Mum flies 1,300 miles to Manchester via Spain to get new car as it’s cheaper than the train

A frugal woman flew over 1,300 miles to Manchester via Malaga to pick up her new car because it was cheaper than getting a train.

Kristina Coulson needed to travel 270 miles from her house in Cornwall to near Crewe, Greater Manchester to collect a motor.

Faced with a £200 one-way train journey, she looked for other options.

After some research, the support worker found it only cost £54 to fly from Newquay to Malaga and then back to Manchester (and for the return home, she’d have the new Skoda).

So Kristina, 43, and her husband Dan Coulson, 50, packed their bags and caught their flight to the south of Spain earlier this month.

They spent the day there then flew back and spent the night in a hotel near the car, then drove home.

They spent £54 each on flights and £45 for a hotel – a total cost of £153, which was still significantly less than the train, even with accommodation.

The grandmother, from Lansallos, Cornwall, said: ‘A bit of good came from something bad – the car accident and having to sort out a car – as it sent me in the direction of sunshine on my way to pick up a new car.

‘Everything was on time – it was just lovely and easy.

‘On a flight you are guaranteed a seat – you don’t have to stand up for hours on the train and it is quicker.’

Kristina was hit by a drunk driver on December 12 in Devon which meant she had to buy a new vehicle.

Although she didn’t suffer any injuries from the crash, she explained it has ‘made things difficult’.

Kristina said: ‘It caused a lot of aggravation that didn’t need to be caused.

‘Luckily I was checked over and nothing was broken and I went home several hours later.

‘Having been hit by a drunk driver I’m not in a position to buy what I wanted but for now the car I’m getting is enough.

‘So I got a Skoda Yeti in Crewe.’

Her flight arrived into Malaga just after 12pm and cost £19.

The flight back to Manchester was set for 10pm and arrived just after midnight, costing £35.

The pair slept in the airport hotel for £45 and on the next day they picked up their new vehicle.

‘It is a bit of an out there idea – I haven’t heard anyone doing it just to pick up a car,’ she said.

‘I once stood up for nearly seven hours although I paid for a seat I couldn’t actually sit down on.

‘You are guaranteed a seat in the airplane – kill two birds with one stone and at least you can sit down and relax when you’re travelling.’

While waiting to pick up her car Kristina made the most out of her trip to Malaga – enjoying the sun, food and drinks.

‘It was quite a little adventure. Positive fun which has come from a few weeks of nightmares and phone calls,’ she said.

‘We had a couple of beers, food and we just enjoyed being on the sun for a bit – it was 18 degrees and we did 11 miles of walking.

‘We did a lot of exploring while we were there.’

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