The other option (and I know it's not always possible) is to get organized and plan in advance. The fares are high for immediate travel. Go one month ahead and there are £50 one way seats available. Go two months ahead and they are half that price again and widely available. Last minute bargains don't exist on scheduled flights and particularly not LCC.
There's times when I fly EZY for £20 one way between BFS and mainland UK including LON airports. I agree Loganair jumped ship too hastily imao, and this seems to be the way they are going on in general, starting and finishing routes after a few months and not even starting them in some cases.