Don't know why he thinks MAN pax don't support the front end.
On every LH, EK, QR flight I have been on, ex MAN, Bizz class has been full or very close to it.
Virtually all Air Transat Premium seats are sold out for the entire summer.
Very often demand outstrips supply, First, when available, may be a bit thin, but there certainly is no shortage of premium pax. Northerners aren't as tight as some people make out.

Hainan
 

I think they will deffinetly announce within the next 24 hours as I just received a email from hainan saying "hi sarah thanks for your patience please wait 24 hours for hainan to make a marketing ANNOUCMENT.
Out of the horses mouth!!!!!! :D

2015 Growth Rate - Passenger Statistics.
 

Some interesting traffic forecasts included in Charlie Cornish's speech during the Great Manchester Business Conference at Lancashire County Cricket Club. 'The Business Desk' reports Mr Cornish stating that MAN "will next year handle about 22.5 million passengers." I take this to mean the financial year 2014/15 running to April 5th, which would seem about right.

He also predicts that MAN will handle an additional one million passengers over the next 12 months. This would represent an annual growth rate of approximately 4.55%. Of course, a forecast of this nature is not intended to be taken quite so literally, but it can be deduced that MAG is anticipating quite muted growth for the year ahead. Again, given the relative stagnation of Ryanair expansion at MAN this year - a very significant factor affecting growth going forward - and a number of withdrawals by other carriers, the cautious forecast appears warranted.

MAN has some decent new services this year including some high-profile names. But if the net growth contributed by the airport's 'bread and butter' based carriers is sluggish then the final numbers will be as well.

Meanwhile, let's hope that the gradual clearing of the confucian confusion surrounding Hainan Airlines does leave MAN with something further to celebrate this week. Fingers crossed.

A million extra passengers a year is not muted growth. At most airports an extra million would be massive. Do this muted growth for 7/8 years and there are 30m pax. That would be fantastic and an amazing achievement. Not at all muted :ugh:

I thought Charlie Cornish mentioned 23.5m pax for 'next year' which I took to be FY to 31 March 2016.

As to whether you measure growth in terms of percentage increase or the number of additional pax, I think TC has a point. 1 million more pax at LHR would seem very modest in % terms whereas at , say, LPL, it would represent 25%!

Trying to guage how percentages should be judged for an airport the size of MAN, I would suggest 0-3% could be regarded as 'modest' growth, 3-5% decent, 5-7% very good and >7% excellent.

As mentioned previously, if CC was meaning 23.5m in 2015-16, to reach 30m by 2025 would require an average increase of approx. 700,000 pax for each of 9 years, which in percentage terms could be considered as modest or cautious. Someone brighter than me can work out the compound rate that equates to.

February growth 10%
 

MAN's February traffic figures show a 10% rise in passengers for February against the same period in 2014. Strong demand for half-term holidays may be part of that, and so bodes well for summer. However, ACLs Summer 2015 scheduling report only shows +2.5% increase in available seats against 2014 and so growth in excess of that will require higher load factors than last year.

Fairdealfrank / Mr A Tis
Had further confirmation on West bound flight after discussion with my near neighbour who recently returned from Barbados with Virgin, and reported all the front end full. Also he bagged the last 2 Upper class seats available for this time next year on that route !. I do not go west that often these days, but all of East bound travel with SQ/EK /LH and recently CX have had 90%+ full Business class cabins, although like Mr A Tis said I do not know if First where available is that well patronised, I will ask next week.


Incidentally I do not know if a connection to Peking is that important as most of the business I and others have to go to in China are in Shanghai, and associated areas. From conversations with people on board flights to these areas, with old "China hands", this appears a common perception. On the back of that, a Shanghai service maybe more profitable, and would almost definitely have cargo potential as well. Also would get me home quicker if that is not too selfish !.


Regards
Mr Mac

Have the figures been released internally as they are not on the MAN web site yet? Anyway, an excellent result.

Didn't know the ACL start of summer season report was out either, but I rather think some of us are not unduly surprised if it shows a modest 2.5% increase in seats available. Is that compared to the start of summer 2014 rather than the end?

The equivalent report for 2014 showed a 3.8% increase compared to start of summer 2013, but a 5.2% increase vs end of summer 2013.

Westjet S16
 

Rumours elsewhere that WestJet are set to annoounce MAN-YHZ-YYZ flights using 737s for S16, any truth?

better confirming on that original 'elsewhere' forum surely?

MANFOD - Summer 2015 is +2.5% up on end of season outturn for Summer 2014. That is the last ACL report published after slot handback rather than the Start of Season, which can't be much different when published.

I have seen the Westjet thing aswell. If you saw it in the same place I did the post is usually spot on. He's dangling another new start aswell which is not WestJet or Hainan...he's giving no clues on who though.

DL to Detroit for 16 is another I have seen posted here and there.

We should learn from Hainan though...await the official announcement :ok:

Any DL MAN-DTW would likely be a Virgin operation I suspect.

Westjet
 

Westjet just took delivery of the first of four B767-300ERs, the former Qantas VH-OGJ, for use on "new and exciting destinations from Summer 2016"

The 767s would be a much more suitable aircraft for transatlantic flights I would have thought, particularly if they are looking at flights to Europe from Western Canada as well as from cities in the Eastern states.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...ns-in-december

Unless news of a Manchester service is bubbling like an inferno within Hainan Towers I simply cannot see how a twitterland call handler would divulge so much information.

AND as at 2300 MON lest we forget they have no slots..........:eek:

There again it has been at least a week since we had a major announcement

I shouldn't think there would be any big deal about getting slots again if they need them. And of course, when is the flight going to start - assuming it does? I would have thought in the second half of the year now.

Surely an A333 would be too large for DTW-MAN? One would think DL's 763s would be a better fit?

.....AND MIPIM starts today, great to see Manchester have an excellent presence with two keynote speakers addresseing the Hall, Howard Bernstein (Sir) and Micheal Emmerich. (New Economy, Manchester).

"If" you were to make an an announcement on a major new Chinese route, one that would benefit Airport City (a number of the proposals in terms of building design are being put fwd at this event) , this might be a good opportunity.

That said it would be radical departure from issuing a press release purely to the M.E.N.
....perish the thought

Just out of interest a chinese biz jet in at lunch time hmmm!


Ian

Was BHX foggy and they diverted? :oh: