 Poster: A snowHead
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Aargh, we are off to Les Arcs next weekend, was supposed to be 2 adults and 18 year old son. He now thinks (after assuring us it was fine) that he can't get the week off work. 20 year old other son can now get the week off uni so he can definitely come, but ticket is in his brother's name.
I've only ever done the direct train before, am pretty sure that in London you just scan your own ticket & it's not compared to your passport, but I have a feeling that in Bourg it was checked....
Also we have seperate SNCF tickets with names on too, what do you think about us risking it and trying to get through on his brother's ticket??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Agree with you that:
- in London ticket check and passport check are at different points (although not impossible that the passport system is somehow linked to the ticketing/barrier system)
- in France they take both together, so the chance of a discrepancy being spotted is quite high.
Can you ask them to change the name on the ticket?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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vickitav, you are doing Eurostar to Paris, then SNCF down to Bourg - yes?
Then from our experience you should be fine.
I regularly shared a ticket with my wife: one would drive out with kids, the other trained out a week later. The original driver would then train back. Never had a problem. They never looked at the name on the ticket.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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They won't change the name on the ticket, their terms are quite explicit. They also say if you've made a small spelling mistake don't worry about it, not sure a totally different first name is quite covered by that though....
Ecureuil I remember them checking both ticket and passport together in Bourg for the direct train, however since we are taking the indirect we will be getting on the SNCF in Bourg, and Eurostar in Paris. If SNCF don't check names (they are print yourself ticket that do have names on) and the check-in process in Paris is the same as London (scan your own ticket at the gate, passport check separately without ticket) then I think we're good.
Jonpim that's encouraging, has anyone taken the indirect this year in case anything has changed?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If it's a PDF print yourself - can you edit the name...?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That did occur to me I must admit, but it won't match up to any system if it's entered manually rather than checked at the barriers. Might work for SNCF I suppose....
If caught out I think it would have quite serious ramifications though...
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It's the same surname so if challenged you could say the system wrong booked under your son's middle name or something like that. I doubt you'd have a problem.
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How similar do the brothers look...? Could you just carry the other passport?!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Paris Gare du Nord has similar check in to London, in that you scan your ticket at the barrier and then passport control is later on.
So the issue is whether the name on the ticket is checked against ID on the SNCF train; some ticket inspectors might be particularly officious and check each ticket vs ID - others might just scan the barcode and move on. You might even get through the whole journey to Paris without anyone checking the ticket.#
Have you checked how much buying a ticket just for the Bourg-Paris train would be? If it's about 40 euros or so, might be worth just getting that for piece of mind?
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| vickitav wrote: |
| ... Ecureuil I remember them checking both ticket and passport together in Bourg for the direct train, however since we are taking the [b]indirect]/b] we will be getting on the SNCF in Bourg, and Eurostar in Paris. ... |
Ahhh.... I knew you had made a spelling mistake in the title, but it wasn't clear if you meant "Direct" or "Indirect".
Still not clear to me if it will be okay. If they don't somehow tie-up tickets and passports, it would mean that all Eursotar tickets are essentially transferrable on the second-hand market.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Oh sorry I see the spelling mistake now! Very confusing.
Sadly they look nothing like each other, one is blond & the other dark so that's a no go!!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Oh and a return to Paris is £200, return to Bourg over £300 now the route we are travelling. Since it actually seems more likely that the SNCF inspector asks to see ID than anyone at Eurostar cross-checking it's pointless anyway. I think we will have to take a chance and play dumb if it comes up...
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I took SNCF long-distance trains 80+ times in the past 2 years, never saw a ticket inspector check ID. *Maybe* they do if the ticket is for a passenger of the wrong gender, but that's not the case here so I really wouldn't worry...
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You know it makes sense.
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just take the other sons passport as well?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
I think we will have to take a chance and play dumb if it
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That's what I'd do. Much less angst-producing than forging a PDF! If the surname's the same you have a good chance even if they do check. My daughter in law took my son's passport by mistake on a school art trip to Paris, soon after starting a new job. She discovered on the coach from school but was too horrified to say anything. She got away with it - the passport was examined several times and she looks nothing like her husband, but nobody noticed! It was a few years ago - I expect passport officials are more careful these days.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks balso that makes me feel a lot better, it's probably 20 years since I was on a TGV, there wasn't exactly an option print at home / scan the barcode back then!
Play dumb (shouldn't be too hard) and hope for the best then. I always keep hold of the tickets for everyone so son won't even know or look guilty. I might take a photocopy of other son's passport too, in case that helps at all.
Youngest will probably be allowed the week off after all now...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@vickitav, we were on that route this year ( 4 weeks ago) No names checked against tickets anywhere n the sncf systems. Barrier at Gare du Lyon does tell you your seat (v.posh), but no name: just on board confirmed that the tickets matched the seat you were in.
I honestly don' think it will be a problem. (and as above, having the same surname is bound to help).
Come to think of it, Mine just had Mr, initial , Roll . have you printed you tickets yet?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well what happened?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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You'll find if you're returning via Gare de Nord that the barriers at border force control have cameras that check against passport photos.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Would be good to know whether it all went off OK.
FWIW I lived in France for 27 years, and used to get TGVs quite often (certainly for a 4-5 year stretch when I was living in Bordeaux, and coming up to Paris once a month or more). INo one ever checked my ID to see if my ticket name matched if it was a full price ticket. They would check my "carte 12-25" when I had one, but I reckon they were just checking that I had said reduction card and wasn't scamming a cheaper ticket. Certainly my twin brother borrowed my card on one occasion and got away with it (i.e. ticket was in his name, but card in mine, and no one said anything).
There was also one occasion when I was doing Paris-Bourg with 6-7 friends, all of us with the 12-25 card (it pretty much pays for itself on a single return to the mountains). One of the friends had forgotten hers, and was all ready to fess up to the conductor, but when the conductor saw that we all had the cards, he promptly said that he only needed to see 3 or 4 of them 
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