Inter-island air services

What it asks

What the petitioner did first

1. 15 Mar 2013
   Public Petitions Committee

   New Petitions
   1 mention
2. 28 May 2013
   Public Petitions Committee

   Current Petitions
   2 mentions
3. 3 Sep 2013
   Public Petitions Committee

   Current Petitions
   2 mentions
4. 12 Nov 2013
   Public Petitions Committee

   Current Petitions
   1 mention

1. Scotland352 76%
2. United Kingdom52 11.2%
3. England26 5.6%
4. United States15 3.2%
5. Australia3 0.6%
6. Canada2 0.4%
7. Wales2 0.4%
8. Germany2 0.4%
9. Ireland2 0.4%
10. Switzerland1 0.2%
11. 6 other countries6 1.3%

1. Kenny Beaton 21 Feb 2013
   These cuts in transport links are sending the islands back to the dark ages.
2. Robert J S Christie 21 Feb 2013
   What on earth are the Uist Councillors thinking of by cutting these life-line services? Certainly NOT their constituents.
3. Elaine 21 Feb 2013
   When people find it hard to obtain paid work, why cut an essential service and make many people jobless, thus adding to the high unemployment situation. These flights are required for business, tourism, and social activity as well as work.
4. Roddy MacKay 21 Feb 2013
   These air links are a necessity in the islands. They are a lifeline service, to lose this service will not just save money, it will cost lives.
5. Stephen WIlson 21 Feb 2013
   How could the council cut this lifeline air service??? This will impact on health, travel tourism and general commuting on the islands. Shocking decision. It will put the island back 40 years
6. John MacKay 21 Feb 2013
   Save a quid instead of saving a life! Shame on you all! Disgraceful decision to cut these flights.
7. Tom McLaughlan 21 Feb 2013
   Those who voted for these cuts should hang their heads iin shame.
8. Kevin McCaldin 21 Feb 2013
   We were considering renting a cottage on North Uist for a week in summer. Not sure I would do it, if I have to go by car and ferry.
9. Marie Savage 21 Feb 2013
   Hard to believe the Council would want to cut such an essential service.
10. Gillian Hamill 21 Feb 2013
    It is totally outrageous that the council feel this service is not required. We should be building links between the islands
    - this will set us back decades! Not to mention the impact on jobs, tourism, business and social interaction! Absolutely Shocking! Time to take stock.........
11. Jannette Boyd 21 Feb 2013
    We need this service
12. Iain Macdonald 21 Feb 2013
    CNES cutting transport links in remote island communities and at the same time cutting education provision in rural areas stinks of centralism.
13. Jude Robinson 21 Feb 2013
    These services are a lifeline to remote communities, these cuts will be paid for in lives, which should not be gambled with to meet cut back targets
14. Joan 21 Feb 2013
    This makes no sense at all. These flights are neccessary for people attending hospital, whether as a patient or visitor, tourism, business, meetings, visiting relatives in the other islands, or whatever. Not everyone has a car to make the ferry and overland journey. This decision will affect the elderly and frail more than any other group. To leave Barra without any flights is shocking. Goodness knows why they did this
    - what are they thinking they will get in return. They should at least explain why they did it. As a Uist person I find it shameful.
15. Roddy MacNeil 21 Feb 2013
    Why do you have to cut a lifeline service to many people that relay need it??? your not on please leave it alone.
16. Joe Macleod 21 Feb 2013
    A dreadful decision. Any savings will be fairly insignificant (think legal fees, con com, gritting, schools etc,etc) while the consequences will run deep.
17. Michelle Davidson 21 Feb 2013
    Please keep this flight so my friend can come visit me!!!
18. fiona jenkins 21 Feb 2013
    How could the council cut this lifeline air service??? This will impact on health, travel tourism and general commuting on the islands !!
19. Elizabeth TUPPER 21 Feb 2013
    Please don't cut off the subsidiary for flights to the islands of Scotland. They are such a beautiful part of our heritage and should be shared.
20. Donald MacKay 21 Feb 2013
    Bring back ring-fenced funding for this lifeline service. The council cannot be trusted to safeguard our interests. Shocking.
21. Sarah Gundry 22 Feb 2013
    Tha na seirbhisean seo cho cudthromach do mhuinntir nan Eileanan Siar nach tuigidh mi riamh an aobhar a bhotadh a' Chomhairle an aghaidh nan tursan-adhair sin. 'S e deireas taod-teasairginn a th' ann, chan ann direach do thurasachd as t-samhradh is gach seorsa de mhalairt a tha cudthromach dhan eagonomaidh ionadail, ach na bu chudthromaiche builleach airson nan ceanglaichean eadar teaghlaichean is coimhearsnachdan. Chan eil seo na 70an nuair a dh'fhagadh daoine na h-eileanan airson foghlam is obair gus am na Nollaige. Tha fiughairean ura againn a tha gu tur iomachaidh airson amannan-nodha. Leis na chlaran-ama 2012, bha roghainn aig daoine a tha, no a aig a bheil teaghlach a tha a' fuireach ann air saileamh nan ceanglaichean-adhair, ach as an aonais bidh aca ri siubhail nas fhada air a' bhata, no amannan suimeil, m.e. mionadean mu dheireadh parant, a chall.
    
