Originally Posted by
davidjohnson6
Perhaps tell friend that London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly takes less than 2h10 by train and goes every 20 minutes. Then ask friend whether he/she (and other people) would really pay for flights instead
That's all very interesting if you live in the Euston Road and are going to see someone in Piccadilly Gardens. Most pax between these two metropolitan areas are doing neither. If you live in Sussex it would probably take you longer to reach Euston station entrance than it would to get to Gatwick and fly to Manchester, certainly if you are beyond walking distance from a station and need to use your car to start the trip, and the same is true of much of London. Just like BA do services to some destinations from both Heathrow and Gatwick, there are separate catchment areas for the different airports/departure points around London, and for business travellers doing a day return trip, getting to Euston etc can be a gross inconvenience and time-waster.