Avanti West Coast (AWC) is part of the West Coast Partnership owned by First Trenitalia, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia. AWC provides the principal long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, Northwest England, North Wales and Scotland, connecting six of the largest cities in the UK: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
For years, the UK rail industry has struggled to offer meaningful rewards, with programmes like Nectar and Air Miles failing to engage travellers. The 2020 pandemic caused a major collapse in train travel, leaving the industry facing strikes, cancellations, and low customer satisfaction. This saw 28 competing train companies experience industry strikes, daily cancellations, bad press, and low Customer Satisfaction scores.
That’s when AWC recognised that train travel rewards needed a shake-up. Their own coalition scheme with Nectar simply didn’t give the ROI to justify it, or the all-important customer reward.
A fresh perspective was called for – so AWC asked travellers exactly what they wanted.
In-depth customer research discovered a need for instant, high-value rewards, access to cheaper fares, and free travel for loyal customers. It sounded obvious – but would this transform the customer relationship, drive more bookings and increase travel frequency?
Welcome, the Club Avanti Loyalty Programme...