Two English friends meet in Spain because the plane ticket was cheaper than the train

The debate over train ticket prices is reignited with this story of distant friends in England who ended up in Spain.

The transportation world is turned upside down, but that’s no surprise. The ongoing debate about the price war between air and train travel finds a shocking new example with this story from England.

Two friends, one living in Newcastle and the other in Birmingham, preferred to accumulate 10,000 km round trip by plane to see each other. Meanwhile, the two cities, 350 km apart, are obviously connected by train. But financial considerations made the difference.

In the case of the train journey, on dates that suited both friends, no ticket was available for less than 105 pounds sterling (122 euros) for a round trip. So, the idea was to compare the options with flying. And the unexpected happened: it turned out to be cheaper, overall, to be together under the sun in Malaga, in the south of Spain, than to stay in England.

How is that possible? Ryanair crushed prices with its last-minute deals. One managed to find a round-trip from Newcastle to Malaga for just 19.98 pounds sterling (23.27 euros), while the other found a round-trip from Birmingham for 55.29 pounds sterling (64.38 euros). In the end, the cost of the two friends’ trips was 30 pounds less (about 35 euros) than the train fare. Almost the equivalent of a nice meal by the seaside!

One could argue that travel is just one aspect, but there are other additional costs. However, both students found accommodation for 10 euros per night in a youth hostel, and then argued that the cost of living is cheaper in Spain than in England. Ultimately, the three days spent in Spain incurred less expense than staying in their respective cities.

With such disparities between train and plane, the planet’s situation won’t improve anytime soon.

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