Forget flight-shaming – travelling by plane beats the train, says airline chief
The boss of Britain's biggest regional airline criticised rail travel as a poor alternative to flying even on relatively short journeys within the UK.
Luke Farajallah, the chief executive of Loganair, said suggestions that people should be encouraged to take trains instead of planes were misguided, because rail travel was slow and relatively expensive even for trips between major cities.
Mr Farajallah spoke after Loganair announced a 35-minute flight from Manchester to Southampton that he predicted would prove a popular alternative to both rail and road.
It comes after the Government's official adviser on climate change said last month that 'restricting some domestic flights' might need to be considered as a potential 'lever' towards hitting net zero.
The Climate Change Committee indicated that restrictions could be introduced on the 31pc or more of such flights with a rail alternative of under five hours, while noting that domestic flying accounts for just 4pc of Britain's overall aviation emissions.
Mr Farajallah said: 'I fundamentally disagree with all of these arguments. People should be encouraged to fly these distances if they want to. There is a demand to fly and it's the most convenient and easiest way to travel.
'People also underestimate how expensive the railway actually is when you really add it all up, including travel to and from the train station.'
While Manchester and Southampton are only 181 miles apart as the crow flies, the National Rail website indicates that the fastest direct journey by train takes four hours 14 minutes – almost five times longer than it will take to go by plane.
The cheapest single ticket for a Manchester service arriving in Southampton before midday costs £55, £4 less than Loganair plans to charge when its flights start in October.
Driving the same route takes four hours seven minutes to cover 225 miles via the M6, M42, M40, A43 and M3, according to the RAC. Loganair already serves Southampton from Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Mr Farajallah said arguments against flying ignore the fact that taking the plane is often the only option for those wanting to travel out and back the same day and still get things done.
He said: 'People can go from the south coast to Manchester for a day's work comfortably and stress free.'
The chief executive said the market for the flights will include holidaymakers boarding cruise ships in Southampton, people doing business in the Northwest, and long-distance travellers flying out of Manchester with airlines including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
He said: 'I don't think many people want to spend several hours on a train before they get into an international airport to fly long-haul. I just don't think that's appealing in any sense.'
Loganair will also launch flights from Manchester to Exeter, a journey Mr Farajallah said otherwise requires 'a not very pleasant journey by car' or 'complex changes' by rail.
The Glasgow-based airline will station two new 70-seat ATR 72 turboprops in Southampton, with the city becoming its 10th aircraft base – alongside six locations in Scotland plus Newcastle, Londonderry and the Isle of Man.
Mr Farajallah said the new flights should be profitable despite Labour's planned rise in air passenger duty (APD).
The departure tax has double the impact on domestic flights, since it is levied on both outbound and return services.
He said: 'We are staunchly against any tax that prevents people from choosing aviation as an option.
'APD is one of those things you have to suck up, but we do so very reluctantly because we believe that we are an enabler of growth.'
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