MANCHESTER - 8
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Stockport
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The problem is where is the one and half million passengers that are bypassing Manchester airport going and which airlines are they using and why are they choosing to use London airports. Placing a few adverts in strategic places around the South East corner Britain is unlikely to change there minds for when they next plan to fly.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 2,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Advertisement is never, ever straightforward.
A prime example is MOL at Ryanair.
What is the whole point of advertisement? For people to recognise the company surely? Who are we talking about now? Who are the newspaper talking about?
Compare the Meerkat is a cr*p advert in itself however it is arguably the best piece of promotional material since the Coca Cola Christmas advert.
A prime example is MOL at Ryanair.
What is the whole point of advertisement? For people to recognise the company surely? Who are we talking about now? Who are the newspaper talking about?
Compare the Meerkat is a cr*p advert in itself however it is arguably the best piece of promotional material since the Coca Cola Christmas advert.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Manila
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the proposition of the advertsing is "one stop to the world" almost every airport in the UK can offer that. Direct long haul remains limited forcing passengers to London for non stops or Euro and Middle East hubs. The facts are that passenger numbers are back to the levels of 10 years ago. We dont even have direct services to major European capitals. 18m fly but where are the 8m lost? I cant see this campaign changing things.
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: uk
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Personally I think the advertising campaign is to be applauded, well done the new MD.
An awful lot of potential passengers have absolutely no idea of the full range of long haul services from The UKs "Capital" provincial airport, fed as they are by the sterotypichal image that London is the "be all and end all".
...interestingly it is NOT just a few billboards, it is also targetted via email at CEOs / Senior Managers in an area of 25m people, North of Birmingham and West of Leeds.
There are more major cities within an hours drive of Manchesters catchment area than any other UK airport, located as it is, slapbang in the middle of the country, Manchester should by any "sensible measure" be their local international airport of choice.
An awful lot of potential passengers have absolutely no idea of the full range of long haul services from The UKs "Capital" provincial airport, fed as they are by the sterotypichal image that London is the "be all and end all".
...interestingly it is NOT just a few billboards, it is also targetted via email at CEOs / Senior Managers in an area of 25m people, North of Birmingham and West of Leeds.
There are more major cities within an hours drive of Manchesters catchment area than any other UK airport, located as it is, slapbang in the middle of the country, Manchester should by any "sensible measure" be their local international airport of choice.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London (Babylon-on-Thames)
Age: 42
Posts: 6,168
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Only LHR, LGW, MAN, BHX, GLA and NCL can offer that guarantee...
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 2,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DXB yes, but the others? What flight flies non-stop CDG to SYD? Or FRA for that matter?
Those are the destinations served from DXB, AUH and/or DOH...
Unless you don't count SYD as a major city?
Those are the destinations served from DXB, AUH and/or DOH...
Unless you don't count SYD as a major city?
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: BOH - UK
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
...interestingly it is NOT just a few billboards, it is also targetted via email at CEOs / Senior Managers in an area of 25m people, North of Birmingham and West of Leeds.
There are more major cities within an hours drive of Manchesters catchment area than any other UK airport, located as it is, slapbang in the middle of the country, Manchester should by any "sensible measure" be their local international airport of choice.
There are more major cities within an hours drive of Manchesters catchment area than any other UK airport, located as it is, slapbang in the middle of the country, Manchester should by any "sensible measure" be their local international airport of choice.
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 612
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As Going Loco points out, a contradiction could be read into MAN's latest advertising campaign. I read it as a sensible statement put with a touch of humour. We're seeing attrition now, as the always-suspect economics of mass low cost air travel are being questioned, even by one of the main protagonists - see the O'Leary thread elsewhere. Other than to traditional popular holiday destinations and one or two continental hubs, the North of England cannot sustain multiple departure points, the market is too small. Some centralisation is inevitable if direct links from this region to important worldwide destinations are to be maintained. If the northern market is fragmented, Heathrow or Amsterdam will be the main beneficiaries. The 1978 Airports White Paper had it about right, MAN is the gateway airport for northern England, just as Liverpool and Hull are the gateway sea ports. MAN will never rival Heathrow but can sustain direct services to key hubs worldwide if it can be allowed to attain critical mass. The 2003 White Paper which suggested that all UK airports can grow is flawed, as was most economic thinking at that time. MAN is still a publicly owned airport and is run for the public benefit. It still has amongst its stated aims to be run for the economic and social benefit of the region. Perhaps this public ownership should be wider-spread beyond just the immediate local authorities? That region could be the whole of the north of England. The surface links to MAN are already good, and they can get better. The North needs to act together and not like the feuding cities of medieval Italy. Some cities or regions are better placed to act in a certain capacity for the benefit of the whole of northern England. Each has a strength to offer. The privatisation of most airports has made such joined up thinking difficult, but not all may survive in their current form.
