MANCHESTER 1

[Curious Pax]

As many here stress about it, probably worth mentioning that all the cars have gone from the fenced off part of the apron near T2, so looks like it will be available for aircraft before too much longer.

[MANFOD]

As many here stress about it, probably worth mentioning that all the cars have gone from the fenced off part of the apron near T2, so looks like it will be available for aircraft before too much longer.

Many thanks. I noticed last Saturday that the number of cars had diminished significantly.

Not sure if you meant 'stress' as in emphasise, or 'stress' as in tense or agitated.
Anyway, not stressed about it - just 'curious' like your good self.

[MANFOD]

M.E.N.

Mr O'Toole writing about .......... trains. Nevertheless, an interesting and relevant article.

Opinion: Ken O'Toole - Manchester Evening News

[GavinC]

Originally Posted by MANFOD

M.E.N.

Mr O'Toole writing about .......... trains. Nevertheless, an interesting and relevant article.

Opinion: Ken O'Toole - Manchester Evening News

He knows the importance of the train routes in getting business passengers and others to the Airport from all around the North and Midlands in particular. It's also an area where he needs to lobby as the Airport can't do anything about the routes and infrastructure themselves.

[Mr A Tis]

T3- The Station

Shame that the Rail Station is so remote from T3.
No assistance or shuttle provided between the two locations.
Lugging two checked bags & a cabin bag is a considerable hinderance to a start or finish of a journey.
T3 is my least favoured Terminal and only used by me when no alternative- then it has to be by road transfer as the station is not feasible to use.

[Dobbo_Dobbo]

Mr a Tis

I suspect that in the long run whatever facility replaces the present T1 and T3 will "shift" to the north west (i.e. Away from runway 1 and towards the station) in order to increase the airside area for Loco carriers.

Also, the HS2 station is likely to be used significantly when it is constructed as the wider HS2/3/NPR network that it will be connected to will bring Liverpool to within 20mins, Leeds to 40 mins (subject to sorting out Piccadilly) and will dramatically reduce times to/from places like Birmingham, London, Sheffield, Newcastle.

This anticipated development is the reason for the comment in the MEN today. It could help significantly increase MANs carchment area.

[Betablockeruk]

Airline Route reporting some TCX and Jet2 increases:

TCX from S17
New:
eff 04MAY17 Manchester – Mykonos 2 weekly
eff 05MAY17 Manchester – Split 2 weekly
Increases:
Manchester – Alicante Increase from 2 to 5 weekly
Manchester – Corfu Increase from 3 to 5 weekly
Manchester – Dalaman Increase from 6 to 7 weekly
Manchester – Faro Increase from 3 to 4 weekly
Manchester – Mahon Increase from 5 to 6 weekly

EXS from W16
eff 20DEC16 Manchester – Sofia 1 weekly (Service operates Day 2 from 20DEC16 to 03JAN17)


Credit Airline Route

[Bagso]

Network Rail opposes Arriva plan to increase trains to Manchester Airport - Daily Post

MAG "should" have been all over this, after all it was published 3 days earlier than the MAG analysis.

The N Wales border is nearer than all the cities/towns listed in that NorthernPowerhouse analysis, they clearly see real demand so should the opportunity be examined?

Wales see Manchester NOT Heathrow as the principal gateway.

They could and should be a potent political ally.

Ken O'Toole is excellent but those who brief him need to "up their game".

Golden opportunities to highlight grotesque inequalities should not be missed.

[Betablockeruk]

Singapore Airlines celebrates 30 years of flying - Manchester Evening News

Nothing to suggest anything is going to change i.e. delinking.

Includes a standard MEN typo

"....they secured a route in 1986 - twice weekly with B737-300 combi."

[viscount702]

MAG "should" have been all over this, after all it was published 3 days earlier than the MAG analysis.

The N Wales border is nearer than all the cities/towns listed in that NorthernPowerhouse analysis, they clearly see real demand so should the opportunity be examined?

Wales see Manchester NOT Heathrow as the principal gateway.

They could and should be a potent political ally.

Ken O'Toole is excellent but those who brief him need to "up their game".

Golden opportunities to highlight grotesquely inequalities should not be missed

.

There is nothing new here. This saga has been going on for along time and there is nothing MAN could do about it.

[GavinC]

Originally Posted by viscount702

.

There is nothing new here. This saga has been going on for along time and there is nothing MAN could do about it.

