Legacies love MAN
The signs are that MAN is building on its long-standing patronage by legacies, and seeing the benefits of not going gung-ho down the lo-co (blind) alley.
Most mornings and evenings see 2 or 3 SAS aircraft together on Pier C. Lufthansas are in and out all day, with up to 4 on the ground together around mid-day. Interesting too that LH don't just feed their hubs at FRA and MUC, but serve point-to-points like MAN-HAM and MAN-STR, the sort of routes which BA couldn't make pay. The only mystery is why no Berlin (for any carrier)??
Legacies like TAP and Austrian, who left MAN a few years ago, are coming back. With pax traffic up 2% in November, the second successive monthly upturn, MAN looks set to regain its place at No.3 in the UK (STN sharply declining at present). A victory for publicly-owned enterprise, and a sensible, sustainable marketing strategy.