Transatlantic flights
A New York service sounds good in theory, but this sort of fragmentation of traffic across UK airports which are too close together in a small country benefits no-one once the economic circle has turned fully about. If LBA gets a New York service, no doubt there'll be fanfares and low fares and much civic rejoicing - for about a year. Then the marginal nature of the route will become apparent and it will be dropped, taking with it the remaining few transatlantics out of MAN, which will have suffered market leeching. The North of England will thus lose its remaining New York services and we'll all have to go to London or connect over AMS/CDG. There is only room for one viable long-haul gateway to serve the north of England. It's Manchester, or else it's London.