A standard open return between Sittingbourne and Luton Airport Parkway costs 
40-80.  A 5 day Network awaybreak (with Network card) costs 16-15, but of 
course is only valid for travel after 10:00 am on a weekday.

Is it valid to buy such a ticket in advance, go into London using other 
transport (eg commuter coach) and then catch the first Thameslink service to 
Luton after 10:00 am?  To do this I could clearly not have taken a train 
using that ticket from Sittingbourne, but equally I am not travelling using 
the ticket until after 10 am.

The savings on the ticket are so substantial it is worth using it for only 
part of the outward journey.

Any comments appreciated.

James

In article <dg4o11$t9e$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk>, James
 writes

>A standard open return between Sittingbourne and Luton Airport Parkway costs 
>40-80.  A 5 day Network awaybreak (with Network card) costs 16-15, but of 
>course is only valid for travel after 10:00 am on a weekday.
>
>Is it valid to buy such a ticket in advance, go into London using other 
>transport (eg commuter coach) and then catch the first Thameslink service to 
>Luton after 10:00 am?  To do this I could clearly not have taken a train 
>using that ticket from Sittingbourne, but equally I am not travelling using 
>the ticket until after 10 am.
>
>The savings on the ticket are so substantial it is worth using it for only 
>part of the outward journey.
>
>Any comments appreciated.
>
>James 
>
>

Have you costed this against just buying a London to Luton Airport
Parkway ticket and a single NSE discount single from London to
Sittingbourne, might depend on which day you are returning due to Mon-
Fri 10 minimum fare, or return to Sittingbourne also by coach.
Remember to add on the single coach fare to London in the first place.


-- 
Alan

"Alan Osborn"  wrote in message 
news:QF278WArheJDFw91@burwellmdw.demon.co.uk...

>> Have you costed this against just buying a London to Luton Airport
> Parkway ticket and a single NSE discount single from London to
> Sittingbourne, might depend on which day you are returning due to Mon-
> Fri 10 minimum fare, or return to Sittingbourne also by coach.
> Remember to add on the single coach fare to London in the first place.
>


Yes - I have investigated all the options, but for clarity I did not list 
them all in my post.  The network awaybreak is by far the cheapest even 
though I am not using it for all of the journey.  Other options involved 
greater cost, and involve the inconvenience of purchasing several tickets. 
The coach option is only feasible at normal commuting times - such as early 
morning.

James

James wrote:

> A standard open return between Sittingbourne and Luton Airport Parkway costs
> £40-80.  A 5 day Network awaybreak (with Network card) costs £16-15, but of
> course is only valid for travel after 10:00 am on a weekday.
>
> Is it valid to buy such a ticket in advance, go into London using other
> transport (eg commuter coach) and then catch the first Thameslink service to
> Luton after 10:00 am?  To do this I could clearly not have taken a train
> using that ticket from Sittingbourne, but equally I am not travelling using
> the ticket until after 10 am.


You are not allowed to break your journey on the outward part of a
Network AwayBreak ticket, so, as I understand it, you can't start your
journey other than at the starting station on the ticket. Obviously you
will have had to change trains on your journey so they'd not know that
you'd not arrived in London by train but an exact reading of the rules
would mean that you shouldn't be able to be on a train heading out of
London that you couldn't have connected with from the first 10am train
out of Sittingbourne. Realistically I doubt anyone would notice.

Dave.