Air travellers faced with ‘second-class’ service on Wick/Aberdeen route
Regular users of the Wick/Aberdeen air link are having to put up with a “second-class” service, it has been claimed.
Comments on a recently launched Facebook group include concerns that flights to and from Wick John O’Groats Airport are “treated as an afterthought” by Eastern Airways, with the needs of Caithness travellers “consistently sidelined” in favour of more lucrative routes in the south.
Flights were reinstated in April 2022 under a public service obligation (PSO) funded by the Scottish Government at £1 million a year and Highland Council with a £300,000 annual contribution. A continuation of government funding into the financial year 2025/26 was announced last month.
Jacqueline Innes created a Facebook group to bring together statistics and passenger experiences after a catalogue of complaints about delays and late cancellations.
Her group, Eastern Airways – Caithness Tracker, now has more than 450 members.
She and her husband Ian are regular users of the Wick/Aberdeen service.
Mrs Innes has reported growing concerns from regular users, particularly in light of the latest timetable changes and “ongoing issues with reliability”.
Less than a fortnight after the Scottish Government funding announcement, a revised timetable came into effect with Monday and Friday morning flights dropped from the schedule.
Councillor Raymond Bremner, the Highland Council leader and chairman of the Wick John O’Groats Airport Working Group, said last week the changes had been made “in order to ensure the continued sustainability of the route”.
It means the service continues to operate six days per week, but now with a single return flight on all weekdays as well as Sundays.
Mrs Innes, from Reay, said: “There’s a strong feeling locally that this PSO-supported route is being treated as an afterthought by Eastern Airways, with the needs of Caithness travellers consistently sidelined in favour of the airline’s more commercially attractive routes.”
She summarised a number of points raised by regular passengers, saying: “I hope they help illustrate the level of frustration and the real-world impact these changes are having on those who rely on this service.”
Concerns include:
• “The Wick/Aberdeen route appears to be sandwiched between Eastern Airways’ more lucrative routes (for example Humberside and Teesside), both of which have more convenient flight times despite not being subsidised through a PSO.”
• “Wick/Aberdeen is being allocated less favourable timings, suggesting the schedule is being designed to prioritise Eastern Airways’ commercial routes over public service obligations.”
• “This leaves Caithness passengers feeling like a second-class priority, despite public funds supporting the route.”
• “There is increasing frustration that Eastern Airways continues to receive £1.3 million in PSO funding, despite offering fewer flights, inconvenient timings and frequent cancellations – prompting many to question whether the public is receiving value for money from this contract.”
• “If there are delays to the Humberside flight, the Wick flight is at risk of cancellation. Passengers have experienced this already.”
• “Cancellations are often attributed to “operational reasons” – leading to frustration and a loss of confidence in the service. There’s a perception this may be due to crew or aircraft shortages.”
• “The flight schedule has changed three times in two years, creating instability and making it difficult for passengers to plan regular travel.”
• “The latest schedule change is not felt to be an improvement for most users.”
• “Early morning or evening options – which would better support business and commuter travel – have been removed.”
• “Flight times no longer align well with onward connections from Aberdeen.”
• “Some regular users have had to give up flying altogether due to the unreliability and poor timing, opting instead to drive long distances – sometimes starting as early as 3am to reach Aberdeen.”
• “The cost of flights for a round trip, combined with poor timings, further disincentives flying.”
Last week Councillor Bremner acknowledged there had been “impacts on regular service users” following the timetable changes.
He said the past year had been “a challenging one” but insisted the goal is “to enable and support the delivery of lifeline air services” in the far north.
Eastern Airways has been approached for comment.
Revised Wick PSO timetable, covering the period from March 24 to October 25:
Aberdeen to Wick – Monday: 1430. Tuesday: 1430. Wednesday: 1430. Thursday: 1430. Friday: 1530. Saturday: No flight. Sunday: 1430.
Wick to Aberdeen – Monday: 1535. Tuesday: 1535. Wednesday: 1535. Thursday: 1535. Friday: 1635. Saturday: No flight. Sunday: 1535.