Nor would MAN want to take sides on who gets the train paths. What they need to be doing is making sure that politicians are aware of the latent demand for routes to the Airport so that improvements can be made.


To be fair, we've gone from the original two-platform station in 1993 to six platforms today if you include the metrolink ones, as well as the bus/coach bays as part of the overall station. So MAN has done well when it has had the chance to to get investment in 'The Station'. And the Northern Hub / Ordsall Chord works will help to get more trains to MAN in any given day.


What North Wales needs is a rail connection into the Airport from the Chester Line under the apron. It's been discussed in the past and may happen in the long term future. Unfortunately for them, the Airport are not currently lobbying for this as they are focusing on HS2 which, IMO, is a mistake.

[nigel osborne]

Many thanks LAX for the update.

Nigel

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

Wales see Manchester NOT Heathrow as the principal gateway.

Isn't Cardiff on the direct line to Reading and then Heathrow? Surely you mean North Wales, CWL/BRS is hugely impacted by the LHR halo.

In other news, toying with the idea of using MAN T1 for a long haul trip with Transat on the A310 this summer, is this the last full summer of the old C pier being operational? Never been through that part of the airport.
Cheers!

[Mr Mac]

Skip
Pier C was my first UK airport contract back in I think 1985/86, closely followed by Leeds Bradford terminal expansion, then the US / Gulf beckoned, and have been doing them on and off ever since. Interestingly I went through it last year with Jet 2 bound for the Med, first time I have set foot in it since late 80,s. It has a chunky feel about it when compared with modern construction, with walls that are some what thicker than more modern cladding and stud partitioning. On the construction side I do not remember the numerous enquiries and meetings which building anything at an airport now requires back then. Different times, as the saying goes !


Regards
Mr Mac

[roverman]

Pier C

Pier C (opened 1974, extended 1986) will be around for a good while yet, at least until 2020 in its entirety, and in part until at least 2024.

[LAX_LHR]

As far as I'm aware, pier C was to be gone by 2021, as knocking down that pier unlocks the dual taxiway that is so desperately needed to relieve the bottleneck.

[Sholto Douglas]

Pier C

Without wanting to get into a heavy debate I, personally, would go with Roverman's timescale.

Presumably the satellite will be the first to go and then then opens the opportunity for dual taxiways into the Terminal 2 area.

[Dobbo_Dobbo]

Originally Posted by Betablockeruk

Singapore Airlines celebrates 30 years of flying - Manchester Evening News

Nothing to suggest anything is going to change i.e. delinking.

Includes a standard MEN typo

Rumour I've heard is that the current plan is to go 4x weekly delinked from MUC. I suppose like CX the objective will be to go daily.

I presume it uses the A359 and that the spare three days will not be filled with the B77W via MUC.

[Bagso]

Skip

I agree.

However the article does suggest;

"business surveys reveal more Welsh residents fly from Manchester than Heathrow".

I suspect somebody is taking journalistic licence however I have read this in three separate sources in the last 12 months.

Maybe each publication is quoting the wrong incorrect source? It wont' be the first time.

The point was more about MAG not just including the North of England but a geographical area which is much closer but somewhat forgotten. It's also one which carries more political weight than its size suggests, therefore MAG should tap into that. N Wales MPs like Scotland are more inclined to campaign for their own patch than their cousins in the Mancunian Republic therefore gaining more publicity. It was on that basis that I believe MAG "could" have included N Wales in its analysis.

Clearly using up rail capacity to service a 'thin inbound route" would be detrimental but it's also about providing a gateway from the airport outbound. Plenty tourists would see the line from Chester to Anglesey as rather glorious. 2 a day plus a sprinkling of adhoc doesn't really cut the mustard.

[roverman]

Trains, Planes & Automobiles.

I am a big fan of rail - use it every day locally, but the trouble with rail access to MAN from Wales is that it's The Long Way Round via Piccadilly. Journey times aren't competitive against the M56. I have some sympathy with Network Rail on this, train paths on the Airport line are limited by it being a dead end and 'a branch off a branch' as one railwayman put it. The paths need to be used where they bring most benefit. With the Northern Hub Piccadilly will work better as an interchange, and whilst it is undoubtedly nicer to have the train take you and your luggage direct to the airport it shouldn't be a great burden to hop off at Piccadilly and get on a frequent train to the airport. Better and more frequent access to the airport from or via Crewe should be a priority for paths into the airport now, with at least an hourly no-stop or limited stop service in addition to the hourly stopper. Sorry, trains again.