RE your stories (Echo, Jan 6 and 7) about the Thomson flight from Alicante being diverted from Leeds Bradford Airport to Newcastle Airport and then to Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA). I am appalled at the complete lack of common sense applied by the airline and the airport.

Newcastle is further away from Leeds Bradford than DTVA.

Buses from Newcastle would have to pass quite close to DTVA in order to reach Leeds and yet passengers were imprisoned on a plane at DTVA to be flown away from their ultimate destination.

Can this possibly be the work of an office in London where staff don’t actually know where any of these places are? Or some jobsworth who thinks that if you are diverted to Newcastle then that is where you go, come hell or high water?

Thank goodness for “disruptive” passengers. I am fully on their side, and I’m glad the pilot finally saw sense and allowed them to get off the plane.

I hope that Thomson learn something from this debacle.

Yvonne Benn, Burneston, Bedale, North Yorkshire.