A student travelling from Newcastle to London found that it was cheaper to buy plane tickets via Spain, than it was to go by train.
The train from Newcastle to London would have cost him £78.50, booking the night before, whereas his flights in total added up to just under £27.
He ended up flying to Menorca, and had a 12-hour stopover, where he rented a car for the day, went to the beach and had cocktails, which in total cost him less than the single train journey would have.
For the student, named Joe Furness, it isn’t the first time he’s found it cheaper to fly via another European country than by the British rail. He also flew from Newcastle to Manchester via Switzerland, which was cheaper by £20.
With British train prices consistently increasing (most recently at the beginning of this year, when the National Rail increased its prices by 2.3%), and with airfare nowadays seemingly more affordable, it’s no wonder people are now choosing to go to these lengths to reach their destinations. Travelling via other European countries may now become more common due to its economical benefits instead of using the British transportation.