How are flyers ‘quite lucky’?

I imagine that many of your readers will also have been surprised, given the unreliable service we have had from Aurigny in recent months. I was not at the presentation so can only comment on what is in your report.

Ms Congdon says that other airlines are motivated entirely by profit. This is a simplistic statement. Profits are earned by satisfying customers. Meanwhile Aurigny has a consistent record of making losses, at enormous cost to our public finances. In this respect Guernsey is not lucky to have Aurigny.

It is also stated that with Aurigny we have better connectivity than Jersey or the Isle of Man. On Tuesday 1 October there were 24 scheduled departures from both Jersey and Guernsey. Jersey flights went to 12 destinations compared with 11 from Guernsey. But included in the Jersey flights were four to Heathrow and of course none from here. Heathrow is the UK’s busiest airport with a global reach of destinations. And there is another important aspect to connectivity which Jersey has and we do not. Flying out of Jersey with either BA or easyJet you can book a through ticket to an onward destination. If that destination is outside the UK you avoid paying Airport Passenger Tax as a passenger in transit. There is also the comfort of knowing that if your first flight is delayed so that you miss your connection, the airline will look after you.

Ms Congdon says that the entry of easyJet in other islands has led to a slightly lower fare dynamic. That seems misleading to me. I have seen a schedule, produced by one of the trade bodies here, comparing costs flying out of here and Jersey. Most of the Guernsey flights were considerably more expensive, in some cases twice the comparable fare from Jersey.

In your final paragraph you state that questions were taken at the presentation, but only through moderation by an app. This looks like an attempt to avoid awkward questions.

The president of the States' Trading Supervisory Board has said that the review into Aurigny is being led by a former BA pilot and a former European airline finance director. What is needed is a thorough and objective review followed by an evidence- based report with firm recommendations, in other words something a lot more robust than the presentation made by Ms Congdon.

Chris Bradshaw

Old Barn

Rue Des Caches

St. Saviour’s

GY7 9TJ