Sorry A300boy, you are making so many assumptions, most of which are incorrect. The way long haul patterns are constructed, it is almost certain that the crew were NOT Manchester based. Also, they would NOT be doing the positioning flight LBA-MAN, so wherever they landing, they would be going into a hotel, before positioning to base the next day....ie purely an operational, safety related decision to divert, nothing to do with crew convenience. There is much more to commercial aviation than is obvious in Spotter Central.
(and, to be honest, landing at LBA I would far rather be driving a 757/767, because with eight braked mainwheel units, they stop far more impressively than a 737)
Last edited by Moondance; 15th Dec 2008 at 14:26.