2x weekly Lahore-Islamabad-Birmingham-Toronto
They should consider something like this in 2011.
Will never happen. They have the B777LR for routes like this, and now do ISB-YYZ non stop. They only need to stop at MAN en-route to JFK purely as a customs formality, then it runs JFK-LHE non stop on the way back.
Also, Emirates should go three times daily next year, ahead of Manchester for once.
Whilst a 3rd daily will happen at some point, MAN has the larger pax base and larger business/first class demand, so whilst it sounds like Im bragging, MAN will get a 3rd daily before BHX does. Its also suggested MAN will get a 2nd A380 before BHX gets its first due to the F class demand.
I've heard that Qatar Airways are close to announcing BHX as a destination, in 2011
I think EDI might get a QR flight first. BHX has PIA/EK/W5 for sub-continent and middle east connections, whilst all of scotlands are concentrated at GLA. With EK being at GLA, they wil add a second daily there before expanding to EDI, so its likely QR will tap into this gap in the market.
Demand for a Chicago-Birmingham flight using American Airlines seems to be quite high,
Would it work though? If you look through history, BHX seems to have a hard time filling 2 daily frequencies to the USA. We had AA with 1 flight, then CO came, making 2, then AA left making 1. CO went 2 daily, then dropped back down to 1, then US came, making 2 flights a day, then left pretty much straight away making 1 flight with CO again.
I think BHX is too close to AA's Fortress Heathrow to make it work, especially if ORD gets a shuttle service the same as JFK.
that Manchester is now just a daily 757 in summer after years as a 763 does not fill one with hope
It was due to go back to a B763 but now we have a JFK flight, that has re-filled the gap that the downgrade from a B763-B752 created.
I'm not fully sure if Air India should operate 5 flights per day, that's a lot, it should just be a once or twice daily to start with, because demand is absolutely there (you should have heard about the campaign and petition earlier this year).
It seems despite the obvious demand, AI are not interested. Quite frankly, AI couldnt organise a pee up in a brewery, so maybe its time BHX concentrated on getting someone like jet airways, as they seem to be on the expansion iniciative lately. Jet is certainly who MAN is trying to get anyway.
Rome, Madrid, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Budapest, Prague year-round, Vienna, Athens & Lisbon
If BHX had worked hard at getting jet2, they could have had Rome, Budapest and Prague, as they seem to like serving them from MAN, and maybe BHX should work at getting TAP to Lisbon, as TAP seem to be expanding again. Quite surprised SAS dont serve Oslo, utilising connections and so on.
As for Madrid, hopefully once the BA/IB merger is fully incoroporated, IB might open the likes of MAN/BHX/GLA/EDI for a 'shuttle' type service similar to the MAN/GLA/EDI-LHR shuttles.