AS MI6's top secret agent he might have expected a luxury private jet, complete with shag-pile carpets and reclining leather seats with supermodel-esque attendants on hand to cater for his in-flight demands.

However, in this new age of austerity it seems even 007 has been forced to tighten his designer belt.

James Bond star Daniel Craig endured signficantly less generous legroom and a shakier Vodka Martini as he flew out of Glasgow on budget airline Jet2.

The 43-year-old actor added a touch of glamour to economy air travel after a day's filming in the Highlands for new Bond movie Skyfall.

He was joined by Dame Judi Dench, who plays his spy boss M, director Sam Mendes and more than 100 crew members. It is believed the actors were bound for Istanbul for the next leg of filming on a plane chartered by Pinewood Studios.

Craig, 43, and Dench, 77, spent Thursday filming in Glencoe with the 3353ft mountain Buachaille Etive Mor providing a stunning backdrop.

Bond author Ian Fleming loved the area and wrote that the spy's father Andrew hailed from Glencoe.

Director Mendes is thought to be keen to connect with Bond's roots for the 23rd film in the series and the producers are also rumoured to have visited the Dalness Estate, which once belonged to Fleming's family.

Filming took place about an hour's walk from the A82 in near-freezing conditions, on a trail which was closed to the public for the day and closely guarded by police officers from Northern Constabulary.

Bond – dressed in a sharp grey suit, blue shirt and blue tie – and M – wearing a purple three-quarter length coat – were seen chatting next to a single track road in a misty glen.

Local hotels in the area enjoyed a welcome boost to February trade with the Isle of Glencoe and the Ballachullish Hotel accommodating most of the film crew.

They had been on location for a couple of days setting up beforehand, but Craig and Dench were only in Scotland for the day.

Racing driver and stuntman Ben Collins – who outed himself as Top Gear's "The Stig" in 2010 – was also spotted behind the wheel of a vintage Aston Martin on the set.

The Clachaig Inn capitalised on the starry invasion by tweeting "Over 250 malts, 15 cask ales, 2 Scottish lagers. But no martini, shaken or stirred."

Glencoe has proved a popular location for movie producers, seduced by the other-worldly mountain scenery.

Much of the Harry Potter series was filmed there and, more recently, Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson literally stopped traffic on the A82 as she filmed scenes for her new movie, Under the Skin.

Other films shot in the area have included Highlander, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Rob Roy. Local businesses hope the Bond connection will spark a fresh wave of film tourism.

One member of staff from Glencoe Ski Centre said: "It's nice when things like this happen. It is usually when the movie comes out that people visit, to see where it has been made.

"I know Fort William did really well out of Braveheart.

"I think the girls in the ticket office saw Daniel Craig. I didn't really notice, we were too busy running a ski centre.

"Some of the crew camped in the car park but they didn't disrupt anything."

A spokeswoman for Glasgow Airport said: "Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench flew out of Glasgow at 9pm on Thursday on a Jet2 airline chartered by Pinewood Studios..

"Sam Mendes spent some time in the Skylounge. Daniel Craig and Dame Judi had tickets but declined.

"The crew arrived on Wednesday but Daniel Craig made his own way to Glasgow."

Skyfall is the third Bond film to shoot in Scotland. Parts of the Faslane naval base were used in The Spy Who Loved Me, while Eilean Donan Castle was a secret MI6 base visited by Pierce Brosnan in The World is Not Enough.

The latest instalment will also be filmed in Shanghai and London and is due out in October.