I read somewhere recently that Mr Branson (who still hasn't apologised for his part in the air price fixing mess) was offering free train tickets for people traveling from Manchester to London by air.

So, when it came to me traveling to Exeter last weekend at fairly short notice I looked on the VT website for the price of a single ticket (as I was getting a lift back.

£120. I honestly thought that my mate Richard was taking the piss. It costs me £35 (14p per mile) to lug half a ton of metal with a 2 litre engine that distance and for that I get privacy, my choice of music on the onboard radio, toilet stops at real toilets rather than the curious potties that he has, and I'll get there faster.

All in all he was expecting me to fork out 48p per mile with no guarantee of a seat, 5 hours of tedium and delays and the opportunity to sit in a carriage overrun with bored kids and mobile wielding morons.

So, looking around I fell across Flybe's website who advertised the same journey on the same day at £40. For this I got to sit on comfy seat, a 35 minute trip and feeling a lot less stressed! And all this for 16p per mile.

I understand that it is more environmentally friendly to travel by train than plane, but not at any cost! And so long as Flybe are more competitive than Virgin Trains then I know how I'll be traveling!

But Richard Branson has both a train company and an airline, so how the hell does he have rings run round him by a smaller company? Deserves to lose his CrossCountry Franchise!