The opening of the ticket office this Wednesday at six o’clock for the end-of-year holiday period sparked strong reactions from users on social networks. Contacted by “Libération”, the railway company denies any increase in prices.
To get a seat on the train during the holiday season, you’ll obviously have to rely on Santa Claus. The start given this Wednesday, October 2 by the SNCF for the purchase of tickets for the holiday period – December 15, 2024 to January 8, 2025 – disappointed many Internet users who denounce overpriced tickets and complicated reservations.
TGVs stormed before 6 a.m.
Libé warned you. We had to fight to get a place when the ticket office opened this Wednesday. Taken by storm even before the traditional time for putting tickets online (6 a.m.), the websites and platforms did not allow everyone to obtain satisfaction. On X, a user moans: “Me who logs on at 5:55 a.m. on the SNCF website and sees my TGV at 109 euros with three places remaining even though the sale is supposed to start at 6 a.m.”.
David, 47, logged on at 5:50 a.m., expecting to arrive in time, and even early, to book. But he is stunned to discover that the tickets are already on sale and that there is no longer any availability in second class on the train he covets. Forced to take 1st class seats on the TGV, this father of three had to pay more than 360 euros for five people for a trip between Rennes and Lyon. “Last year we did the same and everything was online right on time, he regrets. Certainly the platforms had a bug but at least we knew what time to log on. The SNCF should put in place stricter rules.»
Communication error or reservation opening time problem? Contacted by Release the SNCF explains that no precise time has been officially communicated for the launch of ticketing this Wednesday morning. “It is generally posted online between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.explains the railway company, but some trips may be offered a little before or after 6 a.m.“. The company refutes the fact that TGVs were already inaccessible at dawn: “no trains were full until at least 7 a.m.», Says the company. No doubt there were more places left in first class than in second.
Exorbitant prices
The prices also appeared very high to Internet users. An analysis by Trainline, an online shopping platform, detailed that last year, at the same period and for the same sale, travelers who booked at the opening were able to make savings of up to 38%. This year, many are complaining about the amount of the bill and deploring the absence of good deals, even if they have a reduction card.
«Soon you will have to mortgage your house to go home for Christmas […].», «it should come as no surprise that we prefer the plane», «prices have doubled»: on the social network X, discontent is expressed. The majority of reactions mainly target ticket prices, rarely below one hundred euros for a TGV round trip from Paris. Some even have fun comparing them with the much lower prices of planes over the same distances and on the same dates.
SNCF denies a price increase
Contacted this Wednesday, the SNCF denies any increase in prices but mentions an increase of 2.6% linked to inflation on TGVs and Ouigos put in place from February 2024. “We have not introduced any particular increase for the Christmas period. The prices follow the same pricing as all year round. add the group.
As detailed by SNCF, prices vary depending on the “filling rate”. The more in demand the trains are, the more expensive the seats are. This “yield management” (or “dynamic pricing”), which airlines follow for example, causes prices to increase according to demand. “There are 15 tiers for ticket pricing. And they are only increasing», assures the railway company this Wednesday. At 6 a.m. this morning, the levels visibly exploded, and prices with it.
