[Sea Filly]

Originally Posted by BenShermin

Have IÉ totally gotten rid of their "yield management" €10 single fares on the Dublin to Cork route as a result of this promotion? I've tried booking a few dates in mid-May and only the €19.99 fares are available.

If so that's me finished as an IÉ customer on that route, hello Aircoach/Go Bus.

Yup, me too, plus don't have to be booking a month in advance for the bus!

[AlekSmart]

Originally Posted by Hilly Bill

Are you on commission Foggy?

I doubt it Hilly Bill,but like poor oul Albert Einstein,he has a lot of time on his hands....

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by Losty Dublin

Fair point though all fares on all services are now cheaper than their listed price rather than on the first come first served basis that would sell out fairly quickly. Overall, this is a good deal for the majority of passengers.

Fares to intermediate stations are also set at the maximum even though before they were a lot cheaper so this is actually making it more expensive for most passengers rather than less!

Sale me arse! At least there are enough bus alternatives to put this sham of a company out of business!

[xtradel]

Would be nice to be able to check prices and book a seat.....looked up Galway-Limerick return for the 1st May and no prices available.

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by xtradel

Would be nice to be able to check prices and book a seat.....looked up Galway-Limerick return for the 1st May and no prices available.

It is not a proper intercity service so you can't buy online or book seats on the railcars.

[xtradel]

Originally Posted by foggy_lad

It is not a proper intercity service so you can't buy online or book seats on the railcars.

I know this is probably a really thick question....but why??? I know you cant reserve a seat on the commuters but why cant i buy a ticket online? All i want to do is take a spin down to limerick on the cheap but there's no way i'd risk going in to ceannt to get stung by some crazy fare!

Maybe its because of the roaring success of the wrc they dont need normal folk going on daytrips

[Cokeistan]

The Aircoach for Cork - Dublin is about to get a hell of a lot more business me thinks

[schemingbohemia]

Originally Posted by foggy_lad

Fares to intermediate stations are also set at the maximum even though before they were a lot cheaper so this is actually making it more expensive for most passengers rather than less!

Sale me arse! At least there are enough bus alternatives to put this sham of a company out of business!

Sure why bother reading the T&C in the OP foggylad?

Where the regular single fare from intermediate stations on these routes to/ from Dublin is normally greater than the online promotional fares listed, the promotional fare will be applied.
Where the regular single fare from intermediate stations on these routes to/ from Dublin is normally less than the online promotional fares listed, the lower regular fare will be applied.

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by xtradel

I know this is probably a really thick question....but why??? I know you cant reserve a seat on the commuters but why cant i buy a ticket online? All i want to do is take a spin down to limerick on the cheap but there's no way i'd risk going in to ceannt to get stung by some crazy fare!

Maybe its because of the roaring success of the wrc they dont need normal folk going on daytrips

Booking office fares are very often cheaper than online fares even when there is a web fare sale on! There are no credit card charges using the booking office. As for why, you should ask Barry kenny. Only intercity journeys can be booked or bought online, it may be a fraud prevention measure?

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by schemingbohemia

Sure why bother reading the T&C in the OP foggylad?

Where the regular single fare from intermediate stations on these routes to/ from Dublin is normally greater than the online promotional fares listed, the promotional fare will be applied.
Where the regular single fare from intermediate stations on these routes to/ from Dublin is normally less than the online promotional fares listed, the lower regular fare will be applied.

Carlow to Dublin booked in advance open online return costs €20 PLUS €3 fees and charges

Carlow to Dublin booking office walk up fare costs €20.50

These are repeated across the network

It's not rocket science

[foggy_lad]

http://irnirishrailwaynews.yuku.com/...e#.T5lGt9nHm2Y

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...#ixzz1t3E7hAri

Irish Rail defends unannounced new fares structure

By Dan Buckley

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The days of €20 return train fares between Cork and Dublin are gone.

Irish Rail has almost doubled its cheapest inter-city online fares and has also increased its standard charges, bringing the return fare from Dublin to Cork or Tralee to just two cent shy of €86, if transaction and credit card fees of up to €6 are included.

However, a greater number of fares for less than half that price will be available to book within three days of travel. Until now, passengers hoping to avail of €20 return fares had to book three weeks in advance and the number of cheap fares available was extremely limited.

