A football fan has revealed he’s set to travel to Wembley via Menorca to watch his beloved Sunderland’s playoff final because it's cheaper than getting the train or a bus from Newcastle to London.
James Jelly, 33, paid just £51 for plane tickets and an overnight stay in Spain ahead of Sunderland’s big game, after finding a flight from Newcastle to London would have cost him £161.99.
The plane journey to Menorca set him back only £12.50 while the return ticket to Stansted cost just £10.50.
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The die-hard Sunderland supporter said: "It's cheaper than getting the train.
“There's some out there that have been ridiculously priced. I looked up flights from Newcastle to Heathrow and it was £161.99 return and I thought 'I'm not paying that.'
"I looked further down the page and there was a return flight for £23 to Menorca with Ryanair so I thought why not.
"My mates were saying they had paid £200-£300 for their trip. The coach was £40. My fights were half the price and I get a nice little morning in Spain. It's the perfect weekend."
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The purchasing manager flies from Newcastle to Menorca on Thursday at 4:00pm and lands into London at 6:00pm on Friday for the bargain price of £23.
He explained that he’s only paying £28 for his hostel room and has organised a lift from London Stansted airport to Trafalgar square from another fan - and a ride home after the match.
The football fan's ticket to the highly-anticipated game, where his team will face Wycombe, was just £55 meaning the whole weekend has cost him under £100, almost £62 less than what his return ticket from Newcastle would have cost.
He added: "I'm really excited for it. They stand a good chance of winning, the feeling this time is that we will go up.
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"Sunderland have been allocated more tickets so we'll have by far the biggest backing and we're the favourites.
“But, it won't be a wasted trip down even if we do lose, I'll have a day in Spain."
James added that his cost-saving mission was partially spurred on by his impending wedding to fiancée Victoria Stewart, 34, in August.
He concluded: "She thinks I'm crazy." One man’s crazy is another’s ingenuity. Bravo!
Lisa McLoughlin