Why does MAN need to expand anyway? It's inefficient for UK PLC - better to have a better spread of destinations from a better spread of UK airports. That will reduce long journeys from the regions to MAN, as people can instead go to their own airports. The market seems to be driving to that conclusion - now MAN is no longer really a monopoly as its neighbours are growing well e.g. LPL.
Hmm - monopolies: BT, British Gas - what happened to them? Contraction and losses. Even the NHS has competition, and people pay twice there (NI plus private insurance premiums).
All this debate is based on the presumption that growth is good. Is it? Discuss.
My view is that MAN should focus on
- streamlining its process chain from home to plane and plane to home
- improving its service levels and attitudes to customers
- reducing queues
- improving maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime
- reducing its costs to allow service partners to pay their front line staff more money so that they can retain more of them and avoid queues due to inadequate manning levels
- controlling the number of airfield service partners through licensing, to improve ramp efficiency and safety by reducing congestion, and also to reduce price-led competition, which drives down wages (see above)
Then its reputation will increase, market forces will prevail, passengers will increase and profit will follow.