Isle of Man-3
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Oh for a return to the golden age of air travel!. No need to visit the terminal or pass through security. Just get off the coach and on to the plane:
https://www.huntleyarchives.com/prev...step=1&itemx=2
https://www.huntleyarchives.com/prev...step=1&itemx=2
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Buster the Bear
Capacity-wise, 4 BAe 146-200 flights pretty much equal two daily A319 flights which I guess we will see by easyJet post-COVID19.
But the main question is: At what fares?
We are talking about the late 1980s here, if I am not mistaken. If folks think that 100 GBP nowadays is expensive, tickets back then must have been less than 35 GBP, taking inflation into consideration. Not sure if this was the fare available 4-6 weeks in advance on all flights (instead of a "farecracker" fare to LTN on selected flights well in advance.
Capacity-wise, 4 BAe 146-200 flights pretty much equal two daily A319 flights which I guess we will see by easyJet post-COVID19.
But the main question is: At what fares?
We are talking about the late 1980s here, if I am not mistaken. If folks think that 100 GBP nowadays is expensive, tickets back then must have been less than 35 GBP, taking inflation into consideration. Not sure if this was the fare available 4-6 weeks in advance on all flights (instead of a "farecracker" fare to LTN on selected flights well in advance.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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IIRC in the 90's the APEX return fare to London on Manx was £166, otherwise around £280. If you were a member of "Club Sovereign" you could book a spouse fare for your better half which ran out at around £430 return for 2.
In the Flybe days I used to think around £200 return was acceptable for a booking close to the departure date. BA was occasionally a bit more depending on demand. Loganair took £250 from me for flights this week (and charged me extra for my seat).
Since then we've had £20 odd of APD added plus ever increasing airport charges (LCY and IOM took almost £60 on a return before the pandemic). How airlines make money at that level is beyond me.
In the Flybe days I used to think around £200 return was acceptable for a booking close to the departure date. BA was occasionally a bit more depending on demand. Loganair took £250 from me for flights this week (and charged me extra for my seat).
Since then we've had £20 odd of APD added plus ever increasing airport charges (LCY and IOM took almost £60 on a return before the pandemic). How airlines make money at that level is beyond me.
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Happen to have a Manx Airlines 1993 timetable in the garage, and that's back in the days when airlines used to publish fares as well.
IOM-LHR was £103 Economy Single
£180 Day return
£168 Pex Return
£158 Apex Return
£134 Super Break Return
Using an on-line inflation calculator thingy, that gets you to £180 one-way, £315 day return, £293 Pex Return, £276 Apex Return and even the cheapest return at £234 in today's money. That's just straight inflation and no adjustment for APD, airport taxes etc.
Even the Farecracker to Luton was £122 return so £213 in today's money.
Looking at it another way, anything less than £200 return nowadays is a bargain compared to 1993 pricing.
IOM-LHR was £103 Economy Single
£180 Day return
£168 Pex Return
£158 Apex Return
£134 Super Break Return
Using an on-line inflation calculator thingy, that gets you to £180 one-way, £315 day return, £293 Pex Return, £276 Apex Return and even the cheapest return at £234 in today's money. That's just straight inflation and no adjustment for APD, airport taxes etc.
Even the Farecracker to Luton was £122 return so £213 in today's money.
Looking at it another way, anything less than £200 return nowadays is a bargain compared to 1993 pricing.
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If I have my math right, with the above-quoted 135k tourists annually minus the TT lot, we are looking at ~ 250 daily tourist arrivals at the IOM. That sounds pretty insignificant to me...
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Happen to have a Manx Airlines 1993 timetable in the garage, and that's back in the days when airlines used to publish fares as well.
IOM-LHR was £103 Economy Single
£180 Day return
£168 Pex Return
£158 Apex Return
£134 Super Break Return
Using an on-line inflation calculator thingy, that gets you to £180 one-way, £315 day return, £293 Pex Return, £276 Apex Return and even the cheapest return at £234 in today's money. That's just straight inflation and no adjustment for APD, airport taxes etc.
Even the Farecracker to Luton was £122 return so £213 in today's money.
Looking at it another way, anything less than £200 return nowadays is a bargain compared to 1993 pricing.
IOM-LHR was £103 Economy Single
£180 Day return
£168 Pex Return
£158 Apex Return
£134 Super Break Return
Using an on-line inflation calculator thingy, that gets you to £180 one-way, £315 day return, £293 Pex Return, £276 Apex Return and even the cheapest return at £234 in today's money. That's just straight inflation and no adjustment for APD, airport taxes etc.
Even the Farecracker to Luton was £122 return so £213 in today's money.
Looking at it another way, anything less than £200 return nowadays is a bargain compared to 1993 pricing.
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And then there is the transit time. Last time I flew Easyget to Gatwick when there was no other option I was 'held' in the crowded departure room at the lower level of Ronaldsway for around 30-40 minutes. I never did that with BA. Then when we landed at Gatwick at around 10pm at night I had to wait for a transit bus to arrive everyone to offload and then be transported to the terminal. By the time I was at the railway station to go into London it was gone 11pm a full one hour after landing.
Would that be the ease of journey and experience you are referring to?
Ah, so was it "Mr T V Kelly, Douglas"? At least shows there was a decent level of promotion at one point for it to (almost) have stuck.
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Interesting. Would that be before I have to scroll through a screen that wants me to pay at least £4.99 for a seat ( Free on BA) then a screen to charge me at least £18.74 each way for a bag (free on BA) a screen for car hire and covid insurance? And there are no fares under £50 in August and if its the only London flight that will soon become the case in the coming months.
