CONSUMERS who faced travel melt-down over the festive season, from pricier trains to cancelled planes, are being urged to hit back by bagging cheaper deals and claiming compensation.

Rail fares across Britain were raised by up to 11% last week, despite some of the network being at a standstill, but there are plenty of loopholes to cut the cost of travel. You can also beat the train firms by claiming compensation for any delays in addition to a refund if your journey is cancelled – passenger groups say only half of consumers claim the compensation to which they are entitled..

Meanwhile, travellers hit by cancelled flights before Christmas have been warned that airlines are trying to wriggle out of paying compensation because of “fuzzy” EU rules.

The latest round of above-inflation increases in rail fares will see season tickets go up by an average 4.8%, while cheap day returns, advance purchases and long-distance open tickets are up by an average of 5.4%, according to train operators.

However, some fares have gone up by much more than this, according to rail watchdog Passenger Focus. An annual season ticket from Gillingham in Kent to London, for example, has gone up from £2,496 to £2,740 – a 9.78% increase. The same from Canterbury to London has risen from £3,132 to £3,480 – an 11.11% increase.

Here we offer some tips on working the system to get the cheapest deals.

Book in advance

The best way to cut the cost of your journey is to buy in advance as operators offer discounts which are usually bigger the earlier you book. Money-savingexpert.com, a consumer website, suggests the best deals are available to those booking at least 12 weeks ahead, although cheaper tickets may be available up to 6pm the night before.

A standard single journey from London to Leeds can cost £99.50 if you book on the day, but as little as £21.50 if you book two months in advance.

If you travel the same route often, it may be cheaper to buy a season ticket. Work this out on National Rail’s calculator (http://ojp2.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/ sts). Enter your route and the length of season ticket you want and it will tell you how much it costs.

Singles can be cheaper

Never assume that a return is cheaper than two singles; there is little logic in the way train fares are worked out.

A midweek Manchester to London train, coming back next day, would cost £230 on a standard return. The outbound journey on an advance standard single can cost £61, while returning on a value advance single at £26 would put the overall cost at £87 – a £143 saving.

Split ticketing

Intercity routes tend to be expensive, but if you take the same train and buy single tickets to each of the cities en route, you can make huge savings.

A standard open return from London to Penzance costs £257, for example. However, if you bought four single tickets starting on the same train travelling from London to Bristol, then to Penzance, and you took the same journey back, the fare could be as little as £45.50 – a saving of £211.50.

To see if you can save by split ticketing, get the price for the standard journey and find out where the train stops. This information is available on the timetables section of nationalrail.co.uk.

After this, check ticket prices for the different combinations. If there are multiple stops, there are more options to chose from. Though it is time-consum-ing, the savings can make it worthwhile. Always check as prices can vary depending on how early you book.

Railcards

If you are aged between 16-25 or over 60 and a frequent train user, you can also save with a railcard. They went up last week from £20 to £24, but offer up to a third off your travel for a year.

Travel for as little as £1

Check for promotional offers listed on the National Rail website. You can find fares as low as £1.

On some Virgin and South West Trains routes, for example, including Manchester to Edinburgh and London to Southampton, it is possible to get special Megatrain fares for £1 if you book early enough.

Get the bus

National Express coaches are a good alternative. There are more than 1,000 routes and you can make 30% savings by booking seven days in advance.

A standard return from London to Exeter, for example, will cost you £37.50, but the Apex fare is just £27.50 – compared with £58 if you booked the train seven days in advance.

You can also buy cheap “fun fare” tickets that cost £1 each way if you book early enough.

CAN I GET COMPENSATION?

IF your journey is delayed by circumstances within the control of the train company or Network Rail and you arrive over an hour late, you are entitled to travel vouchers worth 20% of the journey’s cost. If the train is cancelled, you are entitled to this compensation on top of a refund.

Some train operators offer better compensation.

Virgin Trains pay 25% compensation for delays of more than an hour or 45 minutes on the London-Birmingham/ Wolverhampton line. Customers delayed on National Express East Coast services could get at least half the cost of a single ticket.