I share the frustration of less than daily schedules.
Those of us who have to fly off on aeroplanes to earn a living will have little flexibility on dates of travel and you just can't hang around for an extra day or two until a flight operates to MAN.
Worse still, when going through a preferred agent, as I have to do with some of my clients, no amount of hand holding will help get you on that flight from MAN. I remember a couple of years ago when wanting to go to Atlanta in the winter, I was told in a very clear manner by the agent that there are no flights between MAN and ATL - at all - a simplistic assumption was made due to the flight being non-op on the day I wanted. The agent made strenuous efforts to get me to fly MAN-AMS-ATL starting on that hideous 5.55am departure. Grim.
Another anecdote involves a friend who is a regular on CX who has been making the trip for years and for whom the non-stop has been a godsend. He said to me just last week how great it was......'but the trouble is you have to come back via Heathrow'
I would say the priority for the MAN route development team in the next 2-3 years is getting the rest of the long-haul portfolio up to year round daily (leisure routes excepted). I'm talking Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington etc - and now Singapore....hope it does revert to daily in the summer.