You have rather answered your first question with your second. There's a lot of traffic to Abu Dhabi, not because of the intrinsic attractions of the city but because of transfers onward to 101 final destinations. And likewise a lot of the traffic on LAX/SFO to London is transferring on, whether local or long distance (the absence of any West Coast to Africa flights has long made Heathrow a significant connection point for such intercontinental passengers).

Look at your high revenue and regular traffic. LAX has much entertainment and media traffic, SFO has much IT industry travel. Both have significant UK contacts in London and the South-East, with very little in comparison in the North-West. For US-based travellers in particular, sticking on their favourite alliance is important to them. Californian points offer very few connecting opportunities, unlike say Chicago, because there's nothing beyond there. Heathrow offers a lot on BA, but Manchester doesn't have this.

Any potentially viable routes from EMA that are currently not operated? Easy still haven't returned after many years away now. With only a couple of routes from BHX, they have a very small presence in the Midlands. If they were to return:

EMA - PRG
EMA - MUC
EMA - DUS
EMA - CGN

I was thinking about some potential future European Emirates routes that could realistically be operated in the future. I came up with a few ideas;

Dubai - Valencia
Dubai - Malaga
Dubai - Edinburgh
Dubai - Paris (Orly)
Dubai - Helsinki

As anyone else got any suggestions and may I remind you to keep them realistic and viable suggestions, not just your wish lists!

Also are there any other routes outside of Europe that could be operated in the future?

I definitely agree about Dubai-Valencia route. :ok:

Well, since this thread started, one of the potential routes touted by a few people, Manchester-San Fransisco, has now come to fruition with Thomas Cook.

Shows that not quite everything in this thread is pie in the sky!

SNN-PVD is a likely route, ASL Airlines France have applied for a licence to operate CDG-SNN-PVD.

LAX_LHR - By my money, next on the MAN hitlist is (in no particular order):

Shanghai (Air China)
Cape Town (TCX)
Bangkok (TOM/TCX/???)
Mumbai/Delhi (Air India)
Tokyo (JAL)
Kuala Lumpur (???)

Obviously in addition to increased frequencies and/or new entrants on the routes with only 2/3 weekly or seasonal frequency.

Malaga is unlikely. Edinburgh is highly unlikely given their large presence at GLA.

The rest seem possible, particularly Helsinki.

My wish list from BHX
 

TOM To return the

POP
GOA


Would like to see another SFB!

I wasn't saying that all of the routes proposed on here were not realistic and could not come to fruitation, some people just go off on a tangent and think of routes that are not viable and our just part of there wishlists.

I'm glad that TCX are building a good long haul presence in MAN and wish them the best of luck! They have done well with adversiting the long haul flights and holidays.

Maybe Malaga isn't a route for the future, I was just thinking as there are apparently more Middle Eastern people visiting the province. Also TK do fly there and with an A330 in the summer season.

I know that EK operates to Glasgow, but could they not operate to both. They are teo Scottish cities with similar populations and I would have thought that Edinburgh would be the more touristy one of the two.

I was also wondering about why EK don't operate to more secondary airports like ORY and EWR.

I think Qatar have an advantage over EK in that they can operate to lots more European cities with their A320 family aircraft.

Any idea when the TCX GLA S17 schedule is out? I'm going between GLA and the West Coast next year so would be nice to connect over there as opposed to the usual DUB, AMS, LHR. UA are a rip-off as well, and not a fan of AA. MIA, BOS and JFK could all work I'd think as seasonal services.

Thomas Cook seem to be becoming the go-to airline for people wanting to go America and the Caribbean on holiday but not wanting to connect via London, Paris etc.
Heres some routes I think they would do well on:
GLA - JFK
GLA - MIA
MAN - GRU
BHX - MCO

The preliminary long haul schedule for TCX summer 2017 is on their website, and GLA thus far remains with the same routes as 2016.

Still plenty of time for that to change though.

Hi, MCO and LAS schedules from Glasgow have been released I think some new services could happen but it's obviously over a year away so things could as said happen I think most tours from MAN served TCX would do well at GLA considering the Las Vegas success

What about DL from EDI to JFK?

So I see Shaheen Air are starting flights to MAN to ISB. How about flights to London too, an ISB - LTN service would be perfect

Forgot all about that, already booked up for my jaunt this year via LHR, but will consider that in the future!

I hope to see LHR-VLC one day.

Haven't they launched from EMA as well?