SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

It didn't take long. BMI removed LBA's only link to the capital in there summer schedules. So Flybe have stepped up to the plate and will recommence the Gatwick link at the end of June from £25 single. http://www.flybe.com/news/0904/3128.htm The question is though unless you have a connection from Gatwick is it worth flying there anyway.Its about an hour in the air with all the security and check-in procedures beforehand plus getting to/from the airports (Gatwick is hardly central London which is about 45 minutes on Public Transport). Isn't Leeds to Kings Cross faster (factoring in the time taken to and from the airports) and more environmentally friendly. You could probably add cheaper given Flybe's penchant for charging more than their rivals for taxes etc. I suspect the from £25 is more like from £50 when the "hidden" extras are accounted for.

Depends when you fly. I had to go to London on the train at short notice for work. £350 return! Slightly quicker and less hassle than the plane.

That's probably why BMI pulled out: National Rail's cheapest advance ticket is something like £28 (haven't looked for a while but that's what it usually is), and even for me, it's a minimum of an hour at the airport, 45 minutes in the air, at least half an hour to get out and 35 minutes into Victoria against a 40 minute bus ride, two and a half hours on the train and 20 minutes trying to work out which tube lines are running at Kings Cross St Pancras.Other flights would be more useful: Edinburgh would have been good a few years ago if it wasn't £260 return, and I've flown to Southampton to visit relatives in Bournemouth, which for the total cost (about £140) was better than train or driving in terms of time spent.

I couldn't agree more. A wholly unnecessary service when the train goes city centre to city centre in just over 2 hours.Still, at least it means London isn't cut off from civilisation any more...