Regional UK airline market takes new directions as flybe looks for excitement

The regional UK airline market, led by flybe, is a highly competitive sector which has struggled through the global financial crisis. The state of the industry (and green populism) prompted UK Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, in late Jun-2010, to comment that domestic flying in the UK "will become, in time, a thing of the past", with air services to be increasingly replaced by fast trains. Airlines, including British Airways, Ryanair and flybe quickly rejected the comments.