Seat Guarantee Scheme

If the seat you have reserved is not available, where possible our staff will advise you where an alternative seat can be found. If an alternative seat cannot be found onboard our train, we will compensate you for the inconvenience under our Seat Guarantee Scheme as follows:

• If your ticket is one way, we will compensate you  100% of the value of your ticket
• If your ticket is a return, we will compensate you 50% of the value of your ticket
• The difference between the First Class fare paid and equivalent Standard Class fare if the only seat available is in Standard Class

How it works

If your reserved seat is not available and an alternative seat cannot be found anywhere on the train, the Train Guard will endorse your ticket and seat reservation coupon for you to make a claim. If for any reason your tickets have not been endorsed, please send the tickets to us supported by a relevant explanation where we will consider your claim.   

To make a claim please complete the claim form and send it along with your endorsed ticket and reservation coupon to the following address:

Delay Repay / Seat Guarantee
PO Box 850
Newcastle
NE99 1HZ

Compensation will normally be provided if an endorsed ticket and seat reservation coupon are provided along with the claim form. Claim forms must be submitted within 28 days from the date of travel.

Compensation will normally be paid in National Rail Travel Vouchers.

Exceptions

We do not normally accept claims for compensation or refunds if, before you buy your ticket, we have published a revised timetable or given details of an alternative route owing to engineering work.

We do not accept liability for any loss caused by delay to your journey, cancellation of any train, missed connection, or closure of the railway.

We will only pay compensation under one scheme in respect of the same journey.  If you wish to claim compensation under more than one scheme (for example if you were delayed by over 30 minutes and the seat you reserved wasn't available) then the scheme giving you the highest level of compensation will take precedence.

You can download the full East Coast Passenger's Charter here or collect from any staffed station at which East Coast trains stop.