Flying to Cornwall on Eastern Airways from Gatwick to Newquay | Trip report

Join us onboard the short domestic hop from London Gatwick to Newquay Cornwall airport. We'll fly Eastern Airways on their ATR72-600. I had a great time on this flight which exceeded my expectations of what a domestic UK flight should be like. Watch the video to find out why!
Airline: Eastern Airways
Aircraft: ATR 72-600 G-LACY
Route: LGW - NQY (London Gatwick South Terminal - Newquay Cornwall Airport)
Class: Economy
Seat: 12D
Flight Number: T3454
Flight time: 1 hour
Month: July 2023
00:00 Intro
00:30 Airside
01:30 Boarding
02:36 Pushback & Takeoff
03:54 Seat & Interior
04:27 Snacks & Service
05:44 Price
06:11 Approach & landing
07:30 Alighting

[@JTsJourneys]

What did you think, better than the train? Let me know...

[@jamesb2954]

Have started to become quite tired of certain KZbinrs doing clickbait titles, moaning about the littlest thing, whilst thinking they're some kind of celebrity living it up in business class, but this is great and really informative. Keep it up!

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks James! Please keep me honest if i start doing that! My aim here is to share what i experience, and if people watch it and like it that’s a bonus!

[@armychap007]

Another super trip report. Complimentary refreshments are always welcome on any flight and the hot towel was a real luxury in economy class. Definitely a no brainer to fly on this route due to the time and cost saving over the train. Hope you enjoyed your time in Cornwall. Safe travels until your next video ✈️

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks! Yeah it was a great set of surprises for a flight I was expecting to be fairly simple and non eventful. Thank you, hopefully another next week :)

[@user-ed7br5qo1b]

Good stuff as always JT

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks Alex!

[@aallsopp]

Enjoyed the trip report! ❤

[@JTsJourneys]

Awesome, thank you!

[@MrPhantom1961]

My wife and I flew from Gatwick to Newquay in June 2023 before hiring a car and travelling onto Carbis Bay. Quick and stress-free travel.

[@JTsJourneys]

The easiest way!

[@nazarethpereira9036]

Nice video, thnks for sharing.

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks for watching :)

[@FraserAtSea]

Ah, I did see this advertised a few days ago, and wondered what the experience would be like. Thanks for taking us with you!

[@JTsJourneys]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@FraserAtSea]

@@JTsJourneys have subscribed - glad to support a fellow traveller!

[@paul18566]

Jamie, the numbered stop marks correspond to aircraft types on a matrix board head of stand, for instance stop making 3 could be for an ATR, Dash 8 etc, stop mark 1 for a A320 etc. The longer the aircraft the nearer to the terminal, hope that makes sense.

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks Paul, this sounds like the way forward!

[@timnetherton727]

Great vid! Thank you - now subscribed 👍🙂

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks for the sub!

[@neilgandhi5565]

Just come across your channel and subbed the Propeller will defo be more economical on this flight then the jet and the fact you are guaranteed the hot towel a drink and snack is a bonus so a winner for me and the price ain’t too bad either so more like this plz 😊😊😊

[@JTsJourneys]

Thank you! Much appreciated. Yeah I agree, a good value flight all round

[@michaeltaylor9544]

nice report mate, well worth the cost

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks, well worth it I thought vs taking the train and it taking half a day!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Definitely value for money there Vs the train and getting a grab bag too - well that’s better than the pitiful offering from BA in economy short haul atm. Nice to hear some positive feedback on the crew and no issues with filming either by the looks of it (contrary to what I’d heard from one or two others). Nice one mate 👍

[@JTsJourneys]

Cheers Mark! Can’t fault the crew at all, very friendly and seemed to enjoy sharing their airline with everyone.

[@simondlatham5939]

First time viewer. Great video. New subscriber gained

[@JTsJourneys]

Thank you! No new video this week (sorry) but next week I’ll have one live :)

[@Andrew.-.-]

Great report but I think the music is not required . Cheers

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks Andrew, I'll take the feedback onboard for the next one

[@br377jono9]

I hear this flight go over my house most days.(Christchurch, Dorset) I recognise it straight away, it has a distinctive drone sound. But always check in on flight 24 just to make sure.

