Mr Mac, are you sure it wasn't OLT Express who pulled away last minute and not Jet2? I'm pretty sure Jet2 historically announce new bases early-mid September..
As for Spotty M, as I posted earlier, according to members of FoLa Vantage have highlighted that LBA and MAG are 'paying airlines to fly from them, and are cynical of the longevity of such a setup'.. I would suggest that with Monarch having announced a base at LBA then that may have been one of those airlines directly refered to.
I dont believe for a minute that LBA or MAN would pay an airline to fly from them, with MAN supposidly having a policy of no less than £3 per passenger levied on the airlines. What it may be is favourable subsidies for marketing and such, something I understand is one of the most expensive aspects of airlines launching new routes.
With Peel Holdings retaining ownership of much of the land at DSA (same at LPL?) then I suppose there is little scope for alternative revenue sources available to Peel Airports. Therefore the days of the 'Peel Deal' over?