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Flybe's new regional London City route takes off

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Woody

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http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co....-takes-plane/story-23609386-detail/story.html
Exeter Express and Echo said:
The first Flybe flights from Exeter to London have been hailed as a major boost to the region’s economy.

The airline launched its new regional routes from Exeter, Aberdeen, Belfast City, Edinburgh, Dublin and Inverness to London City Airport on Monday morning claiming “We are faster than road or rail whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure.”

The airline will offer up to three flights a day between Exeter to London with prices starting from £34.99 one way
 
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WatcherZero

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I loved the chairmans interview on the news, he said its outrageous that we are spending money on HSR when we have High Speed Air already and rail investment should be used to lower air taxes. When the interviewer asked if he felt he should have subsidy like trains he replied actually he was already receiving government subsidy for the services.
 

starrymarkb

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Competition would be good for FGW (and looking at FGWs current marketing blitz of Exeter they are a little concerned) - Certainly if you want West London or the West End then FGW are still the best bet. However if you want the City or Canary Wharf it'll be quicker to fly (especially given the 15min check in at City). And of course if you live outside Exeter the Airport is much easier to get to then St Davids Station.

Flybe are responding by offering a month of free flights to season ticket holders via a e-voucher given out when you email them a copy of your season ticket.

I wish Flybe well with it. They are the biggest private sector employer in the city and if they were to go under it would do a lot of damage to the city's economy.
 
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Searle

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starrymarkb:1954031 said:
Flybe are responding by offering a month of free flights to season ticket holders via a e-voucher given out when you email them a copy of your season ticket.

That is cheeky, I can't imagine first will be best pleased!

Anyone know if a Paddington - Ealing Broadway season will get me a free flight? ;)
 

Clip

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Ooh forgot about them doing this. Will look into it.
 

BestWestern

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I loved the chairmans interview on the news, he said its outrageous that we are spending money on HSR when we have High Speed Air already and rail investment should be used to lower air taxes. When the interviewer asked if he felt he should have subsidy like trains he replied actually he was already receiving government subsidy for the services.

Presumably he'll also use that investment to develop something which could actually rival high speed rail; so we'll see a 'turn up and go' service with aircraft leaving every 30 to 60 minutes, which can hold 500 people or more, and their luggage, and allows them to simply walk into the airport, buy a ticket and get straight onto a plane and go. He'll obviously do away with the endless security kerfuffle and the extended check in times which go with it. And the enormous overheads of the airline industry definitely won't be a problem over a network of mega short haul routes, with so little opportunity to sell additional products and when you have the railway's well established Advance fares to compete with, not to mention the advantage of the railway generally delivering its passengers into city centres and providing it's own 'transfers' to all manner of other destinations... Or maybe regional air will just never be a suitable alternative in the UK.
 
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Clip

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Im not sure what it is at Exeter but at City airport you're through in 15 mins or even less. Im normally at Paddington 45 mins before when I go west.
 

Busaholic

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Im not sure what it is at Exeter but at City airport you're through in 15 mins or even less. Im normally at Paddington 45 mins before when I go west.

Check-in for domestic flights closed 30 mins before.
 

Tetchytyke

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not to mention the advantage of the railway generally delivering its passengers into city centres and providing it's own 'transfers' to all manner of other destinations... Or maybe regional air will just never be a suitable alternative in the UK.

Train travel has its place and air travel has its place. Both have strengths and both have weaknesses.

If you're wanting to be in the city centre then train travel has a huge advantage over air. But most people don't live in the city centre so airports aren't such an inconvenience. In Newcastle, for instance, the airport is just as convenient for most of the city as the central railway station is. City Airport in London is far more convenient for Docklands than Paddington is.

You have to get to the airport an hour early, and you have to take your shoes off at security. Big inconvenience. But then you also really need to be aiming to be at the station 30 minutes before departure to make sure nothing goes wrong.

As for high speed travel, he is obviously self-interested but he has a point. SNCF are losing hundreds of millions on TGV, to the extent they're seriously considering abolishing the buffet car and heavily restricting refunds. If the French can't make high speed train travel work, where the TGV offers serious time savings, how are the British going to make it work when the justification for the premium is saving ten minutes on a trip to Birmingham. Our existing High Speed services are losing money hand over fist.
 