[@Ian_Livesey]

Like me living in the middle of Lancashire. I can hear the Leeds to Dublin or Belfast ATR's flying over at about 13000 ft

[@JTsJourneys]

Super, it must fly over a few times a day?

[@Avgeek1123]

Yesterday I took an Eastern atr72 from Gatwick to Newquay, It was great I met the pilots at the end and the captain let me sit in his seat and the FO showed me how to turn the plane off!

[@JTsJourneys]

Excellent! Sounds like excellent service

[@Avgeek1123]

@@JTsJourneys yeah it was great

[@dale3852]

Nice

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks

[@michaelhillard6158]

Enjoyed watching this 😊 It reminded me of flying from Heathrow to Plymouth City Airport several times years ago now. At the time, Brymon Airways operated the route for BA using a Dash 7 in BA livery. Nice catering then as well, and you got the extra bonus 10-15 minute hop from Newquay to Plymouth and vice versa.

[@JTsJourneys]

Thanks! Sounds like an experience I missed out on :/

[@LovelyFish-wg1dq]

Got fog bound on one of those flights, flying north. A four hour delay at Plymouth, a return to Newquay and then finally landing at Gatwick, meant I only had minutes to get to my connecting flight .Moroccan Air to Marakesh. Luckily they were delayed too but slow access through security was pretty fraught!

[@michaelhillard6158]

@@LovelyFish-wg1dq That must have been very stressful ! Thank you for sharing that memory. I had a delay there once caused by fog, when booked to fly to Glasgow via Bristol. Newquay was ok, so I was rebooked on the London flight connecting to the Shuttle. In fact, I only arrived in Glasgow an hour later than originally scheduled. And as you might remember, the full breakfasts on the Shuttle services then were a very nice part of the experience.

[@rogernichols1124]

I flew Southampton to Dublin on Eastern. No fuss. No problems. Nice experience.

[@JTsJourneys]

Nice! I need to fly through Southampton again soon. Haven’t been there since the Flybe days

[@LukeSimmondsTravel]

Great video without the dramatics awesome trip report have subscribed

[@JTsJourneys]

Thank you!

[@buzzukfiftythree]

It’s great to have domestic flights into and out of Newquay. The train journey to and from Cornwall takes so long. OK, it’s a beautiful rail route, but for speed I’d choose the plane any day.

[@JTsJourneys]

Agreed, the train route is lovely on a sunny day

[@JettTyler17]

Nice flight report Jamie! I recently did this flight in the other direction, but the hot towel wasn't offered, my video will go live in a few weeks time. Shame I never did this flight before Flybe went bust as they operated the route with an ERJ-195 for several years.

[@JTsJourneys]

I look forward to seeing the difference. My flight was summer last year so it could have changed. Agreed re the miss on Flybe. They were hit and miss but they had some cool jets. It’s a shame Logan air haven’t tried this, their erjs would be good fun

[@JettTyler17]

@@JTsJourneys Newquay wasn't an easy option to get to by driving or public transport from Bournemouth, so I did a multi-city route over 48 hours from Exeter to Dublin to Newquay to Gatwick and it worked a treat to tick off two unique UK Airports! 😄✈

[@JTsJourneys]

That's an epic detour! Worth it though to tick the airport off. I need to do the same with BOH; I can get to Bournemouth station easy enough but unsure how to get as far as the airport

[@JettTyler17]

@@JTsJourneys Either use your own car, get a taxi or get in touch with a local! That's my advice.

[@JTsJourneys]

Ah I might need to get in touch when I'm down for a lift

[@SurreyAlan]

I remember making this trip in the 80's, for some reason they had a very brief stop over at Exeter in the days when the RAF were still using Chipmunks as one drew up beside us at Exeter and the pilot leapt out then back in again. We were visiting St. Mawgan where one of our party found himself on the ground with a gun pointing at him after wandering a little too close to the American sector where they didn't store whatever it was they said they didn't store there.

[@JTsJourneys]

Great story! Is St Mawgan the old name for the base on Newquay?

[@SurreyAlan]

@@JTsJourneys Used to be RAF St Mawgan.

[@louisclarke2091]

I work at gatwick as a baggage handler. So the markers we have a graph on each stand that has certain types of aircrafts and what mark they will stop on so 737-800 a320 might stop on mark 2 where a321 stop on mark 1 etc etc

[@JTsJourneys]

Thank you for sharing this! I was bloody confused when I saw the markings without aircraft names next to them. Is this to prevent the need for repainting as new aircraft come online or something else?

