Loganair discounted fares to be extended to funerals

An online campaign criticises the cost of flying to Scotland islands

A Scottish airline plans to offer islanders discounted fares for journeys to attend family funerals.

Loganair already offers concessionary prices for children, students and people visiting family members in hospital.

Its offer to extend the discounts to funerals forms part of its response to a campaign criticising the cost of air fares to Scottish islands.

The campaign has backing from Scotland's island local authorities.

Bosses at Loganair, which flies the islands routes for Flybe, met campaigners in Sumburgh in Shetland on Thursday night.

Chief executive Stewart Adams said: "We've given a commitment that we want to extend the current concessionary fare scheme for hospital visitors to include visits for family funerals and have asked the group for its input in helping to design how this would work in practice.

"This should make a real difference to our passengers at times when they need our help and understanding."

'Unique challenges'

He added: "On reliability, we were very upfront - it's simply not been good enough in recent months, even allowing for the unique challenges of operating in an island environment, with all the weather problems that brings.

"That's why we started a major investment programme in our engineering division several months ago, including the appointment of a new, highly-experienced director of engineering and are also actively recruiting to expand our current 130-strong team of technicians and engineers."

Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney councils have backed the social media campaign.

Earlier this month, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's leader Angus Campbell said there were cheaper flights from Scottish mainland airports to the Algarve than to Stornoway.