There are two ways of looking at this letter, which appeared in this week’s local paper. On the one hand you could argue that flights from Masnton are over-priced. On the other hand, you could argue that they must be getting a lot of bookings to justify the prices they are charging. I guess we could settle it by looking at the comparable costs from Gatwick?
"I have always been a great supporter of Manston Airport and flew regularly with Eujet during its operating life. I understand this is a business and a profit has to be made in order to maintain and develop services, but I am very disappointed by the exorbitant cost of tickets for families during school hoidays. I tried to book tickets for flights only, to and from the Algarve, for my daughter and granddaughter for October half-term. The cost is £538. The previous week it was £318. On checking further the cost of a self-catering week, with flights worked out cheaper than the flight-only option.
I know this is a complaint that comes up regularly. However, this is a local airport that is predominantly reliant upon "local" people supporting and using it on a regular basis.
If families are to be penalized in this way then the operator is limiting customers options, particularly those people whose income cannot meet such inflated prices unless their children are removed from school. Personally, I would be prepared to pay more for my flights thoughout the year if a more level playing field could be offered during the school holidays. Surely as parents or grandparents we could all benefit from this to some degree."