report from the Plymouth Herald......
Thousands book tickets for new air service to London
Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 20:25
FIVE thousand people have booked on to Plymouth's new passenger air service to the heart of London, before the first plane has even flown, writes Emma Corlett.
Bosses at Air Southwest say they are "very optimistic" that its new direct Plymouth City – London City Airport service, starting on Monday, will be a success.
Competing against a three-hour train journey from Plymouth, the new route takes just 70 minutes. And with a 20-minute check-in time and the new Docklands Light Railways providing a 20-minute tube ride to the City, it means businesses and shoppers are now less than two hours away from the UK's most important financial centre.
The flights will also operate to and from Newquay, and are expected to prove popular with Londoners looking for a short break to Plymouth and the West Country.
Nigel Godefroy, chief executive of the Sutton Harbour Group, which owns the airline and Plymouth airport, said: "We regard it very much as a home-grown local airline with aspirations. It is becoming a national brand.
"We can witness this by the launch of our new route to London City, which for the first time, gives Plymouth a 70-minute connection to the heart of the capital. It's Plymouth's chance and it's so fundamental to the inherent prosperity of this region."
"We have already sold 5,000 seats and we've not flown yet, so we are very optimistic indeed that the route will go well. Including Gatwick flights, we have six flights a day into London from both Plymouth and Newquay."