The unannounced changes — which came into effect this week — will see a far greater number of cut-price fares available to book online. Online fares from Cork and Tralee will be €19.99 each way regardless of travel time, if booked online up to three days in advance of travelling.

A spokesman for Irish Rail yesterday defended the new fares structure, saying it would benefit more train travellers and offer better value overall.

"This will give far more people the chance of making use of cheaper fares," said Andrew Roche, the company’s business development manager. "Up to now, there were only a few selected times that cheaper fares applied to and that did not suit everyone. From now on, discounted online fares will apply to all travel times once they are booked up to three days in advance. That means that far more people will benefit."

One odd aspect of the new fare structure, however, is that some relatively short inter-city journeys will cost far more than others that take longer. Passengers on the Tralee-Cork-Dublin line will, for instance, pay relatively more than those on the Galway to Dublin or Waterford to Dublin lines.

The online fare from Waterford to Dublin-Heuston is now €9.99 each way, a journey that can take up to three-and-a-half hours. At the same time, the fare from Charleville to Dublin, which takes as little as two hours and two minutes, now costs more than double that figure, at €19.99 each way.

Similarly, fares from Limerick or Galway to Dublin, at €14.99, are far better value — mile for mile — than the fare from Thurles.

While the Galway journey takes almost three hours and at least two hours 15 minutes, the journey from Thurles is one hour less than that at 74 minutes, yet the fare is the same.

Passengers should also be aware they may be "fined" on board trains if they get on a train earlier than the one they have booked, even if the same fare applies.

One angry passenger complained to the Irish Examiner that, having booked an online fare of €19.99 from Dublin to Cork for a 3pm train journey last week, she had to pay a surcharge after getting on the 2pm train instead. "I managed to get to the station early, so I got on the earlier train, which was not full.

"The online fare for the 2pm train was exactly the same, yet I had to pay an extra €18 which I think is grossly unfair. In fact, it could have been worse as I was told by the inspector that I could have been ‘fined’ €100 for getting on the early train."

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...#ixzz1t9ROFmCb

[mickydoomsux]

Only our marketing department could manage to make the newspapers for running a "promo" that somehow makes ticket prices higher.

Not a brain between them.

I actually had to email them recently because they had printed some blurb about the recent student return promo on the last set of bank-holiday timetables. The original date for the end of the promo was the Friday before the bank holiday weekend so they had to change it.

This is what we're up against.

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by mickydoomsux

Only our marketing department could manage to make the newspapers for running a "promo" that somehow makes ticket prices higher.

Not a brain between them.

I actually had to email them recently because they had printed some blurb about the recent student return promo on the last set of bank-holiday timetables. The original date for the end of the promo was the Friday before the bank holiday weekend so they had to change it.

This is what we're up against.

I understand what they are doing or trying to do but they should really stop while at least some passengers remain loyal!!

Nobody actually benefits from this as they have removed all the cheaper seats from all routes and set a pricing structure which people will just not pay when the bus is so much more frequent and far cheaper!

They have greatly increased all their online prices yet call it a sale while to encourage online sales thay make the booking office fares several euros cheaper!

The Railway Children could have done a better job with a jotter, pencil and abacus.

[bk]

It is interesting that the price of intermediary like Charleville now cost more then longer distance intercity routes.

It seems that IR are trying to reduce the price of routes where they face competition from the new direct bus services, while pumping up the prices where they face no competition. Lovely!

Having said that it isn't a bad idea, if they can bring the normal price down to €43 and the speed down to at least 2 hours 30 minutes and even better 2 hours, then that would be reasonable and they might actually be able to compete with the new direct bus services.

BTW this pricing system was recommended by the consultants in the recent report into intercity travel. So it seems they are trialing it now. I assume in response to the extra competition.

However I think they need to be far more flexible on people changing their booking or taking earlier or later trains, only charging the price difference.

The bus companies are much more flexible about this IME, they seem to have no problem changing a booking to another day or time, and if you turn up early or late the drivers don't mind as long as there is space.

Also IR really need to drop the stupid booking fees. The bus companies don't require any booking fees for online booking.

Also IR need to drop the fee for carrying a bike, that is really a very nice advantage of the bus companies.

Isn't competition great

[lxflyer]

It probably has far more to do with the recent appointment of a new Commercial Manager, who is from outside the company.