Bagso
Circumstances are quite different.
In the SQ example, it was government policy not to allow them to fly to MAN (with backing of course from BA). During internal discussions the Government refused several times to change this. Hence the public naming and shaming.
In the current example, it is NOT (yet!) Government policy to use BHX as an overflow to London and the South East. It is just an idea some politicians have had which on the face of it seems a simple solution. Of course it isn't as simple as that as numerous posters have explained. Boris still supports what someone amusingly described as Boris Island Airport in the Thames estuary but that is not surprisingly running into a load of flack, so here is a simple solution to help him as he supports not expanding LHR. The BHX option may or may not appear in the consultation document - in fact I'm sure it will.
The consultation on UK Aviation policy will be held this year and during this process I'm sure MAG will put its case in discussions and written submissions. Now is not the time to be going public and I'm sure a public statement of MAG's position will be made in due course.
Even if the BHX solution becomes policy, I do not believe it will do much harm to MAN's position anyway - unless the White Paper says no more expansion at MAN
- that then will be the time to go ballistic in the press and elsewhere. But I can't believe that constraining MAN will be suggested as it is madness not to use spare capacity everywhere it can be used
What about BHX. Firstly, the High speed rail will not be completed until 2026 at the earliest. Before then with capacity constraints biting in the SE airlins will be looking for alternatives and MAN has to be one to be looked at.
Secondly the Government cannot force airlines to go to BHX -it would not only be illegal and open to challenge but would also leave the UK open to retailatory action as has been pointed out earlier.
If and when the high speed line gets to BHX, it will undoubtedly become a more attractive alternative for some pax from the south east. But the airlines are still only going to go where they see an opportunity and MAN still has a very good chance of continuing to pick up some extra business. In fact there is an argument that says more passengers from 'oop North routing over continental hubs or on direct flights releases valuable spare capacity at LHR to be used by those who need it.
Suzeman