Originally Posted by Mr C Hinecap
We don't have that many flights going anywhere nice any more - and you have to have the wherewithall to get back without them anyway. Given how few flights there are and how old and broken the fleet is, would you really want to risk getting stranded and having to pay about 3x over the odd for that short notice one way ticket to get home? Just pay and let your travel insurance take the strain.
That's about the top and bottom of it. Anything with 'Royal Air Force' painted on the side is a dangerous proposition if you want to get a) there, and b) there on time. Exercise traffic is always ripe for the chop wherever it's going, while even regular flights to Akrotiri can be hijacked by ops at short notice. Theoretically you can still indulge, but it depends on your willingness to travel Hit&Miss Airways for the bargain price of £20, with a reasonable likelihood your travel plans outbound, inbound, or both, will probably not go to plan.