And then there is the transit time. Last time I flew Easyget to Gatwick when there was no other option I was 'held' in the crowded departure room at the lower level of Ronaldsway for around 30-40 minutes. I never did that with BA. Then when we landed at Gatwick at around 10pm at night I had to wait for a transit bus to arrive everyone to offload and then be transported to the terminal. By the time I was at the railway station to go into London it was gone 11pm a full one hour after landing.
Would that be the ease of journey and experience you are referring to?
And then there is the transit time. Last time I flew Easyget to Gatwick when there was no other option I was 'held' in the crowded departure room at the lower level of Ronaldsway for around 30-40 minutes. I never did that with BA. Then when we landed at Gatwick at around 10pm at night I had to wait for a transit bus to arrive everyone to offload and then be transported to the terminal. By the time I was at the railway station to go into London it was gone 11pm a full one hour after landing.
Would that be the ease of journey and experience you are referring to?

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Indeed when there is a choice of operators to London. The minute its only one its funny how that's not case don't you think? And £41.48 for a return bag I assume you don't care about that because you don't need one..... maybe others do. The facts are the facts to quote you yourself..... end of!
And for clarity to some of the other posters I really don't want to see cheap fares that is exactly the problem they lead to a worsening of competition and poorer service. I think its not unreasonable to pay around £150 for a return ticket and experience some sort of service i.e two flights a day one in the morning one in the evening free seat allocation and baggage.
And for clarity to some of the other posters I really don't want to see cheap fares that is exactly the problem they lead to a worsening of competition and poorer service. I think its not unreasonable to pay around £150 for a return ticket and experience some sort of service i.e two flights a day one in the morning one in the evening free seat allocation and baggage.
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Interesting. Would that be before I have to scroll through a screen that wants me to pay at least £4.99 for a seat ( Free on BA) then a screen to charge me at least £18.74 each way for a bag (free on BA) a screen for car hire and covid insurance? And there are no fares under £50 in August and if its the only London flight that will soon become the case in the coming months.
And then there is the transit time. Last time I flew Easyget to Gatwick when there was no other option I was 'held' in the crowded departure room at the lower level of Ronaldsway for around 30-40 minutes. I never did that with BA. Then when we landed at Gatwick at around 10pm at night I had to wait for a transit bus to arrive everyone to offload and then be transported to the terminal. By the time I was at the railway station to go into London it was gone 11pm a full one hour after landing.
Would that be the ease of journey and experience you are referring to?
And then there is the transit time. Last time I flew Easyget to Gatwick when there was no other option I was 'held' in the crowded departure room at the lower level of Ronaldsway for around 30-40 minutes. I never did that with BA. Then when we landed at Gatwick at around 10pm at night I had to wait for a transit bus to arrive everyone to offload and then be transported to the terminal. By the time I was at the railway station to go into London it was gone 11pm a full one hour after landing.
Would that be the ease of journey and experience you are referring to?
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You may be right but surely thats factored into the whole customer experience. And that's all before you consider Easyjet don't employ any island crew or pilots. Or count the number of flights diverted back to London Gatwick because they cannot land in bad weather when smaller planes can. I do believe Easyjet have a role to play for cheap holiday flights but not as the only operator and crowding others out by flooding the market with cheap prices then pushing them up when they are the monopoly operator leaving us all with a very inferior service to London and the South East.
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And if there were that many BA exec club members on the island, they’d have BA service.
Plus your experience at LGW is probably more down to the fact you are arriving from a CTA destination and therefore you need to be bussed to domestic arrivals which avoids any delays incurred to you at immigration.
When BA had extensive domestics at Gatters they too often had to bus, even if they were on an airbridge stand.
Plus your experience at LGW is probably more down to the fact you are arriving from a CTA destination and therefore you need to be bussed to domestic arrivals which avoids any delays incurred to you at immigration.
When BA had extensive domestics at Gatters they too often had to bus, even if they were on an airbridge stand.
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And if there were that many BA exec club members on the island, they’d have BA service.
Plus your experience at LGW is probably more down to the fact you are arriving from a CTA destination and therefore you need to be bussed to domestic arrivals which avoids any delays incurred to you at immigration.
When BA had extensive domestics at Gatters they too often had to bus, even if they were on an airbridge stand.
Plus your experience at LGW is probably more down to the fact you are arriving from a CTA destination and therefore you need to be bussed to domestic arrivals which avoids any delays incurred to you at immigration.
When BA had extensive domestics at Gatters they too often had to bus, even if they were on an airbridge stand.
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Buy an EasyJet Plus card for £215 and get it all included.
There were not even enough BA Exec Club members to sustain an E170 twice a day so it’s not likely to happen. Basically your option is use the EasyJet service and hope they get enough pax that they look at going twice daily. Or lobby your gov for more subsidies.
There were not even enough BA Exec Club members to sustain an E170 twice a day so it’s not likely to happen. Basically your option is use the EasyJet service and hope they get enough pax that they look at going twice daily. Or lobby your gov for more subsidies.
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Buy an EasyJet Plus card for £215 and get it all included.
There were not even enough BA Exec Club members to sustain an E170 twice a day so it’s not likely to happen. Basically your option is use the EasyJet service and hope they get enough pax that they look at going twice daily. Or lobby your gov for more subsidies.
There were not even enough BA Exec Club members to sustain an E170 twice a day so it’s not likely to happen. Basically your option is use the EasyJet service and hope they get enough pax that they look at going twice daily. Or lobby your gov for more subsidies.