BDLBOS, your reply speaks volumes I refer the readership to your rather silly second paragraph and the third which is in total denial of the historical fact.
Try reading the history of the route applications between 1945 and 1992 backed by the airportbut fought by and successfull defeated by BEA, BOAC and BA. Read how successful routes by SABENA and Aer Lingus, were stopped by the UK government at the behest of the state airlines.
In control of its own destiny? If you are going to make a point, base it on fact, not fantasy.
I tend not to dwell on the past, tend to focus on going forward. MAN does not have the monopoly of being abused in the way you describe, globally lots of airports were. BEA/BOAC had a base at MAN for services to North America and Europe, so they used tools available to them to stop competition. Lots of things changed when MAN got a good Management team with balls and drove the Airports image and status forward. This has given it the foundation it has today. Now we have things like open sky agreements, code sharing and alliances.
Is that better for the readership? Now should I mention some bad airports I visited in the last two weeks, have some hum dingers.
I think it will be good when MAN announces something on the Terminals, linking them and easy transit would be good.