[@louisclarke2091]

I have no clue im guessing so but its easier tbh we can just look at tje graph at the head of stand so we can sorta judge where itll stop :)

[@JTsJourneys]

ah, thank you ! I'll look out for these at other airports now :)

[@Ian_Livesey]

Yeh I was going to say. There's so many aircraft types these days that it's easier to categorise them into 1, 2, 3 and 4.

[@makingithappenltd7138]

Good review of Eastern Airways Gatwick to Newquay

[@JTsJourneys]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching

[@offshoretomorrow3346]

West Cornwall by train is an expensive, slow ordeal: stops at every station in Cornwall!

[@JTsJourneys]

Completely agree. The only redeeming feature is the scenery

[@steveminers5764]

My wife reckons it’s a fab service.

[@JTsJourneys]

I can agree

[@richardstreet7518]

Double check that the gate is in the 1-5 range as it's a schlep back to the main pier where some domestics board... interesting vlog thanks. Eastern crews not always happy about vlogers

[@JTsJourneys]

True, those gates are a bit of a walk...

[@chrismoore4423]

I think if you’re travelling from Central London to south or west Cornwall the train is going to be a better bet for end to end timings plus ability to work on the train, so better use of time. If you’re in Sussex or Kent and going to north Cornwall, then the flight’s a good bet. Fares are certainly attractive!

[@JTsJourneys]

I think that's it, if you're close to the airport and are going nearby on the other end it's more time efficient. The train is no doubt better to work from as you can nab a table and have more space to move about, but for my journey the flight was quicker even considering travel to the airport & that whole experience.

[@phuttyyt]

Your video grabbed my attention because I saw several Eastern Airways aircraft at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam earlier this week and the livery and name piqued my interest, as I'd never seen them before. But I just checked on the airline's website and it suggests they don't fly to Amsterdam... so is there a continental European branch of the airline? Do you (or does anyone else) have any idea why they would have been there? From memory I'm pretty sure they were A220s or larger as well.

[@JTsJourneys]

Great question, and I’m not quite sure. I wasn’t aware of any sister airline etc but often eastern do charter work with the erj fleet so could have been one of those?

[@phuttyyt]

@JTsJourneys I just googled a bit and it turns out they do now fly to Schiphol from Newcastle. And they're Embraers, so I was slightly overestimating their size.

[@gerbenlei149]

KLM wet leased these embrears due to crew shortages in the klc fleet. If you look at the side of the embrears you’ll see a small ‘operated on behalf of klm’

[@logananderson9094]

Can confirm, Eastern are operating on behalf of KLM Cityhopper on a wet lease contract.

[@RandomTFLupdates-PEPS_FOR_LIFE]

How often do I see this leave gatwick?! Always wanted to just fly it for the heck of it!

[@JTsJourneys]

If you can get it cheap enough it’s worth a ride!

[@simonbaker6962]

Dis this a few years ago combined with the sleeper train to penzance.

[@JTsJourneys]

Now the sleeper train I've heard great things about. It's my plan for the next time I'm down that way. How did you find it?

[@simonbaker6962]

@@JTsJourneys Superb

[@NQY-flyer]

I’ll be doing this in reverse in July Slightly dubious in regards to the reliability of this flight ie the first departure of the day quite regularly being cancelled is this due to aircraft reliability or is it a lack of passengers So It will be interesting if I get my flight to LGW from NQY 🤔

[@JTsJourneys]

Hopefully all will be okay. (Based on no knowledge) I’d say likely weather or atc restrictions at Gatwick for the cancelled flights

[@timlc]

Who did you book with? I just checked prices on Expedia and they came out at £297 on Eastern!

[@JTsJourneys]

Direct on the eastern website, good luck!

[@Anmeteor9663]

Good video but the music is too loud and unnecessary.

[@JTsJourneys]

Thank you for the feedback

[@Barrygee]

I’ve never done an online check in before, how do you get the boarding passes?