    Translation:
    These services are so important to the people of the Western Isles, that I’ll never understand why the Council voted against them. This is a loss of a lifeline, not just for tourism in the summer but for every type of trade that is vital to the local economy, but more importantly still for connections between families and communities. This isn’t the 70s when people had to leave the islands for work and education and could only return for Christmas.
    
    We have higher expectations that are entirely appropriate for the modern world. With the 2012 timetables, people who live or have family in the islands, had a choice die to of the air links but without them, they will have to travel further on the ferry or to miss important moments e.g the final moments of a dying parent. (Moderator)
22. Andrew 22 Feb 2013
    Crazy idea to remove what has become an essential service to all surrounding communities
23. Marion Heneghan 22 Feb 2013
    Surely a lifeline for the islands.
24. Kim O'Brien 22 Feb 2013
    This will cost jobs and facilities in the Uists
25. Fiona Giddey 23 Feb 2013
    Maintain support and protection for all communities
26. Alexander Maclean 23 Feb 2013
    Why pay taxes if they are not used to protect the community?
27. Alasdair Codona 23 Feb 2013
    Tha sin cho ceart sa ghabhas: chan urrainn dhan a' chomhairle ceangal ri tir mor a ghearradh agus an uair sin duil a bhith aca ri taic bhon an riaghaltais airson ceanglaichean ri tir mor a ghleidheadh!
    
    Translation:
    
    That’s so true: the council can’t sever a link to the mainland and then expect support from the government to conserve links to the mainland!
28. Daniel MacLean 23 Feb 2013
    Keep the Barra to Benbecula and cut the stornoway to Benbecula to 1 flight instead of 2 empty flights and why not link Benbecula to Inverness and cut out stornoway altogether and save a fortune.
29. Duncan MacLean 23 Feb 2013
    The council or the uist councillors who voted to do away with this service don't actually care about the decision they took, they don't care about the consequences, this could mean redundancies in the islands where employment is fragile and hard to come by. I'll bet the voters regret their decision now!!!!
30. Gary Stewart 24 Feb 2013
    This does not make sense at all
31. Marisa sangiovanni 26 Feb 2013
    Getting to the outer Hebrides is not easy. The FlyBe flight is amazing. It only takes an hour from Glasgow to barra. The alternative is a 6 hour ferry ride. Barra also is the only airport in the world that has its runway on the beach, that is amazing when you think how big the world is and how many airports there are!!! Many people who have a passion for aviation will travel on the twin otter aircraft just to land on the beach. It's an wonderful experience. Plus the people who live on the island need their flights as Barra is so remote. Before thinking of closing it down can one of you go and see just how lovely and wonderful it is to be able to land on the beach. Also because of the type of aircraft used they fly low so you get the most amazing view of Scotland. From a personal point of view Barra was the first place in Scotland I had ever visited, taking that flight and seeing the scenery has made me want to visit more of Scotland and I am sure it would be the same for other visitors to.
    
