Wouldnt say it is that strange although I am suprised it was Monarch Scheduled. I can only talk about BLK I'm not sure about the other 2 but BLK have been very successful in pulling in the pax for their 3 FR destinations. BLK has a good catchment area which includes the City of Preston(15miles away), Blackburn, Southport and a good few towns South of Preston on the way to MAN not to mention the area which covers the Lake District and all the Fylde coast. I would also bare in mind the flights are a 2 way street, Spanish who want to visit the NW will also use it. Just my opinion anyway.