It weakens the case for LHR R3, which is founded on the 'there's only one hub for the UK' argument. Airports like MAN, with a vast range of destinations and airlines but no major hub operator, are well-placed to benefit from this emerging trend. He says, as 105 passengers join Thomas Cook's MAN-Seattle flight yesterday from a range of UK and EU connection
Not sure about this Bagso.....er Navpi from East Anglia (!)
Not a single carrier or Alliance pushes a major focus on connections through MAN although of course some are offered. Comparisons with Dublin need to be taken with the realisation DUB has a based flag carrier and a feeder fleet of both mainline and franshise partners as well as Ryanair to EI unprotected connections being not uncommon. MAN has no such anchor tennant, indeed Thomas Cook have done remarkably well in having so many people connecting on long haul holiday flights (be interesting to see from which airline that 105 connected from), but comparisons with Heathrow are even less valid. STAR ALLIANCE even have their own branded terminal at T2 connecting AC, UA, TG, AI, BR etc to Europe with an existing critical mass. MAN should and could do better on connecting flights but without a based carrier, it won’t amount to anything that resembles a real hub, anymore than Gatters will, and that’s not a criticism as I am huge fan of both airports. (OK not MAN T3 as it just stresses me out enormously....)