Does anyone remember Euro day trips by plane?

[LotusOmega375D]

Back in the 1990s, our family went on a couple of day trips to Prague and Florence. These were not scheduled flights, but special charters run by holiday airlines, particularly during low season. You would depart the UK early in the morning, have breakfast on board and dinner on the way back. They included dedicated coach transfers to/from the city centre and possibly even local specialist guides. Meanwhile the aircraft would just wait on the airport apron until the passengers returned in the early evening. The trips used to be advertised in the Sunday paper travel supplements. It was a quick and easy way to go sight-seeing, without the cost of accommodation etc.

I don’t think this exists anymore, although apparently a new phenomenon called “extreme day trips” has emerged, but this is merely based on booking scheduled flights with the likes of budget airlines and arranging everything yourself.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/30/cheapest-extreme-da...

[MitchT]

Don't recall those but I did once consider nipping to the Geneva Motor Show for a day from Leeds Bradford with Jet2. The setup at Geneva is a bit like Birmingham International and the NEC so should have been straightforward enough, barring any flight chaos.

[towser44]

There's a few groups on Facebook for EDTs (Extreme Day Trips). Loads of people do them daily, to Alicante, Paris, Belfast, Dublin, Denmark, Iceland, Geneva etc. Parking at the airport costs more than the flights though lol.

Been some really cheap ones to Alicante recently and seeing people sat having a beer in the sun for the day sure beats a day over here!

One guy did Denmark and the flight back was delayed, he actually made money on the day trip!

[MarkwG]

I don't recall the day trip thing you're thinking of, but I think the locost airlines have pretty much done for that as a concept. Admittedly I was in the aviation industry anyway, so hopping on an aircraft for the day was par for the course prior to them anyway, but they really drove the market. From the late eighties I'd go to the Geneva show for the day, as anywhere in that radius was easy to do, if the out & back flights matched.

[LotusOmega375D]

Haha, it seems that I have unknowingly been doing this Extreme Day Trip malarkey for years, but sadly only for work. I have made several day trips to the likes of Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Aberdeen in recent years. I wouldn’t consider it enjoyable though when work is involved.

[MarkwG]

LotusOmega375D said:

Haha, it seems that I have unknowingly been doing this Extreme Day Trip malarkey for years, but sadly only for work. I have made several day trips to the likes of Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Aberdeen in recent years. I wouldn’t consider it enjoyable though when work is involved.

True, certainly takes the fun out of the experience... took our boys a few times, when the school hols matched.

[karma mechanic]

Some time in the 90's I went on a day trip to Venice. Early start from Bournemouth on a BAe 146, boat from the airport into Venice, nice day out.
Rushed back to the airport for a 7pm departure, got to my house by about 11.

Those trips were run by Bath Travel. One option was a day trip to Moscow, which did seem a stretch.

[Agent57]

Don't remember those.

Did a long weekend in Luxemburg recently by coach and it took 18 hours door-to-door with no sight-seeing on route.

Could have flown half-way around the world in that time including airport waiting.

So two out of four days lost to transfer.

Will never do that again.

[Prolex-UK]

MitchT said:

Don't recall those but I did once consider nipping to the Geneva Motor Show for a day from Leeds Bradford with Jet2. The setup at Geneva is a bit like Birmingham International and the NEC so should have been straightforward enough, barring any flight chaos.

Did that from Gatwick twice.

Great day out

[IanH755]

In a similar vein, when I got dragged into the London 2012 security faff, we had a "day" off with the proviso that we stayed within the M25 and were on a 4 hour recall and the military gets a bit strict with these things..

However, as an old & bold NCO I decided that these were "rules for thee and not for me" and so I jumped on the Eurostar to Paris for the day.

After about 3-4 hrs in Paris I got the recall signal to head back to hainault park and so my boss texted everyone to check they were on the way back, so I replied with an effiel tower selfie.

I made in back in time and enjoyed a quick Paris trip but did get a bit of one way conversation about what I'd done, but it was worth it.

[Ezra]

I used to regularly do LCY to ZRH and back same day on business and, as we at one point lived quite close to LCY, decided it'd be nice to show Mrs E around a place where I spent a lot of time. Worked really well, 7am flight out, land just after 9am - full day pootling around Zurich and back for a flight about 8pm (I think). Lovely days out, they were.

