Again and again, overcrowded ÖBB trains, which even had to be cleared with the help of the Austrian police, made the headlines. The private competitor Westbahn even gave a ride guarantee. Now they're doing it again and introducing "Westfixplatz", a free seat reservation for tickets bought up to three hours before the scheduled departure.

With most train companies, it is common for seat reservations to be paid for separately. This does not apply to so-called integrated reservation tickets, which are offered by ÖBB on the Nightjet connections, for example. In some countries, for example in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reservations are even compulsory for long-distance transport. This is one of the reasons why private providers such as Regiojet include the seat reservation, also known colloquially as “reservation”, in the ticket price.

Within Austria, included reservations - apart from Nightjet seat cars - have so far been the absolute exception. Westbahn now wants to change that, because according to the company, every online booking for the standard class is automatically included if it is made no later than three hours before the selected departure time. Of course, this measure is not purely without self-interest, because it offers operational advantages for the private railway company, since the utilization of the Stadler Kiss III railcars can be controlled more easily.

"With the Westfixplatz, we are now offering all travelers with a WESTbahn ticket what holders of the KlimaTicket Ö have had since the first day of validity: free seat reservation for every trip on the Westbahn," says Thomas Posch, Managing Director of Westbahn. "We are convinced that this will give us planning security - especially for those who do not travel by train every day."

The so-called "Westfixplatz" is automatically added to the ticket with every booking on www.westbahn.at. The prerequisite is that the booking is made online up to three hours before the selected departure time. All travelers with a "Meine Westbahn" account can also select a different seat or move the Westfix place to another train connection up to three hours before departure. If a ticket without a train connection is used at a different time on the day of validity, the free Westfixplatz will expire.

"Making rail transport more attractive as a form of mobility must be a concern for all of us," explains Florian Kazalek, co-managing director. "That's why we at Westbahn are always looking for innovative solutions that are tailored precisely to the needs of customers. The public holidays in May and June and the travel summer with the Westbahn can come - with the Westixplatz, everyone who travels with us between Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Munich is well prepared".