Aer Arann has said that it will continue to focus on flights to regional airports in the face of massive congestion and proposed expansion at Heathrow Airport. The Dublin based regional airline points to research released by the Liberal Democrats in last August that revealed a 36% increase in delays at Heathrow over the last 10 years. An Aer Arann spokesman said 'why suffer these delays when regional airports provide the quality service travellers deserve'.
Using regional airports also cuts down on unnecessary road and rail journeys. With 6% of Heathrow's traffic originating in the South West, travellers could reduce congestion both on the roads, trains and in the airport by using airports such as Cardiff, Southampton, and Birmingham instead.
Regional airports are often overlooked by travellers because of the impression that they are under served by airlines, and offer fewer facilities than larger airports. However, increased destination choice from regional hubs means that travellers can now fly to destinations as diverse as Toronto, Vancouver, as well local favourites such as Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam from local airports.
Colin Lewis, Head of Sales and Marketing at Aer Arann, said: 'Regional airports provide quality service on your doorstep. There is no reason for travellers to put themselves through the unnecessary stress associated with travelling to capital city airports. Regional airports also have shorter taxiing distances, which reduces fuel burn and carbon footprints. Using your local airport also redistributes the money spent on travelling to passengers local area, thereby benefiting the local community.'
Peter Philips, Head of Marketing at Cardiff Airport, said: 'Regional airports are growing faster than their London counterparts, and now handle 42% of all air traffic in the UK. Destination is the key driver - for example, you can fly direct to over 60 direct destinations, and over 400 Worldwide connecting flights from Cardiff. By continuing to offer new routes we can cut out hundreds of thousands of unnecessary journeys along the busy M4 corridor.'
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