Wasn't this all because Ryan Air sqeezed them so hard on their deal that NQY realised that they were not making any money so had to introduce this charge?
not sure. but as i was led to believe the charge was the reason that ryanair stopped their stansted - newquay service; leaving air southwest the monopoly.
at at least £70 return it's still cheaper to drive (just), depending on what you drive and how many boards you have on the roof...
what's the excess charge for taking surfboards with either airline?