OLD RED DAMASK
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Lancashire born. In Cebu now
Age: 70
Posts: 368
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flew out to Zurich yesterday morning. Queued on T1 ramp for access to car park 10 mins.
Got into depature hall, jammed with what seemed like an endless queue going somewhere. Checked in and found said queue snaking around hall 3 times was for security. 30 mins to get through.
If security can't cope with high volumes, surely it is time that either flight times are staggered more or seperate security points, one for charter the other for scheduled.
Got into depature hall, jammed with what seemed like an endless queue going somewhere. Checked in and found said queue snaking around hall 3 times was for security. 30 mins to get through.
If security can't cope with high volumes, surely it is time that either flight times are staggered more or seperate security points, one for charter the other for scheduled.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Manchester has always been my local airport, I lived in Stockport all my life, I worked at the airport for 19 years for the airline that FlyBe took over. I then had a slight career change and moved to Nottingham.
My new venture sees me flying to destinations all around the world and living in Nottingham I have a big choice, European destinations can be found from EMA, STN, LTN, BHX, LBA, and MAN, I have used them all. I do many a long haul too and have used BHX, MAN and LHR on a regular basis.
After 2 years of using all of the above I will not use MAN again. Everything that has been said in previous posts is true. Queue's are everywhere you look whether outbound or inbound, baggage, security, passport control all take an age, (in my opinion BHX is just as bad).
For all my recent flights I have driven to LHR, easy to get to, easy to park, easy to get through security and easy to retrieve your luggage on return, oh yes and security staff actually smile!.
Unfortunatly all the ad campaigns in the world won't get me back to MAN.
My new venture sees me flying to destinations all around the world and living in Nottingham I have a big choice, European destinations can be found from EMA, STN, LTN, BHX, LBA, and MAN, I have used them all. I do many a long haul too and have used BHX, MAN and LHR on a regular basis.
After 2 years of using all of the above I will not use MAN again. Everything that has been said in previous posts is true. Queue's are everywhere you look whether outbound or inbound, baggage, security, passport control all take an age, (in my opinion BHX is just as bad).
For all my recent flights I have driven to LHR, easy to get to, easy to park, easy to get through security and easy to retrieve your luggage on return, oh yes and security staff actually smile!.
Unfortunatly all the ad campaigns in the world won't get me back to MAN.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Bolton,Lancs,UK
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Going loco
business leaders of Brum', Leeds, Liverpool.
That's not to say they they shouldn't keep trying.
Birmingham does better but even they are now losing long haul routes.
In my opinion Manchester is the only airport in the north west that has shown it can support long haul.
E.F.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 2,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A TATL route operated by CO/UA, DL, US or AA would work from Liverpool but considering it's proximity to MAN I cannot see it happening any time soon.
Bradford has probably the largest (% wise) Pakistani community in the UK - an EK A332 would probably work from LBA! Yet again I cannot see it happening when they are clearly falling deeply in love with MAN.
MAN complains that LHR takes it's passengers yet MAN takes a hell of a lot from LBA, LPL, GLA, EDI, BHX, EMA etc.
Bradford has probably the largest (% wise) Pakistani community in the UK - an EK A332 would probably work from LBA! Yet again I cannot see it happening when they are clearly falling deeply in love with MAN.
MAN complains that LHR takes it's passengers yet MAN takes a hell of a lot from LBA, LPL, GLA, EDI, BHX, EMA etc.
