I'm going down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to compare the fares I'm seeing on the Renfe website vs fares I'm seeing on other sites like TrainLine and RailEurope.
For example... when I search on the Renfe website for tickets between Barcelona and Malaga, it gives a price of $115 for comfort seats. However, when I search for the same trip at the same time on RailEurope the price is $450.
Am I missing something here?
We caught 15 trains in Spain this year. We use the Trainline to compare train providers. Renfe will only show you Renfe trains. The Trainline will also show you Iryo and Ouigo, and you can also look at buses. I have never used Raileurope.
Only Iryo and Renfe seem to have direct trains with no changes, and Iryo is almost half the price of Renfe when I selected a random date in June. However, from Barcelona to Malaga it might work out cheapest to go via Madrid. So get a fast train to Madrid then change to another fast train to Malaga.
Renfe offers big discounts for advance bookings; Iryo pricing seems to be about the same no matter when you book.
Both use the same stations and tracks.
a price of $115 for comfort seats. However, when I search for the same trip at the same time on RailEurope the price is $450.
Don't know what, but something's not right there. Those sites do charge a markup, but just a few dollars. Certainly not $300.
Thanks for the replies. I'll try it again. Very possible that I'm doing something wrong.
So I checked the Iryo pricing... and it was aligned with what I saw on the Iryo website. Seems like it's just the Renfe pricing that is off. Basically showing up as double the price on TrainLine... at least for this particular date July 15th.
I checked it again for a single passenger... Barcelona to Malaga. $235 Elige Confort on TrainLine. 122 Euros on Renfe. Probably just an oddball glitch. Especially considering that Iryo pricing on Trainline is closer to the 122 Euros price on Renfe.
For July 15 from Barcelona to Malaga, The Trainline website shows tickets from $86 to $187 in standard ( 2nd) class— No tickets are more than $187. Apparently Renfe uses the term “Confort” to refer to 1st class and “Elige” means you get a standard seat and “Confort”means you get to choose between a standard seat and a first class seat. I have no idea why Renfe would sell someone a first class ticket and give them anything other than a first-class seat.
I think Renfe is just using special language to justify its special prices on its special tickets they want to sell to special people.
Mark Smith, editor of “The Man in Seat 61,” tweeted his take on Renfe’s “Elige Confort” tickets writing “No other train booking system works like this.”
That says it all.
Apparently Renfe uses the term “Confort” to refer to 1st class and “Elige” means you get a standard seat and “Confort” means you get to choose between a standard seat and a first-class seat
This isn't correct. "Elige" is their mid-tier T&C fare, offering more flexibility than the "basic" 2nd class ticket, which has stricter terms and only 2nd class seats. Within Elige one can choose 2nd or 1st class seats, stripped of 1st class amenities, sold as 'Elige' or 'Elige Confort'.
I have no idea why Renfe would sell someone a first class ticket and give them anything other than a first-class seat
They don't. If you buy a First Class, or Preferente, ticket you get a 1st class seat, along with 1st class amenities (mainly lounge access and food&drink included). What they do offer is the option to buy a 1st class seat without getting a 1st Class ticket.
Sure, it's a unique structure, but it isn't particularly difficult. It offers RENFE the flexibility to sell capacity that wouldn't be booked as full-fare 1st class. And it allows them to strip 1st class service completely from trains that won't justify the expense, by offering the upgraded seats at a reasonable premium, without the services and amenities.
Thanks, Scudder, for the detailed explanation.
