Ouch! I didn't know Eurostar even did these? I thought it was reservation only.
It is reservation only. However, those flip-up seats can be reserved if need be! IIRC only the call centre, travel agents and ticket offices can sell them though. You can find some info on them in the Eurostar for Travel Agents page on "Overbooked Seats". (They call them tip-up seats)
Business Premier tickets are fully flexible, and you can switch them onto a full train with the boarding guarantee. That does include allowing you to switch onto a tip-up seat on a full service, then hopefully change it after checkin closes for a real one, assuming there's a spare seat following a no-show.
So, they're generally only used by people who know what they're doing, and know that they really really want to be on that particular train no matter what
Ouch! I didn't know Eurostar even did these? I thought it was reservation only.
Originally Posted by Gagravarr
IIRC only the call centre, travel agents and ticket offices can sell them though… So, they're generally only used by people who know what they're doing, and know that they really really want to be on that particular train no matter what
Yes, true. When purchasing a ticket at the last minute at the station just prior to departure I have occassionally been assigned a tip-up seat. In every case (and I assume this will not be true for everyone) I just let a staff member know and they find me a real seat shortly after departure.
Ouch! I didn't know Eurostar even did these? I thought it was reservation only.
Originally Posted by Gagravarr
It is reservation only. However, those flip-up seats can be reserved if need be! IIRC only the call centre, travel agents and ticket offices can sell them though.
Indeed. I happened to be in the St Pancras ticket office queue shortly before Christmas one or two years ago. I only had a minor enquiry, but it seemed most other people wanted to travel to Paris or Brussels within the next day or so - and the only thing on offer was the tip-up seats in the vestibule, for (I think) around Ł200 per person, one-way... At that price, I'd have looked instead at Stenaline's Rail&Sail option to the Netherlands (at least for Brussels)...
Given that Eurostar does not offer any way to cancel its non-flexible tickets (I think I tried once - not trying to get a refund, which I knew I wouldn't get, but just out of courtesy so they would know the seat wouldn't be occupied - but they weren't interested...), it seems likely that quite often there would be no-shows, and hence people assigned a tip-up seat could then get moved to a real one.