Sir, I refer to Maggie Hartford's article in your newspaper, headed The end of cheap flights? (October 20), surely Dr Brenda Boardman and her team should be persuading Boeing, Airbus and all the other smaller aircraft makers to come up with a non-polluting engine (that I understand they are toying with the idea at the moment).

Just imagine those who have, at last, an opportunity to travel by air, thanks to the low-cost flights introduced by airlines, not clogging up the roads, say from London to Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, etc, saving another 100 or so cars on our roads. The capacity of people these aircraft can each carry, each flight. I hear them now say: "Well, they can switch to trains!"

Have you tried the rail services lately? Often cancelled, overcrowded carriages, or the old chestnut of delays because of leaves on the lines!

Rather than take us back to the days when only the rich few could afford air travel, let's not take away another choice of travel. There's less movement down there on the ground if we continue to fly and concentrate on what is really needed.

P. Berry, Oxford