Dear MAG
PR Team,
Now I realise that you probably don't post on a public forum like PPRuNe. Contractual restrictions and all that. Well, fair enough. But Hey … you do check in on us regularly to read what we're all saying about you, don't you? Yes, of course you do! And I am so pleased that you do, because I have some ABSOLUTELY AWESOME NEWS to break to you! Have you got a Magnum of Champagne handy? Well put it on ice now, because I promise you this news is so good you will have to celebrate it immediately!
Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Tomorrow morning at approximately 07:50 local time, a large, shiny Boeing 777-300ER will land at Manchester Airport with its eyecatching gold cheatline glistening brightly in the dawn sunshine! That aircraft will be linking the Far East directly with Manchester Airport (with a short stop at Munich en route). Well, we did say 'direct' as opposed to 'non-stop'. And then at around 09:10 local time, that same Boeing 777-300ER will depart Manchester Airport en route directly to the Far East again.
But the good news has only just begun. Because every day thereafter … and I mean DAILY, 7 DAYS PER WEEK until further notice, exactly the same thing will happen! Now is that great news or what? I think its AWESOME!!! But, I hear you ask, will this service be a boon to North-West exporters? Yes, it will! The Boeing 777 has great cargo uplift capability! Will it support jobs across the region? Indeed it will … you can count on it! Will it be a massive plus for North-West travellers bound for the Far East (and beyond to Australia and New Zealand). Too right it will!!!
So break out that Champagne and celebrate! This is AWESOME news for Manchester Airport!
Now I realise you must be very puzzled, so I'll put you out of your misery now. Hey, I'm such a tease! Yes, the inbound flight number is SQ328 and the outbound number is SQ327. DAILY. DIRECT TO THE FAR EAST!!! It's all true. Go and check. It is even showing on the 'arrivals' page of the Manchester Airport website! Awesome or what? Go on, swig some more Champagne!
Oh, by the way, about the launch date of this direct scheduled service to the Far East. It was actually around TWENTY EIGHT YEARS AGO. Yes, that is correct. SINGAPORE AIRLINES HAS OPERATED DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN MANCHESTER AIRPORT AND THE FAR EAST FOR APPROXIMATELY 28 YEARS!!! No pullouts, no interruptions, ever reliable. Through the good times and the tough times. They've never let us down. They've watched dozens of other airlines come and go. They've watched other long-haul carriers succeed and fail at Manchester. But SIA are still here. Still doing a great job.
But, Manchester Airport
PR Team, you break out the Champagne and celebrate this amazing coup for Manchester Airport. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT IT, DID YOU???
Last week, the PM himself was briefed that 'prodigal son' Cathay Pacific Airways will in December launch "Manchester's first direct service to the Far East". And also last week, the Manchester Evening News published two articles asserting the same. Now I know that at least two regulars on this board subsequently contacted MEN Business Editor Adam Jupp to point out this error. Yet today, April 14th, the MEN Business section has published a third article which refers to the forthcoming Cathay service as Manchester's first direct link to the Far East. I guess they mean apart from the one which has been running uninterrupted for 28 years already, operated by Manchester's longest established long haul carrier. Maybe the journos had a heavy weekend. Such things have been known to happen.
Now here's the thing when you hire a
PR type. Yes, it is important that they are warm, smiley, and look great representing MAG at industry gatherings in their finest glad rags. And it is really helpful if they can string sentences together coherently and work wonders with shorthand. But there is another essential: it really helps to know a bit about the subject you're there to promote. And if you don't know the subject, don't be afraid to ask someone who does. I assure you, there are personnel at Manchester Airport who are aware that Singapore Airlines serves this airport. Just ask around!
Of course, some mistakes are understandable. Everybody makes 'em. For example, that stuff about EasyJet's service from Manchester to Moscow being the first ever scheduled service between the two cities. We'll overlook that one, because Aeroflot's SU249/250 schedule ended many years ago. But to completely overlook an EXISTING daily scheduled long-haul service when briefing the media and even the Prime Minister himself … well, that is just beyond dumb. And the MEN is still pushing out this incorrect line days later. How bad is that? For goodness sake, MAG, spread the message yes … we've all been pestering you to do that … but PLEASE GET IT RIGHT! And if you don't, at least correct the error quickly.
So this is where we are now. Your lack of awareness of Manchester's longest-serving, most loyal long-haul carrier has seriously undermined their standing in the region's consciousness. You apparently didn't know that the Singapore Airlines daily flight existed. Now, you have the Business Editor of the MEN pushing the same misinformation three times in the last week alone. You have done damage here, and you need to put it right. Manchester Airport's ability to retain existing scheduled services has been found somewhat wanting in the past. I suspect that the
PR Department having no clue about what long-haul services we already have (let alone promoting them) is a big part of that problem. Let's buck things up a bit. Go home and have a good study of Manchester's existing portfolio of carriers and services. And when you are about to compile a press release, do a bit of homework first. Why not tap the knowledge of afew of the old-timers? Have we ever had a service to Moscow before? Do we have a scheduled service direct to the Far East already? It isn't difficult to find out these things.
Now, about SINGAPORE AIRLINES. I think you owe them one BIG APOLOGY. So grab that Magnum of Champagne I told you to put on ice and take it down to Singapore Airlines' Manchester office. Then, open it and share it with them. And sit and chat with them for an hour. Learn just how valuable their daily service is to this region. Then, to reaffirm your appreciation of their contribution to Manchester Airport's success, why don't you buy one of those giant chocolate Easter Eggs and inscribe it: "To Singapore Airlines. In Grateful Recognition of 28 Years Uninterrupted Direct Scheduled Service Between Manchester and The Far East. Lots of Love and Sloppy Kisses!!! From MAG." Send a photo of the presentation for inclusion in the 'Manchester Evening News'. And maybe you could plan a joint publicity campaign with SIA through your media outlets, Faceplant, Twotter and the like (PPRuNe software converts the real names to read 'PPRuNe'). A goodwill gesture, and a nice bit of damage limitation.
Because if you don't show existing carriers such as SIA a bit of love and appreciation (beginning by knowing they exist), there is a competitor airport down the road anxious to fill its newly extended runway. Ideally with a new direct service to the Far East. I can think of one such which would do them very nicely. And if the Business Editor of the Birmingham Evening Mail was told about it, I'm sure he wouldn't have forgotten the details three days later, either.
Get moving, MAG
PR. You've got bridges to rebuild!!!
PS. The headline was written in capitals. I wonder why the PPRuNe software has converted it to lower-case lettering?