A small footnote, which adds another destination. In about 1987/8, a ski tour operator started up at Exeter (jointly owned by the then Airport Director and a waste tycoon in Exeter) called InStyle Holidays.
It's only product was ski holidays within easy reach of Chambery. Chambery then had a very short runway, unable to take jets or even turboprops other than the Dash 7. So the USP was that you could go from Exeter to Chambery, and be on the slopes on the same day, using Brymon's Dash 7 chartered by InStyle Holidays, instead of having to go to Bristol or Gatwick (say) to get aboard an aircraft to Lyon, followed by a 6-8 hour coach ride.
The drawback was 150 minutes in the Dash 7, each way. So departure time was set as 9.00am, and passengers were invited to arrive in time for unlimited Bucks Fizz and scrambled eggs in the airport bar. Guests took up the offer very enthusiastically, and by the time they boarded they were anaesthetised against the discomfort of the Dash 7 and slept the trip away. The operation achieved cult status among the well-heeled Hoorays, and flights were full although very expensive. Unfortunately, the waste tycoon managed to wrest total control from his partner, and then, unwisely, offered the same product from LCY for a season, which was a financial disaster. But it was fun while it lasted, and Chambery can be added to the list.
PS: As I recall, BA City Flyer acquired at least a controlling shareholding in Brymon in the 80's, and Charles Stuart was seconded by BA to manage the company. He contributed greatly to the technical and operational work of opening passenger services to LCY, culminating in the CAA's approvals. He also did a lot of work on the proposal for a STOL parallel runway at LHR to the north of 09L/27R as the third runway; the hidebound nonsense from NATS against this always irritated him.
PPS: You could add Shoreham to the list; the daily Brymon Twotter early morning service from Exeter to Gatwick always came as a complete surprise to Approach at LGW, and the service was frequently told to hold on route. This hold often extended into 20 or 30 minutes, and the flight would ultimately divert, sometimes to LHR, but more often to Shoreham. Apart from fuel considerations, the lack of a toilet forced the issue, and not a few passengers of a certain age suffered greatly.
Last edited by old,not bold; 2nd Feb 2023 at 10:39.