BA back to Newquay
#151
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Ah, the King Harry Ferry. Never thought I'd see that on FT! Ended up doing 7 journeys on it in 4 days last week. On a £ per mile basis, it makes the £4 single fare from Leicester Square to Covent Garden on the underground look like a bargain.
Last edited by Raffles; Sep 25, 2007 at 7:42 am Reason: Can't spell fare!
#152
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: London. Edinburgh, Cornwall
Programs: BA GGL, British Midland Lifetime* Loser
Posts: 7,947
Well they've got to pay for the new boat somehow
Anyone who has tried the excruciating alternative road journey through Tregony will never resent the KHF fee again...
Anyone who has tried the excruciating alternative road journey through Tregony will never resent the KHF fee again...
#153
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
Anyone who has tried the excruciating alternative road journey through Tregony, at twilight, in an unfamiliar hire car, when you don't usually drive, after an 8 hour journey, after two very, very late nights...
Anyway, I thought the expensive fees were only for the emmets like us...
I did, however, enjoy the "Let the Chain Take the Strain" slogan
Anyway, I thought the expensive fees were only for the emmets like us...
I did, however, enjoy the "Let the Chain Take the Strain" slogan
#154
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: London. Edinburgh, Cornwall
Programs: BA GGL, British Midland Lifetime* Loser
Posts: 7,947
Very good
Yes, I have book of local-concession tickets sitting in the house. If only I would ever remember to put the bloody thing in the car before setting out...
Yes, I have book of local-concession tickets sitting in the house. If only I would ever remember to put the bloody thing in the car before setting out...
#155
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,127
Just got back from a week in Devon and Cornwall, albeit by train not plane. If taking the train, there is a Hertz at Truro station which is fantastic for picking up a car. We wanted to see a bit of Devon as well, though, so got a train to Exeter, picked up a car in Exeter (Hertz is a £7 taxi ride away, nothing at the station) then dropped the car back at Truro.
Newquay airport is certainly convenient, though. St Ives (Tate), Eden Project and Padstow (Rick Stein's restaurants) all within easy striking distance. I was also impressed by how much the road network has improved since I was last down that way 6-7 years ago.
For Exeter, the train is a bit of no-brainer as its only 2.5 hours. Coming back, though, the journey from Truro was 5 hours and 6 minutes! Impressively, instead of the promised change-over of buffet crew at Plymouth, what actually happened was that the old crew got off and, erm, no-one got on. Hence no catering for the next 4 hours.
The refurbished HST's on First Great Western are not bad in F - brand new seats, rather than a recovering of the old ones. Coming back we got an older set but these seem to be being refurbed pretty quickly. If there are no cheap F tickets when you book, the £10 Weekend First upgrade - assuming seats available - is an exceptional deal if you're coming up from Cornwall.
Newquay airport is certainly convenient, though. St Ives (Tate), Eden Project and Padstow (Rick Stein's restaurants) all within easy striking distance. I was also impressed by how much the road network has improved since I was last down that way 6-7 years ago.
For Exeter, the train is a bit of no-brainer as its only 2.5 hours. Coming back, though, the journey from Truro was 5 hours and 6 minutes! Impressively, instead of the promised change-over of buffet crew at Plymouth, what actually happened was that the old crew got off and, erm, no-one got on. Hence no catering for the next 4 hours.
The refurbished HST's on First Great Western are not bad in F - brand new seats, rather than a recovering of the old ones. Coming back we got an older set but these seem to be being refurbed pretty quickly. If there are no cheap F tickets when you book, the £10 Weekend First upgrade - assuming seats available - is an exceptional deal if you're coming up from Cornwall.
I hated these see post #101 for full details, but very uncomfortable for sleeping (especially as I kept sliding off the seat as we left the stations), the soft padded headrest has gone, they were too hard and I think there's more recline in a WT seat.
Those seats on a long journey would drive me to use a plane.
#156
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
I had understood that the refurbished HSTs were only for use on the M4 corridor services (PAD-BRI/CDF), not for the long-haul services? Maybe this is yet another backtrack from FGW after the unmitigated (and expensive) distaster that was the Adelantes.
#157
#159
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK*G, Lots of Blue Elsewhere
Posts: 13,611
#160
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Hard to believe, but LH has just announced flights from DUS to Newquay, starting in June 2008. Apparently Germans, mad on Rosmund Pilcher novels, form the largest overseas tourist group in Cornwall.
#161
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Europe
Programs: Mucci, BAEC Gold, Aegean Gold
Posts: 2,115
Little wonder, although I wonder if they visit Torquay more since John Cleese moved to Santa Barbara??
#162
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Quite close to NQY
Programs: BAEC Silver,clubcard,clubcard plus, BA Amex................ And Mucci x3 ;)
Posts: 9,488
#163
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,924
BA is not back to NQY this time.
But WOW is starting NQY-PLH-LCY flights, twice daily (exc Sat), starting 20 April, with heaps of £29 all-in fares.
http://www.airsouthwest.com/news/shownews.php?ne_id=225
But WOW is starting NQY-PLH-LCY flights, twice daily (exc Sat), starting 20 April, with heaps of £29 all-in fares.
http://www.airsouthwest.com/news/shownews.php?ne_id=225
#164
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: BA GGL, VS Gold, BD Gold, Flying Blue Platinum, IC RA, Hilton Diamond, Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 2,629
BA is not back to NQY this time.
But WOW is starting NQY-PLH-LCY flights, twice daily (exc Sat), starting 20 April, with heaps of £29 all-in fares.
http://www.airsouthwest.com/news/shownews.php?ne_id=225
But WOW is starting NQY-PLH-LCY flights, twice daily (exc Sat), starting 20 April, with heaps of £29 all-in fares.
http://www.airsouthwest.com/news/shownews.php?ne_id=225
#165
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: London. Edinburgh, Cornwall
Programs: BA GGL, British Midland Lifetime* Loser
Posts: 7,947
Indeed fantastic news, and a route I'll be delighted to support. It will also save me hours of roundtrip travelling as LGW is a pain to access from where I live.
It is also a logical response to the explicit predatory activities of FlyMayBe who have introduced 'competition' on LGW-NQY by offering the same four rotations at exactly the same times of day as WOW but at loss-leading headline prices. A bus company would be prevented from doing this to a rival because it might harm a social service but with airlines it is apparently acceptable. Anyway, I hope LCY succeeds where other similar domestic services have failed.
http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews....l/article.html
It is also a logical response to the explicit predatory activities of FlyMayBe who have introduced 'competition' on LGW-NQY by offering the same four rotations at exactly the same times of day as WOW but at loss-leading headline prices. A bus company would be prevented from doing this to a rival because it might harm a social service but with airlines it is apparently acceptable. Anyway, I hope LCY succeeds where other similar domestic services have failed.
http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews....l/article.html