Dear Reader

ITV’S Good Morning Britain invited me on to the show yesterday — and then stood me down. I’d had a haircut, too.

The idea was to talk about France’s decision to ban all domestic flights where there is a train alternative of less than 2.5 hours. Could such a thing ever happen here?

I’m not big on banning things and would prefer a more collaborative approach, not least because the Government and airlines have been at war thoughout the pandemic. Furthering hostilities seems reckless.

The likes of easyJet already tend not to fly within the UK if there is an alternative taking less than four hours — and the banning argument would have more clout if we could rely on trains to run properly.

What’s more, only about 38 per cent of the UK rail network is electrified, the rest running on diesel — and even electric trains do not always operate on renewable electricity.

I’m not big on government quangos either, but the Jet Zero Council, made up of politicians and the CEOs of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic et al, is working to accelerate the rate of emission reductions.

Biofuels, industrial waste, hydrogen, synthetic kerosene and fully electric engines are all in the mix — and it’s in the airlines’ interests to be investing in sustainable aviation fuels.

Mind you, the Chancellor’s decision to cut Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights while increasing the levy on long haul to countries such as Japan and Australia (Uluru pictured), came as a surprise. Regional airports have welcomed the changes; long-haul operators deplore it.

It’s hard to get a grip of where we’re heading. Everything seems upside down. The Conservatives have a tax and spend chancellor of whom Harold Wilson would be proud; Paul McCartney not John Lennon wrote A Day In The Life and Mark Zuckerberg thinks changing the name of his company will shift focus from Facebook’s various scandals.

It’s enough to make you pay that extra duty and jet off to Java.