Frustrated rail travellers 'turning to flights'

Travellers affected by ongoing rail disruption have been increasingly looking to domestic flights to get around the UK, it has been claimed.

VLM said that it has seen "an unexpected boost" in the number of people travelling on its flights between London City Airport and Manchester as a result of work on the west coast railway running for longer than expected.

The flights mean that flyers can get between the north and south of England in under half an hour - compared with rail services that, when running normally, can take about two and a half hours to complete a journey between London and Manchester.

"Network Rail's failure to complete engineering work has crippled rail services between London and Manchester, and we are pleased that we have attracted new customers who have been able to experience our fast and convenient service," commented Johan Vanneste, managing director of VLM.

Meanwhile, the rail disruption could stretch into next week as repair and engineering work continues beyond schedule, according to the Guardian.

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