Thursday 28 March 2024
 5.9°C   ESE Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Letters / Potentially a lot to be happy about

We all love a good moan don’t we? In Shetland that historically revolves around two subjects – the weather and/or the cost of travel or level of service to and from the islands – or sometimes even the two combined!

So, in a week which started with the Scottish Government announcing cheaper ferry fares on NorthLink – with hopefully more to follow – and, for the first time in many years, there being hopefully healthy competition on our air links to and from the Scottish mainland – not to mention there being only one particularly bad day of weather this week – you might have been forgiven for expecting the moan level to have subsided slightly. Not a bit of it!

First up, several Loganair passengers faced changes to their scheduled timetable, followed by Flybe’s new service suffering badly from Monday’s inclement weather – with Loganair affected to the tune of 30 per cent delays in their service on that day too of course. As a result, the moan monitor – on social media at least – went off the scale.

Having said that, it’s entirely understandable. Nobody likes having their travels plans disrupted, and we’ve all suffered from that one over the years living where we do.

Of course, mediums such as Facebook offer us the chance not only to have an instantaneous rant about such things, but equally the opportunity to point accusing fingers and spread our condemnation of those we blame for our personal frustrations far and wide too. Entirely understandable as I say.

But for many to virtually damn those involved to the point of “I’ll never use (company x) again” seems somewhat extreme, especially given the ‘early days’ tenure of both services and the fact that – to date at least – it’s only been one day of weather disruption primarily for Flybe, plus an initial schedule change for Loganair – something all airlines face from time to time. OK, perhaps they both already have ‘history’ on the route – but nevertheless.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

Surely, given the potential benefits of this new structure – in terms of the general travelling public and Shetland’s local economy at least – we should afford both the opportunity to get things right before we totally condemn them out of hand.

For instance, consider just some of the potential benefits here – a non-monopoly situation on our air routes with cheaper fares generally across the board already resulting from this; choice; an enhanced (and hopefully sustainable) timetable to and from all Scotland’s major cities and, together with those cheaper fares, additional capacity to and from the islands, perhaps ultimately resulting in increased visitor numbers, plus the chance (for some folk at least) to perhaps travel south more often now. Then there’s the additional jobs at Sumburgh this has created to take into consideration too.

So, although there might still be some things to moan about – I totally agree the service(s) are far from perfect yet – there’s potentially quite a lot to praise and be happy about too.

Scanning social media since Monday’s general day of debacle (most notably in relation to Flybe) it seems the moans have subsided dramatically – no doubt due to the fact that both services have been running pretty much to schedule since. So it seems a shame that we’re very quick to publicly criticise when things don’t go according to plan, but, in turn, very slow to praise when things do work well.

As Shetlanders we know only too well that monopoly situations rarely favour us, so surely this is something to be welcomed, not derided – providing of course that the two services can be sustained over an extended period of time, perhaps through increased usage/capacity. And if fares are maintained at a lower level than we’ve experienced in the past, hopefully this will be the eventual outcome.

Finally, I also saw a few folk this week generally condemn Shetland’s current air and sea service provision as being ‘s***e’. Of course, they are entitled to their opinion, but I’m sure there are a few small island groups elsewhere who would give their right hand for the travel infrastructure we enjoy here – whatever its occasional frustrations.

Davie Gardner
Goodlad Crescent
Lerwick

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.