Varsity Express suspends Oxford to Edinburgh route
It seems that, just like his previous attempts, the founder (an interesting word:
when used as a verb it implies sinking without trace) of Varsity Express has done
it again:
"Varsity Express regrettably announce as of 3 o'clock today March 8th 2010 the
suspension of scheduled services on their Oxford to Edinburgh route.
The reason for this suspension is due to operational issues between Varsity Air
Services Ltd and the airline and AOC holder who have been contracted to operate
the Jetstream 31 type on our behalf and that was being used on the route. All
further ticket sales have been suspended until further notice. All passengers
affected by the suspension of service either have been or are currently being
informed of the situation.
The policy of Varsity Air Services Ltd has always been to protect the interests
of its passengers at all times and therefore the company from the onset of ticket
sales entered into a voluntary passenger revenue protection scheme involving an
Escrow agent account. All passenger revenue relating to flights not completed
is protected by this scheme independently and all money relating to un-flown revenue
can be refunded in full if necessary.
The board of Varsity Air Services Ltd are in current negotiation with potential
aircraft operators and AOC holders who could provide the operational capability
required to allow the resumption of services, on what has already proved to be
a very popular, viable and sustainable route. The board are hopeful that Varsity
Air Services Ltd will be able to resume full operational services in the very
near future. For further information contact the Varsity call centre on 0871 644
0450. "
The flight was meant to have started on 1st March.
As Lady Bracknell might have said: to have one airline fail is unfortunate; to
have two fail seems like downright carelessness - how about having three fail?
Varsity Express launches Oxford-Edinburgh service
20/01/2010
Regional start-up carrier Varsity Express is to launch a daily weekday service
between London Oxford and Edinburgh airports this March.
The new airline will ply the route with 18-seater BAE Jetstream 31 aircraft,
offering “a business class style service”, with complimentary tea, coffee and
water, plus “a small snack”. Further onboard refreshments will also be available
for purchase.
From March 1 flight LNQ601 will depart Oxford at 0800 Monday-Friday, arriving
in Edinburgh at 0930, with the return leg LNQ602 leaving Edinburgh at 1700, landing
back in Oxford at 1830.
To celebrate the launch the carrier is offering one-way fares on all seats for
£49, for flights between March 1 and March 12. After this lead-in fares will still
be available at this price, with flexible fares from £149.
Varsity Express says that the Oxford-Edinburgh route “will be the first of a
number of planned domestic routes over the coming year”. London Oxford Airport
is located around seven miles north of Oxford, and around 60 miles from central
London.
For more information visit flyvarsity.com. The carrier will also be promoting
its services and special offers on Twitter at twitter.com/varsityexpress.
(8th March 2010)
