Of course most rumours are a load of tosh, but let's erally hope this one comes true!!

Why do you *really* want this one to come true?

EZY already serve the North West perfectly well from LPL and have done for some considerable years. Their arrival there has demonstrated the viability of another airport in the NW other than MAN, and this can only be a good thing for the consumer and the local economy in Merseyside. It's a recipe for success that is being repeated in Leeds and, we hope, in Doncaster / Sheffield.

As I recall it, acres of Chesire countryside weren't dug up just to increase the number of cheap 'n' cheerful flights to Spain, but rather to facilitate the development of inter-contintental business services that would benefit the North as a whole. Is it really in the public interest for MAPLC to be using the increased runway capacity they now have to be overtly targeting the successful operators at LPL and LBA?

Discuss.

If for one, hope for the benefit of a the development of successful regional airports across the North that EZY have no intention whatsoever of moving into MAN.

loco

PS - Bomardier is right. MAN-ALC goes on sale with Jet2 from next Tuesday; a daily service.

GayRugbyBloke

Don't get too giddy , from what i'm told there are no plans to move from EZY from LPL . The flights (IF they do come off) will be 'W' patterns , probably arriving/departing between 1000 - 1400. No bases mentioned .

brgds
TCM

i dont care about a base or anything like that - just want cheap flights to spain!!

MAN already has that - check flymonarch.com, and soon jet2.com as well as excelairways.com.
Allegedly bmi baby also, but they seem to have very high prices :ugh:

I have my eyes on a gorgeous house in Sitges, so I want BCN rather than AGP and ALC...only ZB now fly there, after a choice of three carriers this last summer.

If EZY ran on the route it would at least give some competition to ZB who have gradually downgraded their so called 'crownn' service to no more than a 'baseball cap' free for all!

I lived in Wilmslow when runway 2 was being built and I was all in favour of it, and I saw i as an opportunity to have more cheap flights to absolutely anywhere in the world. I don't care, and I don;t think anyone else in the NW does either, what services operate from an expanded MAN.

There is no way MAN will ever attract flag carriers like Air China, SAA, Air Canada, Air India, QANTAS, Cathay or Thai because ina nuthell, noone wants to visit Manchster and its environs in a tourism capacity, eespecially when they can visit London.

Get a grip MAplc and suck up to the likes of EZY, FR, WW, AB, BE and all the rest like you have never sucked before and really give Mancs what they want, fish and chips with lager in the mediterranean sunshine!!

Well I do, anyway!!

Quote [There is no way MAN will ever attract flag carriers like Air China, SAA, Air Canada, Air India, QANTAS, Cathay or Thai because ina nuthell, noone wants to visit Manchster and its environs in a tourism capacity, eespecially when they can visit London]

Well lets look at this,

Air China - Rumoured to be starting services next year.
Air Canada - Operated out of Manchester for years
Air India - Back next Year
Qantas - Already flying ex Man with there super long range Bae 146's
Cathay - Flown ex Man, could see them back next year via ZRH.
Thai - Again rumoured.

I am aware that it is all rumour and has-been but you said that Manchester could NEVER attract such airlines!!!!

It aint about Manchester not attracting these airlines its all about B.A. and that bloody shuttle thing, the sooner they pull there twin otters off the Scotland flights and operate them to LHR from MAN the sooner we start seing some direct flights instead of having to transit via LHR.

Rubbish you might say ???, well I have it from the American Airlines rep that they enquired with the airport/B.A. about carrying the Boston on through the winter to be told NO, Miami or Boston, not both and thats just the ones i have heard.

Manchester will see other Long Range direct services, it will just take time.

Someone help me down from this soapbox ???

MoM

Leave BA alone! I am a gold exec club member and they treat me VERY well at MAN, they should do, I travel to SFO three times a month first class!!

And if they ever put a twin beaver on the LHR route I would be very upset!!

cht,
Get a grip MAplc and suck up to the likes of EZY, FR, WW, AB, BE and all the rest like you have never sucked before and really give Mancs what they want, fish and chips with lager in the mediterranean sunshine!!

Leave BA alone! I am a gold exec club member and they treat me VERY well at MAN, they should do, I travel to SFO three times a month first class!!

Make your mind up, or go to the "Origin" of the SFO flts :*
A [very] few years ago, a certain "Big Airline" was reputed to say
"Manchester will never support a Daily Trans Atlantic Service"......and then lo and behold, a "shuttle" to Big Airways base started......:{
BTW, cht look at the routes being offered...AB, 3+ WW, 5+ BE, no slots FR not [really] interested. J2, 7+
watp,iktch

...you cannot be happy with stopping off at LHR - direct and a few quid more for me all-day - BAN SHUTTLES !!! (unless they feed our longhaul ;-) )

On the subject of National carriers, Air Canada are to take over from BMI on MAN - YYZ in Spring 2005.

