Discounted Air Fares from Caithness and north-west Sutherland (and Orkney)

[richardj]

The BBC has reported that the discount for air fares for residents of Caithness and north west Sutherland is now 50% - until 2019

Sounds good ...

Now why not do the same discount for rail travel (or do they?)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35207472

[Kevin Milkins]

Despite being part of the discount scheme for eight years I have never found a flight South that looks affordable or value for money.

[kinloch]

Easyjet plus Bristol. hotels still got change from what eastern airways want to Cardiff after 50 % off fares .

[janeyj]

Am I right in thinking that only flights within Scotland are eligible for the discount? Even then, as Kevin points out, the fares are a wee bit high. For anyone who can plan ahead and book weeks in advance it used to be cheaper. So all very well in that situation but no good if you want to book a holiday on impulse or need to visit a sick relative at short notice. Perhaps the scheme is of more help to islanders than those of us on the mainland? For either its still a lot of money to fork out for people living in a 'low wage' area. I don't like to sound negative though. So I'll say......something is better than nothing.

[Anji]

I'm lucky in that I can usually book a couple of months in advance. A return trip to Edinburgh usually costs me just over £100. I know driving down would be cheaper, but I'd rather save the time, and avoid the stress, by paying for the flights.

[Kenn]

I've used the scheme to fly north to Shetland, by ferry hopping, leaving the car at Kirkwall and them jumping a flight to Sumburgh worked out cheaper including the car hire than using 2 ferries or the Aberdeen route.
Was looking at Benbecula from Inverness earlier.

[gerry4]

I've used the scheme to fly north to Shetland, by ferry hopping, leaving the car at Kirkwall and them jumping a flight to Sumburgh worked out cheaper including the car hire than using 2 ferries or the Aberdeen route.
Was looking at Benbecula from Inverness earlier.

Can we use it from Inverness to Benbecula. Thought we could only use it from Wick Airport?

[bekisman]

Mrs Beks and I are flying from Wick (John O Groats Airport, tiz called) down to Edinburgh with ADS and onward to Venice next month - saved a lot of driving (and only a short drive home from Wick as is free parking..)

[pat]

You can use it from Inverness to Benbecula - same Air Discount Scheme.

[burstbucker]

The flights from Wick are unreliable, if you are connecting to another flight they will do nothing to help you, its safer to drive.

[garycs]

The airlines may do very little to help you if you miss a connection but if it's their fault the law is very much on your side. My flight back from Southampton to Wick via Edinburgh last July was delayed by four hours so I missed the connection. Flybe offered a hotel and meals in Edinburgh but I needed to get home so I hired a car from Europcar on a one way deal and dropped it at Wick, I then reclaimed the full cost of the car hire and fuel from Flybe who reimbursed me within a few days. Under EU rule 261/2004 you're entitled to quite considerable compensation in these circumstances and in theory I could have got more but was happy just not to be out of pocket.

[bekisman]

The flights from Wick are unreliable, if you are connecting to another flight they will do nothing to help you, its safer to drive.
You are right there, had a couple of instances like that, so am staying a couple of nights in Edinburgh (Zoo, Royal Yacht etc) just in case; make a holiday out of the lot..

[cazmanian_minx]

The airlines may do very little to help you if you miss a connection but if it's their fault the law is very much on your side. My flight back from Southampton to Wick via Edinburgh last July was delayed by four hours so I missed the connection. Flybe offered a hotel and meals in Edinburgh but I needed to get home so I hired a car from Europcar on a one way deal and dropped it at Wick, I then reclaimed the full cost of the car hire and fuel from Flybe who reimbursed me within a few days. Under EU rule 261/2004 you're entitled to quite considerable compensation in these circumstances and in theory I could have got more but was happy just not to be out of pocket.

I thought EU 261/2004 only comes into force if the delay is more than 3 hours and not caused by exceptional circumstances, like weather? I also thought that they only have a duty of care to get you to your end destination with that airline - Southampton to Wick is all with FlyBe, so they were duty-bound to get you back or reimburse you for extra costs incurred (they were brilliant when something similar happened to us Wick to Southampton, my husband was best man at an old shipmate's wedding, we missed the wedding rehearsal, but made it for the actual event!), but if your onward flight from Edinburgh had been with, say, EasyJet, they wouldn't have been liable for any costs incurred by missing that flight. Which sucks, quite frankly.

[2little2late]

Can't beat £22.98 return to Poland on 30th January.