Originally Posted by
Asturias56
" BHD, EXT, NQY, Wick, JER, IOM, CGI don't have viable train competition"
Exeter certainly does - 2hrs 15 to Paddington............. and quite a lot of trains a day
All well and good if you can find a suitably timed train at a reasonable fare. I regularly commute from Paddington and the prices are extortionate especially in the summer and around bank holiday or festival times. Monopolies are not good and unless you want to spend 3-4hrs on a coach with the risk of traffic holdups the train now is a monopoly. Having flights provide options.
Besides you are focussing only on the Exeter to London route. Getting from the Southwest to Manchester is a balls ache and with those flights 3-4 daily with Flybe this is a route I think needs to be reintroduced urgently. The flights often had healthy loads.