As Flybe’s plane flew closer to Newquay airport, Heather Hollands said she was always surprised at how quickly the hour-long journey from Heathrow passed. At that point, the captain announced that BE2184 was rerouting to Bristol.

While the plane hovered above Newquay before redirecting, the government continued crisis talks on how to help ensure the survival of the Exeter-based airline – which has much bigger problems than tricky Cornish weather. And while the airline’s future appeared to have been secured on Tuesday night after ministers said they had reached a deal with shareholders, there was little doubt that turbulent skies still lay ahead.

With one argument advanced for saving the airline in recent days that it provided an indispensable link from urban centres to remote areas such as Newquay, not every passenger agreed that they would have no alternative to flying. Hollands, 57, who was planning on visiting a friend in Newquay, said the airline should be saved because “it’s so much quicker and easier than driving down or by going by train”.

After disembarking from the plane at Bristol airport, she was still supportive of the airline, but added: “I’m just wondering how long the journey is going to be to get to Newquay airport and I need a cigarette.”

Peter Grace, 66, who is from the UK but now lives in California, said: “I’ve had worse things happen. When they initially told us we’re going to go to Cardiff, I thought that’s really bad. At least here it’s straight down the M5. I presume this has happened before so Flybe will look after us.”

Grace was supportive of the government stepping in to help the airline and warned that failure to do something could “damage the community”. Last year, the government announced it would be subsiding the air link between Newquay airport and Heathrow. “I’d really like the subsidy to Newquay to continue. It’s a vital link to the outside world and Cornwall is such a long way away,” Grace added.

Michael Brown, 47, said he was initially “incredibly stressed” when he heard the plane was going to be redirected, but was feeling relatively calm as he waited for a coach at Bristol airport. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said before laughing, “I was initially panicked, but it could be worse.” He booked the flight to “get away” from London and spend a few days with his sister. “I’m coming back Sunday, [Flybe] might be gone by then.”

There were some business travellers who said the link was essential. Josh Bates, 28, said: “I work in a hotel in Newquay and I’m on a training programme in London so I come up and use this flight every month really.

“I think it’s incredibly important for me, but I’m actually more aware it’s quite important for Cornwall to have this connection. We’re so far removed from the country; train services aren’t the best from Cornwall and driving takes five hours. With the flight, I can literally be from my house to London in two hours.”

Another business traveller, who wished to remain anonymous, said she made the journey once a month and described it as “vital” for her job. When asked how she felt about the airline closing, she said: “I’m very stressed about it because it really is my lifesaver. It means I can get to meetings at the right time without having to be on trains for many hours.”

But environmental groups argue that such benefits are limited and must be set against the wider consequences of bailing the airline out. “The government cannot claim to be a global leader on tackling the climate emergency one day, then making the most carbon-intensive kind of travel cheaper the next,” said Greenpeace’s chief scientist, Doug Parr.

Even as protests across the country have raised awareness about climate catastrophe and the extent of air travel as a contributing factor is highlighted, passengers were still drawn to the convenience and price of flying to Newquay. Some argued train journeys, which can take more than six hours, were too expensive and long.

Edwina Mckintosh, 59, had spent more than 10 hours flying from Grenada to visit friends in Newquay and felt choosing the service was a no-brainer. She said: “They were giving me options on how to get there; by coach, which is practically all day, or by train, which is a good few hours, and if you flew it was only an hour – if everything goes to plan!”