[@JTsJourneys]

On Eastern it was downloaded into a PDF which I stored on my phone (although you could print too). On most airlines though they allow you to add to your wallet apps so it pops up as a ticket with a barcode

[@Julian-ck6lf]

Yep I always fly to Cornwall I live up north so a real no brainer used to be Flybe now I think Logan and EZ from MAN and LPL do it, great channel subbed today 😊

[@JTsJourneys]

Totally agree, a no brainer from those airports. I drove from there once and it took 6 or 7 hours on a good day. Thanks for the sub :)

[@ab4113]

Loganair give you free drinks and snacks too

[@JTsJourneys]

Good call, it's a while since I've been on Loganair. I think the last time was in covid when they stopped service, one for me to try again soon

[@Ian_Livesey]

Only on some flights. I recently did MAN-IOM and there was nothing in a 30 min flight. Yet the time before there was coffee/tea and the usual shortbread/tunnocks wafer.

[@JTsJourneys]

Seems inconsistent

[@Standard_Jay]

It's insane that flying is now routinely a lot cheaper than the train.

[@JTsJourneys]

Its crazy that running tramlines costs so much compared to running airlines

[@ianplowman8689]

No-brainer, flying over the train. I wish here in East Devon we could get cheap domestic flight, but the routes do not exist, and the ones that do are so over the top for price.

[@JTsJourneys]

Devon has always struck me as a place that’s hard to get in and out of. Bristol is the nearest low cost airport? But that’s such a journey

[@davey1121]

What is a complementary freebie?

[@JTsJourneys]

Mix on words from me. Free stuff

[@Anmeteor9663]

I really wish there were more short connecting flights between the airports in UK. Bristol is my local (5miles). It would save a ton of time and money getting to Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Manchester or Leeds. Much better than the train.

[@JTsJourneys]

It's a shame the trains aren't better tbh. I love flying but for shortish distances a fast train at a good price should win

[@tommytenpin]

To be fair (fare), the rail fare you quoted was the walk up fare, I.e. go to a booking office and buy a ticket. You can grt cheaper if booking in advance, and I'm guessing you booked your flight in advance, so not a 100% level playing field.

[@JTsJourneys]

Totally agree it's possible to get good value fares well in advance. When I put the video together the comparison advanced fare was £80, split into two advanced fares and that was booking at the same time as the flight. The super off peak came in at £82. I've seen fares down as low as £45 I seem to remember which I'd say is fair value for the inconvenience of the longer train.

[@ianplowman8689]

To be fair, the trains are awful and uncomfortable. Also, they are delayed more often than not, and I take the train all the time. Furthermore, with GWR, those supposed cheap fares are NOT always available.

[@WilliamDavidKirbyUK]

How can it be quicker than the train, given that I live in Swindon and can be in Bodmin (nearest station I think) for an Off-Peak return fare of about £75!. and no additional transfers. Obiously if I lived in Gatwick that might be a better option - but you need to consider your personal options each time!

[@JTsJourneys]

Totally agree. I’m 30 mins from Gatwick but an hour from Paddington so the plane will always be faster for me.

[@johnp139]

A jetbridge would have made boarding much more pleasant.

[@JTsJourneys]

I’d have managed to stay dry! Not sure if jet bridges can reach the door on the atr as you always board from the back?

[@phuttyyt]

@@JTsJourneys Nope, they definitely can't, alas.

[@GregPalmer1000]

Dash 8s or ATRs? Preferances?

[@JTsJourneys]

Good question. Dash 8 for sheer power and speed, used to fly on them a lot with Flybe. Atr seems more economical but they are slower, maybe a roomier cabin? How about you?

[@GregPalmer1000]

@@JTsJourneys i havent flown on a ATR as they are very rare in Canada but have flown on the Dash 8 100s,300s & Q400 of Air Cda & Westjet...ty for the comparison

[@JTsJourneys]

I've only flown the Q400 but I'd be keen to try the smaller variants. We have a few in Europe with Winderoe in northern Norway which I'd like to fly on.

[@63mckenzie]

Shows how ridiculous train fares are.

[@JTsJourneys]

I might make some more comparisons like this...

[@63mckenzie]

@@JTsJourneys Be interesting to see if the trains can compete on any level.

[@vincentleahy2965]

This route is frequently cancelled.

[@JTsJourneys]

I guess it’s prone to bad weather in nqy?

[@stephenroots4327]

Why not use Southend, sitting empty - unbelievable....