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Longhaul - LHR or MAN
There's also the cost issue as well. There is often a premium (call it something else if you like) when travelling from a regional airport on a longhaul flight. For example, when travelling to Singapore last year with SQ I found MAN fares to be approximately £100 more than the equivilent flights from LHR. As I'm between the two, the choice of LHR was quite simple really. That's aside from the fact that you're more restricted for options (airlines/routes/number of flights per day) when flying from somewhere that isn't LHR.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 2,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't think it's down to the 'regional' aspect, it's more due to supply and competition.
LHR is one of, if not THE most competitive long haul airport in the world so therefore SQ has be far more price competitive however good their hard/soft products are. Less supply=higher fares. Ask SRB...
EK at MAN is a prime example, as is SQ. Their prices are higher than they are from any other UK airport, the reason being that there simply isn't enough supply and they are able to get away with charging higher fares.
Simply take a look on EK's website and compare all UK dept points - I will almost guarantee that MAN has the highest fares, certainly in Y anyway...
If Oman, Gulf and, oh I don't know, Cathy, came into MAN, then fares would soon fall. Simple supply and demand.
LHR is one of, if not THE most competitive long haul airport in the world so therefore SQ has be far more price competitive however good their hard/soft products are. Less supply=higher fares. Ask SRB...
EK at MAN is a prime example, as is SQ. Their prices are higher than they are from any other UK airport, the reason being that there simply isn't enough supply and they are able to get away with charging higher fares.
Simply take a look on EK's website and compare all UK dept points - I will almost guarantee that MAN has the highest fares, certainly in Y anyway...
If Oman, Gulf and, oh I don't know, Cathy, came into MAN, then fares would soon fall. Simple supply and demand.
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: North, UK
Age: 67
Posts: 936
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I fly from Manchester on average at least twoce a month, and I cannot remember the last time there was a major queue at check in, security or immigration on return. I am no flying at non peak times either.
Maybe I am lucky or the others are unlucky but the same story can be true at all airports some of the time.
Maybe I am lucky or the others are unlucky but the same story can be true at all airports some of the time.
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: uk
Posts: 1,578
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Isn't this your 'wanting it both ways at once' logic rearing its head again. Spend months (years?) moaning about centralisation of air services in one place and how the regions are missing out. In the next breath, regions suddenly becomes region and you are making the case for centralising the services of half the country in Manchester. Do the politicians and business leaders of Brum', Leeds, Liverpool... really want this, or are they just as proud of their own regional identities are you are of Manchester's and would actually want to see their own airports develop - arguably at the expense of MAN. I'm not starting a willy waving war here - just pointing out the contradication.
Quite frankly it's prop estrous to compare Manchester to Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool etc, they are in the wrong location, they do not have the transport links and in some instances are limited by both demand and indeed capacity.
Based on major populations centres then yes for "half the country" Manchester is much more convenient.
Granted there will always be exceptions, of course there will be some niche services that will be successful but Manchester is the only credible platform that can support a wider range of LH services.
It is centrally located and can therefore attract passengers not just from Manchester, a massive provincial capital in its own right it can also attract pax from regions on the margins as well. It is the second most popular overseas inward destination outside London so the traffic is not just one way, that is another important factor. With three terminals and two runways and vast apron space, it has the infrastructure to cope.
The question is whether it can be made more "commercially attractive" in terms of fare structures etc and also whether it can break the perception of simply being classed as nothing more than a regional airport.
Quite frankly it's prop estrous to compare Manchester to Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool etc, they are in the wrong location, they do not have the transport links and in some instances are limited by both demand and indeed capacity.
Based on major populations centres then yes for "half the country" Manchester is much more convenient.
Granted there will always be exceptions, of course there will be some niche services that will be successful but Manchester is the only credible platform that can support a wider range of LH services.
It is centrally located and can therefore attract passengers not just from Manchester, a massive provincial capital in its own right it can also attract pax from regions on the margins as well. It is the second most popular overseas inward destination outside London so the traffic is not just one way, that is another important factor. With three terminals and two runways and vast apron space, it has the infrastructure to cope.
The question is whether it can be made more "commercially attractive" in terms of fare structures etc and also whether it can break the perception of simply being classed as nothing more than a regional airport.