S1E said:
Taxpayer subsidies to BA while there's a perfectly good train available? Not a chance.
That's just the point, Newquay is at the end of a very slow branch line (linespeed 40-50 mph max IIRC). It takes an hour just to get to Par (where the branch joins the mainline) and then another hour on top of that to get to Plymouth. In winter I think there are about 4 or 5 services up and down the branch per day, only some of which might be any good for connection to a mainline service. In Summer it's a bit better, with some direct HSTs from London, and some points north, but they still have to creep up and down that single-track branch.
To be honest, Newquay might as well be on an island as far as usefulness for rail connections is concerned.
What would work, for me, is something similar to the current Flybe op, with an a/c based at NQY, that does early and late runs to London, and maybe a Manchester (or Amsterdam/Paris?) runs during the day.
An opportunity for Skybus perhaps, especially with PSO funds to launch it, and I don't mean with a Twotter!