This is what distorts the Manchester market. Despite really good loads on the majority of longhaul ex MAN it's an uphill battle.
I'm calling misleading on that. The days when LHR was holding back MAN are over, there's squat diddly holding back MAN long haul from making a go if it, see the recent discussion on bi-laterals that's once we got into some detail showed the often talked about problems were overstated.
Thai are full of c***, they have car-crash fleet planning, parked expensive A345s they're still paying for, A380s for some reason and much like Malaysian, seem to lose money flying twice daily to LHR. Market share isn't the problem stopping them launching MAN-BKK, it's Emirates and loyal and savvy clientele. Booking MAN-YYZ on Rouge is not LHR's fault, it's Air Canada's split personality, like QANTAS/ Jetstar, these loco spin offs are hard to make work, especially when lead in fares from MAN with Rouge are more expensive than Air Canada mainline over LHR. Go figure!
So, the reason they want you to shuttle to LHR is not because, they couldn't make money from Manchester -but they need you to support their often "struggling" LHR operation.
Who's the target here? BA? AC? Struggling LHR? Oh for the love of....
So in all seriousness, what's your practical solution here? Outlaw AC connection pax over MAN-LHR-Canada or insist VS open up MAN-JFK as their own LHR operation is struggling? Odd how some non-LHR fixated airline hasn't moved into address this surely? Unless it's not actually an opportunity at all.
For most commercial minded airlines, there's no point in hanging onto LHR slots if you can't make money there. If they could make more money flying out of MAN, they'd sell up LHR and move North, not everyone is clinging onto them for prestige like the old school African and Far East carriers used to.