    Please don't cancel the flights to and from Barra. Once again I urge you to visit and see what it is like coming into land on the beach . As I say it's the only airport in the world that does this and it's in Scotland!!!!!
    
    Kind Regards
    
    Marisa sangiovanni
32. Mary Lommers 27 Feb 2013
    This is a very necessary service for the people of the Western Isles
33. Karen Boyd 27 Feb 2013
    To cease this service would be total madness!
34. Stewart Connor 27 Feb 2013
    Island life is fragile enough without removing essential transport links
35. Marion MacNeil 28 Feb 2013
    It is often easier to look at the negative and in this case, the 'lack of users' on this route. But if more thought was given to the positive aspects, the opportunities far out weigh the negative and we need to focus on retaining this service to maximise this to the benefit of the islanders.
36. John morrison 1 Mar 2013
    This is essential to the island come and live here for a while and tell us what we don't know then
37. Mazz 1 Mar 2013
    Island life is penalised just because we live on an island. Why punish us more?! Absolutely ridiculous idea and typical for the southern isles (anywhere south of Lewis) of the Western Isles to get hit the hardest. Total disgrace and huge disappointment. This should not be allowed to happen!! Save the inter island flights!!
38. Donald MacKay 1 Mar 2013
    A shocking betrayal.
39. Ellen Bramwell 1 Mar 2013
    This service is badly needed in the islands and is worth subsidising and saving!
40. E.D'...... 1 Mar 2013
    Shocking!
41. Heidi McLean 1 Mar 2013
    This can and does save lives,why on earth would you decide to withdraw these services.Oh yes money just goes to show what a human life is worth now?.....
42. Jamie McIntosh 1 Mar 2013
    I do not mind 50 minutes on the 'plane.
43. Alistair Morrison 2 Mar 2013
    Native of South Uist. This service is imperative for the Islanders.Cutting this service will definatley cost lives, can you live with that??
44. Alex MacDonald 7 Mar 2013
    These councillors know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. I for one will not forget what they have done. at the next council elections.
45. David Milligan - a very Sovereign Scot 7 Mar 2013
    If we want Scotland to develop as an integrated independent country in the future, communications and transport links must be improved, not taken away, In my Scotland, the people of the island communities will be as much a part of my everyday life in Clydebank as someone who lives just down the road. The links between the islands are therefore doubly important.
    
    This is a piece of nonsense and independence can't come soon enough so that we can properly start "Project Scotland".
    
    Kindest regards,
    
    David Milligan
    - a very Sovereign Scot
46. Cathy Macinnes 7 Mar 2013
    These links are vital to the islands and to ensuring equity of opportunity and healthcare throughout the area. No one expects parity for rural & island areas with cities but some extra help to achieve reasonable standards must be the aim. To lose reduce these services is a very backward step.
47. Catherine Macneil 8 Mar 2013
    When Comhairle nan Eilean was established, the councillors of that time worked very hard to bring the Islands close together and I must applaud them in achieving this very competently by improving transport links throughout the Islands. The links ie public transport, better ferry links and better air links however, sadly there seems to be an element in our present Coucil who seem intent on reversing the good work done.By cutting the air service is this the first step?
48. Michael Maclean 8 Mar 2013
    It is about time those so called councillors, who voted against the inter island service, put there political views to one side. and help the people who elected them.
49. Roddy Currie 8 Mar 2013
    Typical council Bureaucrats they forget who they are in their jobs to serve and who money they use. It is never the case when they squander public tax payers money to serve there own ends. You'll never find a counciler in this day and age that will look for a more constructive solution to a problem instead they look for the quick fix that only serves their short term objectives. We the public elected you the western isle council to come up with better solutions than this, one that benefits everyone not your council careers. For once take a better look at all the options and find the correct solution and for once earn those over inflated pay packets you all cash without a thought to whether you have done you job right.
50. William C Blacker 8 Mar 2013
    This service should never been considered for a cut. It is a basic service that any island population should expect. The service needs to be protected from the panic reactions of councilors and officials until they have properly investigated the options. The council urgently need to reestablished their priorities for spending public funds on behalf of island people, and seek their support.