Outrage as aged Eurostar passengers pressured to face for complete journey
A group of elderly travellers were forced to stand for an entire journey on a Eurostar train from Brussels to Paris.
One disgruntled woman reported her 81-year-old father and his friends had booked a trip – but it didn’t go quite as planned.
Karen Morris wrote that her father had booked a 9.43am Eurostar from Brussels, but was informed when the group was already on their way to the station that the train had been cancelled.
Fortunately, one of the travellers managed to book them onto the 12.43pm train – but this meant half a day would be cut from their two-night trip.
She wrote to The Times: ‘When they reached Brussels a Eurostar staff member told them to board the 11.43am train and use ‘jump seats’.’
These are usually folding seats on trains that are used for extra staff on board.
But once the group boarded the train, there were no seats available – meaning the group of pensioners, mainly in their 80s, had to stand for the duration of the journey.
Karen wrote: ‘The way they were treated was extremely disappointing but Eurostar’s online system stated they were ‘not eligible’ for compensation and we couldn’t work out why.’
During the Eurostar journey from Brussels to Paris, some elderly travellers had to stand
The Times Travel Doctor responded: ‘This was a miserable experience for your father and his friends, and I’m sure many readers will be horrified to hear there’s the slightest possibility they may have to stand if their Eurostar plans go awry.’
A statement from Eurostar said: ‘We are very sorry for the experience Mr Maldoy and the rest of their group had while travelling with us.
‘On this occasion, we fell short of the level of comfort and clarity we expect to deliver for our customers.
‘During a disruption, a limited number of customers may be allowed to stand on our services if they decide to.
‘During the interaction with the group, the passengers were incorrectly advised that tip-up seats would be available on the train, and we sincerely apologise for this.
‘As the booking was made through a third party, the customer was not able to process the compensation online.
‘Our customer care team is now in direct contact with the family to arrange compensation for both the delay and the lack of seating, in line with our policies.
‘We are also reviewing what happened with our teams in Brussels to ensure this does not happen again.’
A group of pensioners had planned a trip – but had a ‘miserable’ train journey (stock)
It’s not the first Eurostar mishap to be reported.
A frequent traveller recently revealed the mistake she often sees people make while using the Eurostar, which can cause long wait times – arriving far too early for your train.
Plus, there are limited food and drink options once you’ve passed through border control at the main London terminus for Eurostar at St Pancras.
It’s therefore suggested you buy drinks and snacks before you pass through border control to avoid the rush at the other end.
