets have a certain quota and are therefore
not always available.
The website will always allow you to book the
most cost-effective ticket for your journey subject to availability.
The Virgin Value tickets are usually released
four to six weeks before departure date. However we cannot tell
the exact number of these tickets which were released as it is
up to the discretion of the Train Operating Companies.
If you have any more questions please get in
touch.
The ticket price I was offered was £55.00,
the next "cheapest" fare after the £25.00 return
tickets which were allegedly sold out. But £55.00 is over
twice the price of the super saver. The train would cost more
than the cost of the tour—in fact, it would cost double.
My astonishment grew.
Since Virgin have a monopoly, there was little
I could do and I cancelled my place on the fund raising event
in Runcorn explaining that Virgin had priced me out of the market
for travelling economy class.
A couple of months ago, I also tried to go to
Manchester for a conference. The conference organiser, a law firm,
waived the entry fee of £400 to enable me to travel free
because of my volunteer work on the topic, age discrimination.
However, Mr Branson's greed defeated me. If I wanted to arrive
before 1:00PM, which I did as the conference started at 9.30,
I would have to pay £187 return, even if I booked two weeks
in advance in economy class. I phoned the Rail Regulator to complain.
A staff member said I could always drive or fly. Very environmentally
aware! Actually, I don't have a car so I couldn't drive, and I
flying to Manchester is absurd, it's too close to be worth all
the time and expense getting to the airport and back. No bus would
get me there in time. Virgin has a monopoly of this journey so
it's what the market will bear, ripping off the companies that
pay, including the BBC with offices in Manchester. £187.00
return to Manchester is an obscene price.
Virgin Airlines should be investigated for their
so-called super savour offers and for their obscene pricing. £187.00
to Manchester by train, economy class, when one can fly for that
amount to NYC, preludes all full fare paying people the opportunuity
to travel by train to Englands second largest city.
| 
