Seagull Special to Sunderland?

[Robot Chicken]

Would be a great idea. It worked going to Cardiff, why not to Sunderland, our longest away trip. The club could either organise a special train like before or a specially chartered plane, an all in deal.

I've checked on prices and a return flight to Newcastle leaving from Heathrow and returning to Gatwick costs about £100 including all taxes, fees, charges and surcharges. It only takes 70 minutes to fly up there. I'm sure the club could organise a trip like this.

Saves driving up there!

Vote now, if enough people vote the club must take notice!

 

[Lady Bracknell]

I've already taken the liberty of suggesting more "Seaside Specials" to the club.

Anorak on....

 

[Robot Chicken]

There would have to be a break even figure and the finances would have to agree...do you know if the club made a loss on the Seagull Special to Cardiff or did they break even?

 

[fatboy]

it would have to go through Croydon.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Is there a direct route through to Sunderland anyway?

 

[Bozza]

Why would you choose to fly OUT of LHR and back IN to LGW? A fecking logistical nightmare.

 

[fatboy]

It would be quicker, and probably cheaper, to go via KX.

Football special trains are certainly a thing of the past.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Why would you choose to fly OUT of LHR and back IN to LGW? A fecking logistical nightmare.

Because the outbound flight from Gatwick to Newcastle arrives at 15:05. The outbound flight from Heathrow arrives at 11:00.

That's why.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Yes, it's a pain to get to Heathrow but at least it's possible to fly back to Gatwick. Easyjet and Ryanair don't fly to Newcastle from Gatwick and frankly I haven't checked any other companies at the moment. Suffice to say the trip will cost about £100 and will take 70 minutes.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

I don't know anything about the economics of Sunday's train trip - not my business, obviously! And I also know that it would have to be economically AND operationally possible to run future trips. However, I disagree that football trains are a thing of the past. EWS specialise in charter trains and spent the whole of the play-off finals weekend supplying them. Which is why we had no hot water in the front buffet car on Sunday - the scum had used all the gas!!!

So far as direct routes are concerned, there are all sorts of direct routes from some quite surprising places on the rail network! Although getting the necessary path approval on an already congested network isn't always straightforward.

But I thought it wouldn't hurt to open discussions even if it turns out to be a non-runner. If you don't ask, you'll never get!!

 

[Bozza]

Because the outbound flight from Gatwick to Newcastle arrives at 15:05. The outbound flight from Heathrow arrives at 11:00.

That's why.

I'm a fool to myself - as on Sunday, I thought the term 'Special' meant a one-off non-timetabled service provided exclusively for Albion fans, rather than the use of existing scheduled services. Excuse my ignorance...

 

[Robot Chicken]

Well, the 15:05 flight is the scheduled one from Gatwick. Surely the club could look into chartering their own flight. Going independently by plane is a nightmare as you would have to travel from Heathrow.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

But by the time you've negotiated the nightmare that is Heathrow you could be damn near as far as York on the scheduled GNER train surely?

 

[Robot Chicken]

There is that as well, but at least flying back you could get home by 9.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

True. Because providing you land back at Gatwick that's probably the greatest advantage in flying.

 

[Robot Chicken]

You still have to arrange to get to the stadium from the airport and the outbound flight from Newcastle departs at 19:20. How soon do you have to get to the airport for an internal flight? One hour? Two?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Why not charter a whole aircraft?

Gatwick - Newcastle and back. At times that suit us.

Newcastle Airport to the Stadium of Light is just under an hour by Tyne and Wear Metro

 

[Robot Chicken]

Great idea. Would this be done independently or through the club??

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Great idea. Would this be done independently or through the club??

Not sure.

There is a website that might be worth checking out:-

http://www.aircharterserviceplc.com/

There might be other options as well.

The only time I've seen the team flying home from a match, they were travelling on a BA scheduled service from Manchester to Gatwick. The Palace supporters who were on the same plane were a bit sniffy about the Albion travelling "plebs' class" and claimed that CPFC chartered whole planes for this sort of thing. Don't know if this is true or not (for CPFC), but I guess that some serious football clubs do it.

 

[Kenhead]

I'm not sure how i'm getting there yet, alot will decied on when we play them. but a group of us were talking about makeing a weekend of it up in newcastle.