London City ‘convenient, small and quick to use’
Small, convenient and as quick to use as Guernsey Airport was how one traveller described the experience of travelling to London City yesterday as Aurigny started operating flights on the route for the first time since 2017.
Joana Nascimento was one of the 35 passengers on board the 1.50pm flight yesterday with children Lana, 4 and Alex, 9.
Travelling to see family in London, she said she had used the route when it was operating previously but had not travelled with the children on the Gatwick route recently. ‘It’s not convenient for them because we’d have had to get two trains,’ she said.
But by travelling to City she and her children could catch a boat on the Thames, which was easier.
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‘London City is so convenient. It’s just like Guernsey Airport – it’s quicker to get your luggage and it’s smaller.
‘I’m definitely pleased to see it back. It means we’ll go and visit them a lot more – and they’re coming back with us. For them it’s closer and works out cheaper.’
Georgia Jackson said that with many trains not operating in the region yesterday, flying to City was going to be much quicker for her and her friends.
‘Half of our trains are cancelled,’ she said. ‘But with this route we can get home easier – and it’s cheaper.’
‘There’s always something with the trains,’ added Ross Brooks.
‘But you can get on the Tube from London City and go straight in.’
This was the first of the airline’s twice-daily flights to City and Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout said there had been an impressive ticket sales on the route recently and it gave people a third London option alongside Gatwick and Stansted.
‘As a key international finance centre, many businesses on our beautiful island work closely with their London counterparts, holding regular meetings in the city,’ he said.
‘It is also a great opportunity to jump straight onto the DLR and explore all of London’s brilliant attractions.’
There are another 30 leisure and business destinations across the UK and the rest of Europe accessible from London City.
SECURITY ISSUE SPLITS FAMILY ON STANSTED FLIGHT
An Aurigny plane arrived from Stansted Airport yesterday for the first time since it stopped its services there in 2019.
There were 50 passengers on the 1.10pm arrival.
There should have been 51 but an incident at security led to one man missing the flight, although his wife and children did make it.
‘We were coming through security when my daughter’s buggy got stopped,’ said Bianca Torode, who was celebrating her birthday yesterday.
Her husband, Russell, was taken into a side room and searched. By the time he was allowed to go, the flight had closed.
The family had been to Fuerteventura and initially had flown to Exeter from Guernsey then took the train to Stansted for the onward connection.
‘It was easier flying back,’ said Mrs Torode.
Fortunately, other passengers had no such problems and Beverly Robilliard said she was happy that the route was being operated again.
‘It’s so convenient,’ she said, arriving to enjoy a week’s holiday with her family – and plan her wedding in the island next year.
