Seat Picker

Want to know how to book train seats online? You’re in the right place. It’s easy to reserve a train seat online when you book your tickets through either our website or the Avanti app. If you’re booking an Advance ticket, available up to 12 weeks in advance of your travel date, you’ll be automatically given a seat reservation when you book online. With our other train tickets, you’ll be asked whether you want to reserve a seat.

Then you simply need to let us know whether you prefer a forward or backward facing seat, whether you require a plug socket and other preferences such as whether you’d like a window or aisle seat. Once you’ve entered your preferences, we’ll allocate you a seat that best matches what you’re looking for, and you’re ready to ride in comfort!

If you’ve booked a seat on one of our trains and need to change it for any reason, you might be wondering “can I change my train seat reservation?”. The answer is yes - it’s easy to change train seat reservations with Avanti. If you booked through the app, you can change your reservation in your account, or you can log into your account on the website (please see instructions above).

When you book in advance on the Avanti West Coast app, you can book a seat reservation for free. For Advance ticket booking, you’ll automatically be given a seat reservation - all you need to do is enter your preferences during the booking process, such as whether you want a window or aisle seat, need to sit at a table, or easy access to a toilet.
For other ticket types such as Anytime and Off-Peak you’ll be given the option of whether you want to make a reservation or not. Download our train seat booking app to choose your seat - with the added bonus of simply showing your ticket on the app to board the train with ease, rather than printing off physical tickets.

We know how important a comfy seat is for our customers. So our booking system will always reserve you a seat onboard Avanti West Coast trains when one’s available, meaning you can sit back, relax and enjoy your journey. If you’re buying a flexible ticket, you’ll be given a seat reservation on the train you’ve provisionally chosen, but you can still make full use of your ticket’s flexibility – the reservation just won’t carry across on multiple trains.

If you don't mind not being guaranteed a seat, you can buy a flexible Off-Peak or Anytime ticket at the station without a reservation, then use your ticket's flexibility to hop on your preferred train. Head to the following coaches to find unreserved Standard seats:

• Coach C on our Pendolino trains, along with coaches U and G on 11-car Pendolinos
• Coach C on Super Voyagers, along with coach J on 10-car trains
• Coach C on Evero trains, along with coach N on 10-car Everos

Here at Avanti West Coast, we offer free train travel for little ones under the age of five. That means you don’t need to book a ticket for them - but it also means that they won’t have a seat reservation. To ensure your child gets a seat on the train, it’s a good idea to arrive early.
Alternatively, you can buy a child ticket for the train to ensure they have a guaranteed seat. All children up to the age of 15 benefit from discounted tickets, so you’ll still be getting a great rate on your little one’s train travel, whilst also taking away the stress of looking for a seat when you board the train.

We make it as easy as possible to find your train seat on your Avanti West Coast journey, so you can quickly find your seat, before sitting back to enjoy the journey in comfort and style. Your ticket reservation will outline your carriage and seat number.

When you get to your train platform, just look out for the carriage numbers on the side of the train, and seat numbers are above the seats. If you want to find out exactly where you’re sitting in advance, you can take a look at our seating plans for both our Super Voyager and Pendolino trains.

When you book an Advance ticket for an Avanti train, seat reservations come as standard. Whether you book online, through the app, at a ticket office or over the phone, we’ll automatically book a seat for you free of charge. For Anytime and Off-Peak tickets, you’ll be given the option to reserve a ticket.
Sometimes we may not be able to reserve a seat for you, for example, for short journeys or for train journeys that are booked more than 12 weeks in advance. Your tickets are still valid without a reservation and you can sit in any free seat in First or Standard class, depending on your ticket type. You can check whether you already have a reservation by taking a look at your ticket, confirmation email, or by giving us a call.

It’s easy to make a train seat reservation with Avanti West Coast. You can make a train seat booking when you book your tickets, either on our app or on our website, including your preferences like whether you’d like to sit at a table, in a window or aisle seat, and whether you want to sit in a window or aisle seat.

It’s free to pick a seat when making your Avanti seat reservation. We all have our favourite seats on the train, whether that’s a table with a plug socket to allow you to get on with work, or a seat in the quiet coach so you can sit back and relax.

Picking a seat means you get to sit exactly where you want on the train - perfect if you’re going on a long journey. Our Seat Picker allows you to ensure you get your train seat preference for your journey. If you’re travelling in a group with friends and family, you’ll be able to select seats that allow you to sit together, or if you need easy access to a toilet, you can opt for a seat that’s located in the same carriage as one.
Alternatively, you might need a table and plug socket to allow you to send a few emails, or beside the window so you can spend the time watching the world go by. Whatever your seating preference, the Seat Picker ensures you get your ideal seat.