OK Virgin you can delight - but can I afford the experience?

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have a soft spot for Chiltern and that I can be critical of Virgin. The cause in both cases is my perception of the 'value for money' of each company's offering.

However, yesterday, I can genuinely report on being delighted by Virgin's service to and from London, though, as ever, there is a sting in the tail...

Let's start with the price of the fares. Thanks to Virgin's First Class sale in November, I was able to book the two journeys for £17 each way, using the 11.10 out of Birmingham New Street and the 20.23 return from London Euston.

Moving onto the running... both trains departed and arrived on time, and, of course, the journey time was only 84 minutes out and 82 minutes back.

Now onto ambience / facilities / staff... There is no doubt that travelling First Class on Virgin is SO much better than the Standard Class offering of the company. At New Street - such a depressing station - one can escape to the First Class Lounge before joining the train, whilst at Euston, the equivalent lounge is spacious and comfortable. On board, you can actually see out of the windows in First Class; there are power points, tables, and free WiFi for every passenger, and, of course, complimentary refreshments served to the seat.
Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a bacon roll on the journey down. On the way back, the sandwich choice was Beef and Horseradish or White Stilton and Chutney... The staff were attentive and friendly.

Even better, two of my regular bugbears with Virgin didn't occur. First, there was not the unnecessary litany of ticket restrictions on departure from New Street. Secondly, there was actually a ticket check on board upon departure from New Street, and a barrier check (!) before departure from Euston.

So Virgin definitely added to the pleasure of my trip yesterday - where's the sting? Well, naturally, it comes in the cost of travelling in such comfort on a walk-up basis... If I had not booked ahead, I would have had to pay £87.50 each way (and that's knowing to split the fare at Birmingham International!) - four times what the standard off-peak return would cost me on a walk-up basis.

Quite honestly Virgin, that is too huge a premium for First Class delights (especially when Chiltern offer much of the above in their Standard Class fares)...