The new 9000-space car park off Ringway Road / Styal Road is only partially operational at this point. The aim is to have it fully open in around three weeks from now, in time for May. It remains to be seen whether any further apron stands will be released back to airside use, as MAG has a rolling plan to withdraw some original parking areas earmarked for 'Airport City' development.
Moving on to Transatlantic services. Remote observers often have a false idea of the amount of leverage airport operators can apply in their dealings with airlines. In the case of a long-haul service, the proportion of the overall cost represented by use of an airport at one end of the route is relatively small. An airport company can provide good service, a supportive attitude and an amenable fees regime. But the truth is that even if they accommodated the airline completely free of charge, this would not represent a substantial percentage reduction in the overall cost of operating a long-haul route. And of course, airports cannot let airlines operate for nothing (except perhaps for an introductory period). They are businesses which need to cover their costs as a minimum and hopefully enjoy a margin of profit on top. In reality, the airline companies hold the aces; the airports try to keep them sweet. There is little the airport operator can do to force the agenda in negotiations with an established airline.
Whilst MAN has no chance of telling UAL/AAL/DAL what to do, they must at least retain cordial relations to maintain the status quo. Beyond that, they can of course woo potential new operators. Perhaps the Thomas Cook initiative is evidence of movement in that direction. And I hate to move into the realms of 'Hainan-style' speculation, but a fifth-freedom operation with an Asian carrier continuing westbound cannot be ruled out. QTR/SIA/UAE have all been the subject of recent speculation relating to this. Certainly, if an incumbent carrier is keeping margins high by strangling available capacity on a core route, the interest of an enterprising competitor could be drawn.
Skipness - Thankyou for your response. My earlier question to you can be summarised as follows: At what price point (both in direct costs and considering additional expense required for external supporting infrastructure) do you believe that LHR R3 becomes too prohibitively expensive to pursue? There has to be a number above which alternative options, however sub-optimal operationally, become the only sensible course of action from a financial perspective.