It;s CBT as in.....(the gay boys will know!) not CHT!!

well i love Ba and i also love to travel to europe for next to nothing - noone quite comes close to BA for service in First and Club World...lets be honest, how would the majoprity of poor northerners afford First and Busiess travel to long haul destinations from MAN? The answer: practically none!

Too busy spending dosh on tickets to see Peter Kay and going to bingo I should iagine!

Hay CBT, are you the marketing manager for BA or what??!!

You have come out with some right classics!!

Oh and how can Air Canada be taking over from BMI on the YYZ route in 09/2005 when this route has been axed by BD never to return and AC only ran it as a summer servie in later years??!!

I also rang Air India today in london and the res agent said theyw were hopefully expecting a BOM service fro Manchester 'in late summer 2005' but could not confirm that - so thats good news!

AC will be back with the 762 (via Glasgow?) next summer

via Glasgow??! So that's BW via PIK/BFS, AC via GLA, TSC via god knows where, RB via LHR, QF via LHR....becoming a bit of a pattern here me thinks.....

No wait, my bad. I think it was only in the winter months when it went via GLA. AC842/843 I think (or 840/841)

Gayrugbybloke

ACA ARE returning to MAN next spring / summer.

Maybe more research telephone calls required before damning perfectly good information....DR DOOM !!!

Does anyone else find that when your companies' travel people book you on a flight, you get routed via shuttle to LHR, to get on a flight operated by XXX airline, when XXX operate the flight direct from MAN? Drives me crazy, have to tell them and get it all changed every time. :confused:

BMI Baby
 

When are WW to announce their summer programme from MAN? They must be losing business as most of the other loco operators from MAN have already got their summer reservations open.

Is Barcelona coming back next summer with WW??!!

FIRST LOW COST TO LONDON GATWICK
IS A CAPITAL IDEA
Jet2.com Announces £15 London Route

Manchester’s low cost airline, Jet2.com, which announced nine exciting European destinations in September, has landed another coup – it will launch the city’s first low cost service to London Gatwick, starting on 17th January.

The airline today announced that it will fly to the capital three times a day with fares starting from £15 one way including taxes, cheaper and quicker than a coach or train fare to the capital. Seats go on sale at 2pm today.

Executives at the airline said that the announcement was part of a planned growth strategy aimed at giving the people of the Greater Manchester area access to affordable travel for all. Philip Meeson, boss at Jet2.com, said:

“No airline has yet offered the people of Manchester truly affordable travel to London– we are proud that Jet2.com will be the city’s first.

“We believe that if you add the existing demand for flights to London with the additional passengers our low fares will entice, we will have a very busy service on our hands.

“Gatwick is perfect for London short breaks as it’s just a 30-minute train journey from the airport to London Victoria, and we expect a lot of custom from passengers on shopping and theatre trips.
Our customers can also now fly low cost to Gatwick with Jet2.com and fly on to one of the hundreds of long-haul destinations on offer from there.


“We’re also not underestimating the potential demand for sporting breaks, not least because of the two great football teams in Manchester and those in the surrounding region.

“The first fixtures that will appeal are United’s evening game at Arsenal on February 1st and the City – Chelsea clash four days later. We have evening flights from Gatwick to Manchester meaning fans can make it there and back in a day.

“Outside London, Gatwick is incredibly convenient for the South coast and we’re sure that beautiful Brighton will be hugely popular with Manchester travellers, while Kent and the Garden of England is right on the doorstep, too.

“When we launched, we said our aim was to become the number one airline for leisure travellers in the North – in addition to opening up routes in Europe, today we have announced our first domestic mainland flight and we’re sure London Gatwick will be hugely popular for leisure breaks in the South.”

London Gatwick is Jet2.com’s tenth destination from Manchester. For fares, timetables or bookings on its routes to Budapest, Faro, Geneva, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Pisa, Valencia and Venice, click on www.jet2.com or call 0871 226 1737.
Timetables

Manchester to London Gatwick
Dep 06.20 – arr 07.25 (Monday to Friday)
Dep 08.10 – arr 09.15 (Saturday & Sunday)
Dep 14.25 – arr 15.35 (Monday to Saturday)
Dep 18.00 – arr 19.00 (Monday to Saturday)
Dep 20.00 – arr 21.00 (Sunday)

London Gatwick to Manchester
Dep 08.20 – arr 09.25 (Monday to Friday)
Dep 09.55 – arr 1100 (Saturday & Sunday)
Dep 16.20 – arr 17.25 (Monday to Saturday)
Dep 20.00 – arr 21.00 ( Monday to Saturday)
Dep 21.30 – arr 22.30 (Sunday)