[190/365] first class

[cosmolinguist]

There shouldn't be first class on trains but if there's going to be, using it to give free upgrades to disabled people including wheelchair users is a good use of it.

That's what's just happened to us (I'm an assistant supporting my disabled employer on a day trip to London today); a member of train staff told us she didn't think we'd have a lot of space in standard class. Which is probably true, this first off-peak train of the evening is in my experience horribly full of horrible grumpy people who've been waiting a long time for a train; they certainly all stampeded us on the platform when I was struggling to get our tickets ready.

It means we get free food and drinks, including alcohol, on the journey. We stocked up: crisps, chocolate, cheese and crackers, Pepsi for him and red wine for me. (We got the drinks first, so after the food L asked me if I enjoyed the combination of gendered honorifics I'd gotten. There's a lot of madam-ing and sir-ing in this kind of hospitality. And yes I loved how inconsistently they were being applied to me.)

When the member of staff who'd given us our drinks came back through the carriage and asked us "any further drinks?", I asked for some water. She looked at me, tilted her head, and didn't say anything for so long that I thought she hadn't heard me.

"Won't you have some more wine?" she said. I grinned and said that I might as well. (She did then give me a bottle of water too.) "Another Pepsi?" she said to L, and when he said yes please she gave him two.

After she left, L and I smiled at each other and he said "It's nice being the token poor people."

Comments

[silveradept]

That's a nice upgrade. If only there were more of those things in every class of train ride instead of just the first class ones.

[mummimamma]

There's free alcohol on first class? I have to rethink all my train-in-UK plans now.

[cosmolinguist]

There is in these London-Manchester Virgin Trains. Rail is all privatized here so I don't know if other companies/services would be the same.

[mummimamma]

I'm going from Manchester to Aberystwyth in a couple of weeks, so I may have to check it out. After all I probably need to keep the alcohol flowing after my flight there and my free in-flight drinks.
(Or possibly not)

[cosmolinguist]

Oh cool, if you have a chance and would like to meet for a coffee or something when you're in Manchester, let me know?

[mummimamma]

Sure! that would be great.
I'll be arrive in Manchester on my way out on Saturday 27th, and taking the train on Sunday at some time, and then I'll be back in Manchester around August 16, 17, 18 (flight is at 1730 on the 18)

[worlds_of_smoke]

bwahaha.

[cosmolinguist]

We'd just eaten before we got on the train because we weren't expecting this, but we still took all the free food anyway. :)

[miss_s_b]

I am glad you had staff treating you well :)

[cosmolinguist]

Makes a nice change, doesn't it. ;)

[miss_s_b]

Does indeed :)

[momentsmusicaux]

I've had that happen as well in the past when I've travelled with a wheelchair user. Usually because there were only two wheelchair spaces on the whole train, so if the 2nd class one was already taken, you got bumped up to 1st.

Are there gender-neutral honorifics?

[cosmolinguist]

I've seen repeated conversations on social media trying to find English (or other European languages) options for gender-neutral honorifics but no one seems to have come up with any that I know of.

[lilysea]

Are there gender-neutral honorifics?

Yeah, the only ones I can think of are

Your honour

Your grace

Your majesty

Your highness

Your Imperial majesty

and the like...