"We have been told throughout this thread that the railways are good enough to get people from all over the north to MAN. Obviously, as you have outlined, this is not the case and a short shuttle flight, in comfort with bags already checked is a much better option"
Well you have surpassed yourself phead.
What your paragraph above has got to do with a lack of investment in eg Liverpool Leeds rail is anybodies guess . What I outlined was the appalling state of Northern infastructure structure. Nothing more, Nothing less , The End.
Meanwhile back in the real world Willie Walsh is scathing describing the cost of Heathrow Rw3 as outrageous.
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/305619/heathrow-runway-cost-outrageous-says-iags-willie-walsh
He is quite rightly deluded is he not phead.