train business enterprise has canned first class upgrade deals, accusing customers of “abusing” the £10 provide of more legroom – and greater importantly, endless complimentary food and drink.
Greater Anglia formerly allowed first class price ticket holders to have unlimited tea, coffee, water, fruit juice, biscuits and crisps. It has now discontinued the carrier, pronouncing it’s miles due to it “being abused” via passengers, making it “now not commercially viable”.
First class season ticket holders will nevertheless be allowed to have free food and drinks, however those with one-off tickets will now not.
Customers at some point of the week are still able to experience the perk once they display their tickets inside the buffet carriage.
While they did now not reveal how plenty the average passenger ate and drank, they say it turned into too highly-priced to carry on as weekend First Class tickets are so much less expensive on common.
Other rail corporations, which include Virgin, LNER, CrossCountry, Great Western and Grand Central still provide the complimentary snacks and liquids.
One passenger from Ipswich, Suffolk, who asked not be named stated: “It is a case of Greater Anglia looking to make even extra money out of us.
“The educate service is quite awful and the unfastened refreshments had been a small way of assisting to make up for it.
“I am not aware of the carrier having been abused. It is just penny pinching.”
Another teach consumer from Colchester, Essex, tweeted: “Great now not.. Is this simply what Greater Anglia thinks of clients like me that used the first Class service at weekends and complimentary refreshments !”
A Greater Anglia spokesperson said the carrier were restrained, in part due to first class travel being a whole lot cheaper at weekends if booked in advance.
The spokesperson delivered: “We have reviewed our first magnificence product offer and made some modifications.
“Unfortunately we located that the machine of imparting complimentary refreshments changed into being abused at weekends and it not turned into commercially possible.
“However, complimentary refreshments are nevertheless available to first class season tickets holders on the weekend and to all first elegance customers on weekdays.
“For non-season price tag holders, we’ve in part modified the provide. Complimentary refreshments are no longer to be had at weekends, however a much wider range of liquids and snacks are available to buy from the café bar on board.”
