Last time I was in this terminal, a couple of years ago or thereabouts, was not long after it opened. It’s far busier today than it was then, though the large number of seats means that it’s still easy to rest one’s feet.

I’m here today for a domestic flight, which probably makes me an environmental disaster. I did come down to London this morning by train, but the cost of a train journey back up to Newcastle today was almost twice the cost of the flight. Even though it isn’t me paying, I feel uncomfortable spending others’ money unnecessarily, so I made the cost-conscious choice.

Train travel’s both more convenient and more environmentally friendly, but the crazy train fare pricing structure priced it out of the market for me today. That’s something that should be rebalanced. Why not impose a rail levy on all domestic flights to support development of the more sustainable form of transport and reduce ticket prices on trains? There may be good reasons why that doesn’t happen, but perhaps it’s worthy of consideration?