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Varsity Express to add Oxford-Newcastle route

Published: 10/02/2010 - Filed under: News »

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Varsity Express is to commence a daily weekday route from London Oxford airport to Newcastle this April, with the service also continuing on to Edinburgh.

The start-up airline is due to commence operations on March 1, with a direct daily weekday service between London Oxford and Edinburgh using18-seater BAE Jetstream 31 aircraft (see online news January 20).

It will then follow this with a Newcastle route starting on April 5. The service will depart Newcastle at 1045, landing in Oxford at 1200, before returning at 1430 and arriving back in Newcastle at 1545. The new service will also continue to Edinburgh, with the full timetable shown below.

Varsity Express says introductory fares start from £49 one-way, for “a business class style service”, with complimentary tea, coffee and water, plus “a small snack”. Further onboard refreshments will also be available for purchase.

For more information visit flyvarsity.com.

Report by Mark Caswell

New Timetable effective 5 April

LNQ601  Depart Oxford        0800    Arrive Edinburgh      0930
LNQ610  Depart Edinburgh    1000    Arrive Newcastle     1030
LNQ610  Depart Newcastle    1045    Arrive Oxford          1200
LNQ611  Depart Oxford         1430    Arrive Newcastle     1545
LNQ611  Depart Newcastle    1600    Arrive Edinburgh      1630
LNQ602  Depart Edinburgh     1730   Arrive Oxford          1900

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COMMENTS » 

KingofEngland - 10/02/2010 13:13

Please desist, stop, halt, arrêt, halten, arrestare... give it a rest!

Just because I call myself the King of England doesn’t mean you have to call me majesty. So please set yourself free from this devilish pact with Oxford airport. The one thing Oxford airport most certainly is not is connected to London.

If for no other reason please stop because you make the usually very sensible, authoritative and informative name of BT seem daft with every use.

BusinessTraveller - 10/02/2010 13:22

Thanks for your comment TeamSE11. I appreciate what you are saying, but the fact is that rightly or wrongly the airport was officially renamed London Oxford Airport last year.

If you decide to change your screen handle to KingofEngland I'll happily refer to you as such in future, your majesty.

KingofEngland - 10/02/2010 13:31

Be it so!

flyingforce - 10/02/2010 13:46

Don't shoot the messenger - your majesty - it's a genius at London Oxford Airport Marketing dept who needs either a pay rise or a slap on the wrist. Think of all those people who will be confused about where to fly to for their meeting in London... imagine all those business trvaellers from London Newcastle Airport, London Edinburgh Airport and London Birmingham International Airport who will never reach their meeting in London because they are wondering around the streets of Oxford. I don't think this is going to cause too much confusion for the frequent traveller...

CaptainHarry - 17/02/2010 18:24

London Oxford Airport!? A demented marketing individual thought that one for what is an airport that is far from anywhere. How long to get to London? 70 minutes - give or take. Its a daydream for someone with head in the clouds and his brain left behind. He made a mess of Alpha1 and now has the cheek to come back to do it all over again. Even now he is lying on his website in stating/implying a 'fleet' of J31s. He's got one and he does not own the AOC. His figures are fanciful and it will end in tears.

EdinburghMan - 25/02/2010 19:37

I am still trying to head my head round how Varsity will offer "a business class style service" on a small Jetstream 31. But good luck to them. And there seems nothing remotely like business class when you have to pay for an orange juice or a beer.

I see that the lad who has set up Varsity has already increased the one way fare Oxford to Newcastle from 129 pounds to 139.50. And the availability of cheaper fares on the flights reveals what a sham Martin Halstead's advertising is. Yes, there is a 49 pound one way fare, but on the Oxford to Newcastle flight that is very limited. The Copenhagen-based agency who are handling the bookings for Varsity confirm that it is just the very first seat sold on each Oxford to Newcastle flightthat goes for 49 pounds. After that, every single seat is full fare.

And, just to correct Captain Harry above, Varsity Express does not even have a single J31. They have leased one from LinksAir, put a couple of Varsity stickers on it, and now Martin Halstead pretends it is his. It is not. This is a repeat of the stunt he played a while back with Alpha One when he rented a J-31 from Woodgate Aviation (I think), had it parked at Southampton Airport for an afternoon and pretended it was his.

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