PIA pulling out?
 

Article on a website says they are pulling operations out of MAN on 26th October, really? :eek:

PIA to ground Manchester, Amsterdam ops from 26th | The Nation

PIA
 

Hmmm. What about Birmingham - where Turkish also have a presence - and particularly Leeds/Bradford? The article states which destinations remain without any mention of the above two being in nor out. Some network rationalisation would be understandable but I doubt Manchester would top the list to be dropped when there are others with lower frequency. PIA still operates as a public service for expats as much as it does a business, hence the service to LBA which is only an hour or so driving time to Manchester. We'll see.

Air Blue taking over?

PIA
 

Looks like the Nation is trying to stir the pot up......:ooh:

PIA not closing any route: Spokesman
KARACHI, Sept 29 (APP): Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is operating all its European and UK stations including Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Manchester. A PIA spokesman said here on Saturday that none of the present routes including Frankfurt and Amsterdam has closed down. While, Manchester is an important station of PIA and there is no possibility of closing down operations at this station. All PIA flights to USA on their journey towards New York have to make a stopover at Manchester so there is no question of closing down of Manchester. Besides, when PIA is selling tickets for these stations even on its website (e-ticketing) how can it be presumed by anybody that these stations are being closed, the PIA Spokesman added.

Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency )

Biman
 

Anyone know what's happened to the Biman flights? They used to operate on a Wednesday and Saturday night, it I haven't seen them operate either flight for the past 2 weeks or so. I usually see them arriving when I leave work (if the flights are on time ;) ), and the Manchester airport app hasn't shown any arrivals for some time from Dhaka.

Biman are running their own hadj operation this year and miscalculated what they needed operationally so had to cut back a number of routes. Should be back to normal soon.

Thai sniffing...yet again.

Personal thought is, if they were ever going to launch MAN, it should have been done before the gulf carriers became so entrenched there.

Perhaps it's the loss of connectivity with and interlining on to their LHR service which has prompted the re-look, though with their intention to bring the A380 to LHR next autumn, I'd have thought their priority would have been to secure the means to funnel as much traffic as possible through London.

Can't see MAN happening, though I'd love to see it personally. :{

Edited to correct iPad keyboard induced spelling errors :sad:

Biman are supposed to be starting through flights to the US in summer 2013.
4 x week.

We shall see.

Air Canada coming to MAN?
Manchester Airport Movements - Plane Mad

Looks like Ryanair are starting Nice too.

Ryanair and Nice as posted by a member on another forum

JAL
 

And no one has picked up the rumor of JAL looking at starting flights to MAN from Japan with 787 aircraft with there new 'JSA' with BA! at last we could have that long awaited 'far east' route! :ok:

Air Canada will be here with there new LCC when they let it out of the bags in the next couple of weeks! :D

everyone else is just dreams now :rolleyes: TG,NZ,CA,SU ETC!

I just don't see the demand for a MAN - Japan route, even with the 787. The UK - Japan market is invariably soft and I would imagine JAL has other, more high yielding destinations on its radar before MAN.

Thai is an interesting one. They're the habitual window shopper, constantly popping back to have a look, yet never commiting to anything. Once they get a feed back to LHR, be it with VS or BA, their priority is going to be filling the A380 which commences at the beginning of the W13 schedule.

I've seen another comment that CX have pencilled MAN in for 2015 once the A350s come online. Good job they've used pencil, because they've had to erase their plans so manytimes before; time will tell....

I believe the ground work has been done, hotel contracts agreed provisionally etc for a MAN - SJD charter schedule, starting W13 with the 787. Nice to see the charter business still has scope to expand and develop, and Cabo will be a nice alternative for long haul sun seeekers.

Four new routes also due from RYR apparently.

Think you mean a few replacments from FR.

Looks like from the Flymaybe summer schedules that have been released so far that MAN-NQY goes up to daily on BE :ok:


cs

Virgin
 

Now that the West coast mainline franchise is up in the air again, what do you think the chances of Virgin still going ahead with the MAN-LHR flights if they hold onto the trains ?

I dont think that they will pull the route quite yet, after all sir richard beardy would have some very bad PR if he cancelled the route now after people had already booked it !


cs

Bet he`s kicking himself for being a tad hasty..hehehehe:{

Who's to say that the virgin domestics wouldn't have been launched even if Virgin had won the west coast franchise?

Crew room rumour is Mon are bidding to run the Virgin short haul flights.

Manchester up 2% in September