[@JTsJourneys]

😬 I used Southend quite a bit in the past when they had a flight to Manchester. Now that really was out of the way

[@stephenroots4327]

@@JTsJourneys Now run by a bunch of rubber desk johnnies, who couldnt fly a kite between them! Like yourself I use internal flights almost weekly - Logan Air out of Scotland for example - when I enquired as to why not use Southend to Newquay, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Belfast et al, the reply was that they dont pick up the phone!

[@stevelee2787]

Would rather drive thanks any way😂

[@JTsJourneys]

Have fun on the open road 🚙

[@stevelee2787]

😂😂

[@UropaLula]

Please can you tell me the name of the final piece of music with the female sounding vocal, thanks.

[@JTsJourneys]

It's Dyalla - Like It Loud from the KZbin music library kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHSkeYGhpcdqq5Y

[@UropaLula]

@@JTsJourneys 👍 many thanks

[@user-ww1zr2qt2h]

unbelievable that they make planes without room for your right foot.

[@JTsJourneys]

😂 the worst bit is on the other side there’s no room for your left!

[@JTsJourneys]

😂 the worst bit is on the other side there’s no room for your left!

[@richjames2540]

Looks a good company but I avoid puddle jumpers as they have a poorer safety record.

[@JTsJourneys]

I'd like to think they've improved. The accidents I can remember seem to be from airline issues rather than aircraft integrity

[@richjames2540]

@@JTsJourneys I hope they are improving. Two areas of specific concern are the utilization of smaller carriers which pay lower salaries and consequently attract less experience pilots who work flying bigger jets on the big carriers and secondly the fact that they have a harder time dealing with lift loss due to icing and flying at a lower level are more prone to weather effects particularly wind shear and as we all know height is your friend as a pilot. However as I said it looks like a very competent operation delivering a good product. I think this is the sort of route the old AVRO/ Hawker Siddeley small cabin 4 jet would have flown well. If Eastern can grow the market then that would be good for all concerned as links to Cornwall are very poor indeed. On a personal note, it would be much more use to me if they had slots at LHR so I could connect to Transatlantic flights but that is unlikely until they can really grow the service..

[@ianplowman8689]

With the new regulations in place for the UK and Europe, they would not survive. That may have been the case back in the 70s and early 80s, but not now. The only problem with these sought of carries are bad customer service, NOT safety. Eastern Airways has not always had good customer service, with dirty aircraft, poor service in flight, and rude cabin crew, but NOT safety!

[@richjames2540]

@@ianplowman8689 Alas regulations do not ensure safety they are an enabler. I think the whole industry is improving but I am still uneasy on puddle jumpers.

[@JTsJourneys]

As I understand it this might be a PSO route the government subsidises to improve connectivity. I've flown easyJet on this route before and I seem to remember BA flying the route during the covid years at one stage. Doubtful they'll bring it back though given FR are now on there from STN.

[@thomash2806]

Only bad thing is that it originates in London…

[@stupididiot6116]

Gatwick is near Crawley , which is around 37 miles away from London …..even though they sneakily add London in front of Gatwick ……….same as London Stanstead !

[@JTsJourneys]

technically West Sussex?

[@thomash2806]

😉 A London airport and close enough!!! I might be tempted to fly to Newquay from somewhere else!

[@martinharvey2390]

​@thomash2806 it's a lot quicker than either driving or getting the train from the London area to Cornwall

[@thomash2806]

@@martinharvey2390 I go to Cornwall as often as I possible but never to the London area…

[@drumswest5035]

Lose the irritating music, ruined the video

[@JTsJourneys]

all of it or certain parts, would silence be better in the quiet bits?

[@clivechadburn6342]

Absolutely

[@anderson357]

We have eastern up north. Everyone who used them say very rude staff. Very unfriendly staff. You’re an inconvenience. They in your face if try to even film. Very arrogant. Lots say never use again as felt intimidated.

[@JTsJourneys]

Wow I can’t say my experience was like this. Maybe it’s a different base that has a different attitude?

[@domesticarrival]

I've taken this flight and found the crew rude and obnoxious. Your commentary is so tedious.

[@JTsJourneys]

Sounds like there are a mix of experiences within the comments here

[@deeks629]

Can see why they were rude and obnoxious to you

[@DaftPunkFan123]

I can also see why they were rude and obnoxious to you. You’re an ass.

[@ct8152]

Horrible airline

[@JTsJourneys]

Did you have a bad experience with them?