[Granadier]

Agent57 said:

Don't remember those.

Did a long weekend in Luxemburg recently by coach and it took 18 hours door-to-door with no sight-seeing on route.

Could have flown half-way around the world in that time including airport waiting.

So two out of four days lost to transfer.

Will never do that again.

That reminds me of going with my Dad to Amsterdam in 1989 for "four days" with Eurolines... 12 hours sitting on a coach on each of the first and last days. Presumably back then, it would have been much more expensive to go by air.

The other painful short trip abroad that I remember was taking an overnight ferry with mates from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, on which we got about three hours sleep on the sofas in the lounge before the announcements started to get ready for arrival... followed by a day wandering around Cherbourg on foot, and return voyage in the evening.

Edited by Granadier on Wednesday 8th January 16:52

[Pete102]

I was a part of that group for a while, even contributing a couple of schedules.

If you aren't picky about where you are going, there are some cracking flight prices to be had, I fly frequently to see my children and care for them every other weekend, in February I have my own EDT, flying back to the UK in the morning, collecting my youngest for a weeks skiing and then flying back same day.

[Cyder]

I went to Prague (well a supplier about 1hr north) some years ago with work on a day trip. 4am start, 7am flight from Heathrow, arrived at the supplier for lunch, walk round the factory and design reviewed some parts, taxi into Prague City Centre, walk around, dinner with the supplier, 8pm flight back, home in bed at midnight.
I was royally knackered and by the end of the trip could barely remember my own name or what day of the week it was, although a few beers in Prague may have contributed to that effect.

My parents did a day trip to Iceland some years ago I remember.

[klootzak]

Day trips for business like a few others here.

Mostly Auckland to Sydney, facilitated by 2 hour time difference ... 7am flight from AKL in SYD by 9.30am, 6.30pm or 7pm flight back, home by 12.30.

AKL to Hong Kong, once a month for a couple of years ... midnight(ish) flight out, in Central by 10am, day of work stuff, 7pm flight back. Get back to office in AKL around 11.30am ... bleurgh!

Weirdly, I miss it a little.

k

[fourstardan]

I think the budget airlines put stop to these sort of charters.

We've all probably if on the south coast done booze cruise day trips, thats the closest I've got to.

Flight day trips seem like a good idea but then reality kicks in the second I see an imaginary beer and sun in my head, I really want to be doing that for slightly longer!

[Cyder]

Prolex-UK said:

MitchT said:

Don't recall those but I did once consider nipping to the Geneva Motor Show for a day from Leeds Bradford with Jet2. The setup at Geneva is a bit like Birmingham International and the NEC so should have been straightforward enough, barring any flight chaos.

Did that from Gatwick twice.

Great day out

I've done this a couple of times with work, used to fly on the early flight from Luton along with half the UK car industry it seemed and return at around 8pm. It was a great day out!

[valiant]

Done it a few times on the Stansted to Dublin/Shannon route to see family.

I think it’s around a 9am flight out and a 9pm flight back but perfectly doable. Flight tends to be the cheapest bit with parking and car hire on the other end bulking up the cost. Long day though…

[Russ35]

I did one like the OP mentions. Blackpool airport to Reykjavik, Iceland.

Early departure about 7am, landed and onto a coach, then stops for swimming at the Blue Lagoon, visit to Grindavik (I think it was), then a lava field (still got a small piece of lava rock on my shelf) and then onto Reykjavik for the rest of the day before coach back to the airport and then back home.

I've still got the local newspaper report on the trip somewhere.

I think the following week they did a trip to somewhere in Scandinavia

Edited by Russ35 on Thursday 9th January 18:21

[M4cruiser]

I still like the idea, but the cheap airlines seems to be wise to it, and the fare is cheap only one way, I can get to France or Spain for £30 but coming back the same day costs a lot more. To get a £30 fare back you need to stay 3 weeks.

I've previously done channel trips, like Newhaven to Dieppe on the SuperSeaCat (which doesn't seem to exist now), Holyhead to Dublin on the Stena HSS (doesn't exist now) and Weymouth to Guernsey on the Condor Express/Vitesse (they don't exist now).