MANCHESTER - 9

[pwalhx]

20 minutes to get through immigration how awful, and I complained about 2 hours at Chicago.

[kieb92]

Thomas Cook Expansion

Looking at Thomas Cook schedules it appears they are expanding short haul operations from MAN next summer. They are also basing a leased A320 too presumably from Smartlynx/Avion Express:

- Lanzarote 3-4 weekly - New Tuesday
- Antalya 4-7 weekly - New Tuesday/Wed/Fri
- Hurghada 2-3 weekly - New Saturday
- Larnaca 2-4 weekly - New Monday/Fri
- Enfidha/Monastir 6 weekly
- Sharm el Sheik 2-4 weekly - New Monday/Sat
- Palma Daily - Some Condor although most MAN based A/C
- Santorini 1-2 weekly - New Saturday
- Mahon 3-5 weekly
- Skiathos 1-2 weekly - New Friday
- Corfu 2-3 weekly - New Sunday
- Varna 1 weekly NEW
- Faro 1 weekly NEW

Plus all the new long haul increases to Cancun/Orlando/Las Vegas and new JFK/Miami.

Shaping to be a good year for them. I wonder if some are in response to Monarch ending charter operations?

[Dct_Mopas]

It baffles me why MAN seem to close the e-gates at busy times. Last time I arrived to an hour long wait in the EU queue and enquired why they hadn't opened them. The answer was that too many families were in the queue, not much of an explanation unless I'm missing something.

[LAX_LHR]

The E-gates at T1 are being replaced. At least they were on Monday anyway.

[harer92]

New Greek routes for Summer 2015 - Preveza and Rhodes. (technically not new as they are ex MON, but new-ish as ZB routes none the less)

Preveza - 1xweekly (Sunday)
Rhodes - 1xweekly (Wednesday)

Summer 15 flights now on sale - Monarch

[MANFOD]

Bagso, you need to clear some of your p.m. messages as you are over the quota.

Excuse posting on here.

[Curious Pax]

Originally Posted by daynehold

Sort of. I was listening to their convo on the scanner that night, the AA 777 repeatedly asked for MAN and was denied every time with ATC telling them that MAN had nobody to handle their pax nor any fuel available. Even when the crew came back asking to nightstop they were still told the pax would have to sit on the plane for hours before being disembarked, basically. They were then offered DSA (which didn't work out due to the fire category of the B772), they asked for PIK instead however eventually were offered DUB instead, which they accepted.

Quite a mess all told, they really wanted to come to MAN.


There has to be something seriously wrong with the Manchester Airport Management team and their handling agents. Why turn away business and sour potential relationships. Perhaps I'm living in the past but who remembers the days when at this time of year Manchester would be full of diversions - in Autumn 1976 LHR was down because of fog and Man was full with diversions including TWA & Pan Am 747s, B Cal DC 10s, East African VC10s, various BA planes but to name but a few. Of course those were the days when the likes of Peter Hampson and others managed the airport. Now there is a hissy fit if an airline requests to divert to Man (other than on an emergency) and every excuse in the book is used. I am left wondering whether Manchester is running a business or a select "gentleman's club!!!!!!!! Clearly "VISITORS ARE NOT WELCOME"!

Yawn - same old discussion every time a diversion goes elsewhere. I think my post from last December is still valid: Why the diversion sessions of the 80s are long gone

[kieb92]

New EZY route to Porto from Manchester for 2015. 3 weekly and MAN based A/C.

Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday

EZY1989 0720-0950
EZY1990 1020-1245

Does this mean an extra based A/C or are there gaps in schedule?

[LAX_LHR]

Finally, Porto has been re-established.


Has been long overdue and I will certainly be using the flight.

[kieb92]

Certainly is overdue and nice to see an underserved route from MAN being announced!

Is this likely to produce an extra based aircraft? Maybe some more announcements...

[MANFOD]

Excellent news re EZY to Oporto

[North West]

Finally, Porto has been re-established.


Has been long overdue and I will certainly be using the flight.

I thought you worked for BA ? Is the staff travel that bad ?

[LAX_LHR]

I do, but staff travel isnt great at BA. Hotline tickets are no cheaper than regular fares, not a fan of standby roulette and living in Cheshire now, MAN is closer.

Anything else you want to know about my personal life? Waist size, girth? Etc.

[DomyDom]

Great news regarding MAN-OPO!

[Ernest Lanc's]

The E-gates at T1 are being replaced. At least they were on Monday anyway.

There was a notice that the E-gates at T1 are closed to be improved. That was on the 1st November.

[Skipness One Echo]

Staff travel is excellent at BA, perhaps he really works for Menzies as BA don't self handle at MAN since BACON was sold off. Curious what you do for BA that involves being based in Cheshire and surfing GDS all day

[roverman]

Don't BA still have the call centre in Didsbury?

[Ian Brooks]

A guy I knew from BA at LHR said he always flew with Easy if he was going to Europe because he found them cheaper and didn`t risk get bumped off flight

[easyflyer83]

Tbf, hotline tickets aren't really cheap and if you don't like standby or have a family then standby isn't really that good either.

Standby doesn't bother me but it does others

[lexoncd]

Staff travel "benefits" depend on where you're going. In general long haul ok but short haul book a loco or alt carrier and it's cheaper. Example manchester to Bergen normal fare from £144 staff standby fare £166 using zone fares. Advantages are guaranteed c class if available