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Varsity Express will make its commercial debut as a new, full service regional airline operator on 1 March 2010, offering weekday flights between London Oxford and Edinburgh Airports. The new flights will be operated by 18-seat British Aerospace Jetstream 31 aircraft. Timetable (Monday to Friday) LNQ601 Depart Oxford 08:00 Arrive Edinburgh 09:30 Varsity Express is a new name in UK aviation. Its management pledges to deliver fast, affordable air travel and “an end to the frustration of crowded, congested airports, baggage charges and endless additional fees that the big airlines charge.†The company is being run by an experienced management team, and backed by a private consortium of investors in the UK and Spain whose interests centre around property development and the entertainment industry. The airline is well funded with sufficient reserves to launch what will be the first of a number of planned domestic routes over the coming year. Commercial Director Will Gilligan comments: “We have been looking to start a regular shuttle service on this sought after route for some time. Oxford is the third most visited English city by international visitors (10 million per annum) and Edinburgh is the second most popular destination, after London, in the UK.†“We have watched with interest the developments and investment at Oxford Airport and believe it is a perfect, untapped market with plenty of potential, offering splendid facilities designed for private jet clients, enabling us to offer our passengers quick check-in times. We anticipate carrying 6,500 passengers in our first year in a mix of 55% business, 45% travelling on leisure. â€
Comments:
2 Comments posted on "Varsity Express launches Oxford Airport to Edinburgh flights"
hidden europe on January 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm #
Well we are just a tad sceptical. We cannot see a lot of folk rushing to ride a J31 from Oxford to Edinburgh. And we feel the airline gives a seriously bad impression by letting its PR agency, Emerald Media in Canterbury, suggest that the cheapest unrestricted train fare on the direct rail route from Oxford to Edinburgh is over 300 pounds return. The truth is that the cheapest unrestricted fare is 111 pounds return. Decent regional airlines grow and survive by providing first rate customer service. Varsity Express does not even provide a contact telephone number on its website. For us, it recalls the Alpha One debacle of 2005, when Martin Halstead suggested he would start scheduled flights from Oxford airport. He never did.
Jon Soars on January 25th, 2010 at 10:55 am #
Congratulations Varsity, we wish you well. We’ve long known that OXF-EDI was one of the best untapped routes in the UK. But our analysis shows a 75-seat prop, operating on a double daily service would serve the routes catchment much more effectively. I hope the ACMI deal allows for alternate aircraft as the J31 really isn’t right for this route. Good luck! Post a comment
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