In a surprise move Scot Airways has taken the decision to scrap its long-standing Southampton-Amsterdam service from next Monday (August 10). The niche carrier has been serving the route up to four times a day for the past nine years using a Dornier 328 turbo-prop.
Travellers needing to visit Amsterdam itself won't be unduly inconvenienced because they can opt for rival carrier Flybe.But those intending to use Scot Airways in order to connect with KLM's global network will now have to trek back to Heathrow.
Scot Airways had a ticketing agreement with Skyteam alliance member KLM. That allowed passengers to transfer onto the Dutch carrier's flights at Amsterdam and travel with a single ticket. By comparision, budget carrier Flybe does not interline at Amsterdam (ie offer connections) to and from other airlines.
Scot Airways was unavailable for comment. But in recent times it's understood to have faced intense price competition from Flybe.But all is not lost. Travellers based in the Southampton area can still access the outside world from their local airport by using Air France (a fellow Skyteam member) via Paris CDG.
For more information go to scotairways.co.uk.
Report by Alex McWhirter