Busaholic

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FlyBe are also to be provided with £2.8 million of taxpayer's money over four years to reinstate the Newquay to Gatwick route they withdrew from only in March, up to which time it had been operated commercially. They will fly three times each way on weekdays, twice at weekends, on the basis of a 'public service obligation'. Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was quoted as saying it would bring over £3 to the local economy for every £1 spent.
Such a shame that the Newquay train service is so awful, and that Newquay Airport is a pig to get to by public transport. Still, the taxi owners will be loving it!
 

talltim

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http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/...r-St-David-s/story-23660980-detail/story.html
EXETER St Davids Rail Station was the setting for an incident that saw a marketing team from Flybe being spoken to by police after they showed up and started touting for passengers among the rail commuters.

Station staff called British Transport Police complaining that the marketing team had been handing out free coffee and promotion leaflets for the airline’s new Exeter to London flights.

But Flybe’s director of communications Andrew McConnell was bullish, and said: “Nothing’s going to stop Flybe from being faster, cheaper and more punctual than rail travel.”

The incident took place early on Thursday, October 23. It appears the marketing team was there to capitalise on the early morning commuter traffic and raise awareness of the aeronautical alternative.

But station staff said they caused an obstruction and did not have permission to be there.

Read more: http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/...tory-23660980-detail/story.html#ixzz3HS7EgFqV
Follow us: @NDJournal on Twitter | NDJournal on Facebook
 

Kite159

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Nothing’s going to stop Flybe from being faster, cheaper and more punctual than rail travel.

I wonder if he will be still saying that if another volcano erupts in Iceland causing air traffic to cease due to ash risk.
 

Tetchytyke

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You could say the same for the train the next time it's a bit damp in Somerset ;)

Have to laugh at FGW managers getting the BTP out about a PR campaign. I know why they did it, and they were probably right. But now not only does Flybe get free press coverage in every south west paper, they also get to make the train company look like buffoons.
 

Woody

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I wonder if he will be still saying that if another volcano erupts in Iceland causing air traffic to cease due to ash risk.

Or the next time when the far south wests awful rail links are disrupted by the weather again. Clearly both the Government and Flybe now realise the shortcomoings of the far South Wests Victorian rail infrastructure. Even when they are running the competing train service to Paddington has an appalling reliability record now particularly from places like Plymouth and Cornwall.
Think about it, why is it that far South West is now the only part of the FGW franchise area with not only one but two competing air links to London, from airports barely 100 miles apart? Newquay /Gatwick 3 a day and Exeter/London City 3 a day.
Simple answer the rail alternative is no longer up to it. Take this morning. FGWs 0553 Plymouth/Paddington due 0901 aimed at business travellers is now in direct competition with Flybes new London City flight departing Exeter at 0640 and arriving London City at 0800. The 0553 from Plymouth actually arrived into Paddington 47 minutes late (again) at 0948 almost 2 hours after the Flybe flight from Exeter, and sadly this is not an unusual occurance. Clearly then people are going to end up voting with their feet if nothing changes surely.
Too many people still live in a railway world of long sunny summer days on the Dawlish sea wall waving at trains. Ok for seasonal holiday makers maybe but no good for the wider year round sub regional economy. The reality is that the South Wests main railway line is outdated, slow and unfit for purpose. Running 20th century trains on 19th century infrastructure is not going to produce a 21st century railway in the far South West is it! That why the government has given into pressure from Cornwalls business community and agreed to subsidise air links to Newquay and why Flybe have chosen this particularlar time to start commercial flights from Exeter airport situated very close to the M5 crucially making it well connected to a vast swath of Devon and Cornwall via the A38/A30/A380 fast dual carriageway roads. Even Bodmin in Mid Cornwall is only an hours drive from the M5 at Exeter.
The transport world has changed big time in Devon and Cornwall from that of 50 years ago when the railways had a virtual monopoly. Only major Government infrastructure investment which the chancellor has promised for the South west in his Autumn statemement on December 4th can change that now.
 

