Rufus,
Have we not been round this whole hotel stay thing before. The service is aimed and timed to appeal to the guys on the rigs, they arrive in ABZ around Lunch time, so perfect time for a transfere to BLK.
There is no Hotel stay unless you are a non oil person travelling, and they will be relatively low in numbers I would guess. The frequency has been delivered according to what the oil companies have asked for!
prices are comparable with the train, but take an average of 6 hours less. You could get a flight to manchester but then you would havea 2 hour train journey (or 1.25 - 1.5 drive) back to Blackpool. The prices may be high for the leisure market, time will tell.
The A2B service will see lead in fares c.£30 each way + tax, so I understand.