Standard Plus was GNER’s answer to what airlines call Premium Economy. The GNER Standard Plus product basically offered first class service in a standard class seat. Standard Plus was initially introduced on the London - Leeds services, it was then extended to the services towards Newcastle but was relatively quickly withdrawn on this route and finally scrapped altogether. (more…)
Up until 2003 GNER offered a guest ale as part of their on board menu. The guest ale was always priced at £2.50 a bottle which was the most expensive beer on board at the time. The pricing was convenient as you (still) can buy buffet vouchers at GNER ticket offices which cost £7.50 for a £10 voucher and £4 for a £5 voucher effectively meaning you could buy 4 for the price of 3. It became an even better deal once I qualified for their loyalty scheme GNER Excel (later replaced by GNERtime) which gives you two drinks for the price of one - combined with a buffet voucher you could then effectively get 8 beers for the price of 3. However, the 2 for 1 deal was good enough on its own so most of the time I didn’t bother with buffet vouchers anymore. (more…)