HSTEd

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As for high speed travel, he is obviously self-interested but he has a point. SNCF are losing hundreds of millions on TGV, to the extent they're seriously considering abolishing the buffet car and heavily restricting refunds. If the French can't make high speed train travel work, where the TGV offers serious time savings, how are the British going to make it work when the justification for the premium is saving ten minutes on a trip to Birmingham. Our existing High Speed services are losing money hand over fist.

This is not the nineteenth century.
Buffet cars are dead - reducing travel times have seen to that.

TGV is losing huge sums of money simply because RFF is now charging ridiculous sums for track access so that it can break even.
This is part of the French political maneuvreing to prevent any open access services - they will run SNCF at a loss and use the high track access to gut any private operators.

Also ten minute travel savings?
I wasn't aware I could get to Birmingham for London in under an hour?

And our existing HSR services might be losing money - but so is Virgin.
Perhaps we should axe ICWC and replace them with more cost efficient Class 323s with 3+2 seating.
 

sprinterguy

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Flybe's Newquay to London route has been in the news for the wrong reasons this morning: A pilot was arrested prior to take off yesterday morning on suspicion of being over the drink-drive limit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-29822750
'Drunk' Flybe pilot arrested before flight
By Simon Hall
BBC South West Home Affairs Correspondent

Flybe confirmed one of its pilots had helped police with their inquiries
A Flybe pilot was removed from a plane and arrested on suspicion of being over the drink-drive limit just before he was due to fly.

The pilot was due to fly from Newquay Airport in Cornwall to London Gatwick on Wednesday morning before he was removed for a breath test.

A police source told the BBC that officers were alerted after a fellow crew member became concerned.

A police spokesman confirmed a 48-year-old man was arrested.

'The pilot was unwell'

The flight was then cancelled and passengers faced delays of almost five hours.

One passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "We all got on the plane and then there was an announcement. We were told the pilot was unwell."

A male passenger who was travelling to Mexico missed his connection from London Gatwick because of the delay.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: "A 48-year-old man from Crediton, Devon, was arrested on suspicion of being over the drink-drive limit.

"He was taken to Newquay Police Station and remains in custody."

In a statement Flybe said: "Flybe can confirm that one of its pilots volunteered to help the police with their inquiries at Newquay Airport.

"Flybe is not able to comment further while the police investigation is taking place."

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said: "For pilots the blood/alcohol limit is 20 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. For context, the UK drink drive limit is 80 miligrammes per 100 mililitres."
 
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Ash Bridge

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Flybe's Newquay to London route has been in the news for the wrong reasons this morning: A pilot was arrested prior to take off yesterday morning on suspicion of being over the drink-drive limit:

That sort of publicity will certainly erase some of the Flybe chairmans smug smile <D
 

starrymarkb

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Or the next time when the far south wests awful rail links are disrupted by the weather again. Clearly both the Government and Flybe now realise the shortcomoings of the far South Wests Victorian rail infrastructure. Even when they are running the competing train service to Paddington has an appalling reliability record now particularly from places like Plymouth and Cornwall.
Think about it, why is it that far South West is now the only part of the FGW franchise area with not only one but two competing air links to London, from airports barely 100 miles apart? Newquay /Gatwick 3 a day and Exeter/London City 3 a day.
Simple answer the rail alternative is no longer up to it. Take this morning. FGWs 0553 Plymouth/Paddington due 0901 aimed at business travellers is now in direct competition with Flybes new London City flight departing Exeter at 0640 and arriving London City at 0800. The 0553 from Plymouth actually arrived into Paddington 47 minutes late (again) at 0948 almost 2 hours after the Flybe flight from Exeter, and sadly this is not an unusual occurance. Clearly then people are going to end up voting with their feet if nothing changes surely.
Too many people still live in a railway world of long sunny summer days on the Dawlish sea wall waving at trains. Ok for seasonal holiday makers maybe but no good for the wider year round sub regional economy. The reality is that the South Wests main railway line is outdated, slow and unfit for purpose. Running 20th century trains on 19th century infrastructure is not going to produce a 21st century railway in the far South West is it! That why the government has given into pressure from Cornwalls business community and agreed to subsidise air links to Newquay and why Flybe have chosen this particularlar time to start commercial flights from Exeter airport situated very close to the M5 crucially making it well connected to a vast swath of Devon and Cornwall via the A38/A30/A380 fast dual carriageway roads. Even Bodmin in Mid Cornwall is only an hours drive from the M5 at Exeter.
The transport world has changed big time in Devon and Cornwall from that of 50 years ago when the railways had a virtual monopoly. Only major Government infrastructure investment which the chancellor has promised for the South west in his Autumn statemement on December 4th can change that now.

