Sorry to resurrect this tread after a month, but someone just emailed me a link to it asking about Manchester-GIB flights.
To confirm what FlyZB posted above, when they droped MAN-GIB Monarch did make a song and dance about landing fees.
The situation was that they were recieving a fixed term discount on landing fees for opening up a new route to give it time to establish itself.
And that discount period was about to finish.
Desptie themselves claiming the route had sucessfully established itself, they decided they'd try and push for a permanent drop in fees and not a return to what they had agreed they would return to. This didn't go down too well locally, since ZB refused to believe the Gib. govt. when they said they didn't set the landing fees, the MOD did.
Also they picked their fight a couple of years too early, as the MOD were just beggining to be really pushed for cost savings themselves and their discussions with GOG about options for efficiency savings were only just begining.
Anyway, it was a game of chicken, ZB really believed GOG+MOD would blink - and they didn't so ZB moved the route to XRY to save face.
When thinking about ZB loads and destinations you need to also remember they do very well from the expat market on a lot of their routes, infact their loyalty scheme is one of the best if you are a 'regular route traveller' - and they get lots of against the flow business becuase of this.
A lot of people in the GIB and near by Spain area would love to see the MAN-XRY service switched to MAN-GIB again - XRY is a real b****ard to get to and a complete no-no on public transport.
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The one very recent agreement worth of note is that MOD and GOG have agreed to adjust roles with regard to comercial contracts.
GOG will now set and collect and keep for itself the landing fees at GIB. With the cost of operting the airport during normal business hours now being split 50:50 between GOG and MOD. With any party requiring periods of excessive usage (i.e. a larger end of the scale MOD excersise period) paying for it. GOG will totally meet the costs of evening civilian operation (MOD in such periods would be client).
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Roll on the new terminal by end 2008.
GOG insist GIB will not become a free-for-all, and I believe them. Therefore don't look for Ryanair etc, being allowed in. Smaller operators perhaps, even LCC - providing they allow sales through the global sales systems and END-ON-ENDS etc would be the ideal operators.
It would be nice to have ZB on another route, since they are here for LTN and I'd be amazed if they dropped that one unless actually forced out.
Last edited by TheQuietLife; 30th Jul 2007 at 22:12.