Dear Turkeys - Don't Vote for an Early Christmas!
Fellow PPRUNERS,
Let's all stick with the real world here. I'm sure some folks would dearly love the joy of shouting "Shove your flights!" to BA and BMI ... for about a day. Oh, the relief of all that anger and frustration. But then there would just be the small matters of reality and consequences to deal with.
If MAplc were to "retaliate" against BMI, what that actually means today is hacking off their new owners Lufthansa (a key Manchester partner) and by extension souring relations with Star Alliance. BMI Group itself remains a large operator at MAN (for now) even stripped of the long-hauls. The Star Alliance group of companies is one of MAN's best remaining avenues for successful growth going forward; how great an idea would it be declare hostilities against them now? Even BA/Oneworld still have some presence at MAN which the airport would be well advised to nurture. Short-term revenge measures will scupper any prospects for long-term business development with these partners in the future.
MAN needs to woo the remaining big players in our great industry. Groups such as Star Alliance must have the assurance that MAplc is a competent and professional partner upon which they can rely for support of their business. Then we may see growth initiatives in the future when economic conditions improve. If MAplc were now to make the mistake of throwing tantrums with their customers, years of goodwill and respect for the airport amongst airline professionals would be forfeited. I assure you that if MAplc chose to take on the Alliances in an adversarial stance, the airport would not emerge a long-term winner. MAN needs their business.
MAN has never fully recovered from the calamity ten years ago when they considered themselves too grand to work with no-frills carriers. If these rumours about London flight bans have any truth to them, then a mistake of similar magnitude is brewing now.
To the industry professionals: stop and THINK. To those who seek "retaliation": be careful what you wish for - you might get it. To the "chuck 'em out" cheerleaders: grow up - alot of good folks livelihoods are sacrificed based on crusades like this.
How about some constructive thinking instead? Lufthansa-backed BMI has decided that the A332's are needed at LHR. Sad, but tough. It's happened. But Lufthansa also own Swiss and a large slice of Brussels Airlines. Perhaps MAplc should make a case for a BRU-MAN-ORD service, or a ZRH-MAN-LAS service in the future? If Lufthansa buy into SAS, further opportunities could be proposed. Impress Lufthansa and Star Alliance with positive ideas for mutual benefit, not a knife in the back.
Cheers, SHED.