Have to agree. I wouldn't put the blame on FGW who generally do a good job but certainly the SW is lacking in rail investment. For all the money being spent on the GWML upgrade all SW of Bristol is going to get is a couple of IEPs working stoppers to Exeter per day and some "refurbished" HSTs (though how much will be done to them remains to be seen)

This hasn't gone unnoticed by the SW Media and Politicians/Councillors of all colours who are now campaigning for improvements. This lack of investment has also not gone unnoticed by Flybe, hence them trying flights from Exeter.
 

Busaholic

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So was he 'arrested prior to take-off' or 'volunteered to help police with their enquiries'? Even in this age of euphemism and disingenuousness these are different matters: the latter can of course lead to an arrest but you can't be arrested voluntarily! If you were in a 1950s British film you could of course agree 'it's a fair cop, Guv'.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Will FGW staff now be going to Newquay Airport to hand out appropriate leaflets? The urge must be overwhelming but probably best left undone.
 

starrymarkb

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They've been doing various stunts around the city this week. Including free flights when you email a copy of of your season ticket.

I imagine if FGW tried the same at Exeter Airport they'd be moved on just as quickly
 

VP185

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And then one of there pilots get arrested for being drunk at Newquay prior to a flight to London.

The FlyBe advert is also misleading when it comes to journey times as I'm sure they don't include check-in times.
 

starrymarkb

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And then one of there pilots get arrested for being drunk at Newquay prior to a flight to London.

The FlyBe advert is also misleading when it comes to journey times as I'm sure they don't include check-in times.

Check ins closes 30 mins prior to departure from Exeter to London and T-15 mins from London to Exeter :)

As I said in "Other Transport"

For all the money being spent on the GWML upgrade all SW of Bristol is going to get is a couple of IEPs working stoppers to Exeter per day and some "refurbished" HSTs (though how much will be done to them remains to be seen)

This hasn't gone unnoticed by the SW Media and Politicians/Councillors of all colours who are now campaigning for improvements. This lack of investment has also not gone unnoticed by Flybe, hence them trying flights from Exeter.
 

TheEdge

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It is regrettable that in a commercial free market, First Great Western felt it necessary to contact the police to try and protect themselves from Flybe’s offer of free coffee in a public space.

From Flybe surely that is a bit incorrect. Surely if they were at Exeter St Davids, either in the buildings or the pavement and car park outside it isn't public space, its owned by the railway?
 

21C101

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A bit odd that the newspaper article said that FGW had previously had a "monopoly" on the London service...cough SWT...cough

As I posted earlier on another thread:

"There is also a new Flybe service from Exeter Airport.

A round Trip Exeter 06.35 arr City 07:55 dep city 16:40 arr Exeter 17:55 costs £174.98. Journey Time 1h 20 each way.

In comparison FGW first train 05.46, arrives Paddington 08.38 2h52 mins. £236 standard class anytime return £373 first class anytime, return same day in the peak.
[there is also one at 06.52 arriving 09.00 2h 08]

SWT 05.10 Exeter -Waterloo arr 08.38 3h 36m £120 standard anytime return £199.20 first class anytime return same day in the peak."


If Flybe really want to wind certain people I could mention they could paint their planes green and cream and give them names like "Sir Herbert Walker" , "Oliver Bulleid" and Sir Brian Souter...... <D
 
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Rapidash

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According to intelligence received* the flights coming back are only half full/empty (delete depending on level of pessimism) So its not all going Flybe's way instantly. Shocking, I'm sure.


*I was sat next to a suit on the train, and they were talking loudly on their phone about how their business partner had been on a flight back earlier. And yes I am a nosey parker
 

Class377

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Of course, the fares Flybe quote are advance fares (and clearly need to be booked in advance). Why do they then compare those fares to the most expensive anytime rail fares? Perhaps if they compared with the bargain basement advance fares (£14 standard and £22 first) they'd realise it's not such a good deal.
 
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