On Virgin, is it correct that Cabin Crew are MAN based and cross qualified on both B744/A333? Does MAN also have a pilot base for both types or are they LHR/LGW based?

MAN is both a pilot and cabin crew base IIRC.

Virgin seem to be building quite a base at Manchester.

I'm not an analyst so have little idea about the industry but if Virgin can make it work why couldn't BA ?

It just seems odd.

Just a sign of things (not) to come.

LPL 50m rvr from 2235 resulted in 11 diversions away. 3 to NCL, 3 BHX, 2 LBA, 2 BRS and 1 (one) to the nearest airport MAN...

Copy & paste 'reasons for no diversions at MAN' article rewritten every year since the infamous KLM MD11 incident.

Betablocker,

Do you have a link to details of the KLM MD11 incident, please?

Purely because it's one I haven't heard about.

Don`t bother starting it up again then Beteablocker

But the reasons for not accepting diversions since the KLM MD-11 incident decades ago have varied.

These allegedly include:
Failure to clear snow effectively one snowy winter which led to the no-divs notam for a couple of weeks.
No fuel available
Lack of parking stands
Problems with handling agents due staff shortages and refusal to work overtime.

I expect parking stands could be an issue this winter with the TP work, but as reported elsewhere, it was apparently a handling agent staff shortage situation that again restricted diversions last evening. I realise we have more flights of our own than the airfields that accepted diversions but presumably respective staffing levels should reflect that.

Personally, I just wish the airport and airlines could get it sorted. At busy times, it must affect the handling of our own flights.

The Pier build has officially begun:

http://i68.tinypic.com/mv25o3.jpg

There's currently one handling agent that are suffering from chronic under staffing that is affecting their ability to handle their own schedule let alone diverted flights.

Yep. We could write a book with that title :)

it = everything that an airport should be good at i.e. moving planes and moving passengers.

Anyway, did they not get a celeb MP type to dig the first hole?

First time nqy-man has topped 10k a month from what I remember. Decent growth on this route

MAN struggles to handle it's own flights, without any others. Sadly, these days it's the only option MAN has-no divs.

That may well be the case as things stand but I hope MAN are not that complacent about the situation.

Good news about the extra VS capacity next summer on JFK & ATL whatever the reason. After all, they could have decided just to operate one or both of the routes less than daily.

Last count I did MAN had more or less as many based units as it has stands, nearly all full at night - I'm hardly surprised LPL divs went elsewhere at that time of night. The place is bulging at the seems with its own metal, diversions will be sent elsewhere for many years to come. I don't see the problem TBH, not MAN's job to leave spare stands incase LBA, LPL or anywhere else maybe fogbound.

I can confirm 94 aircraft on the ground at 2200 last night.

If we had a joined up transport policy then a degree of contingency planning would be required.
We don’t, therefore it’s not.

Even Edinburgh no longer has the ability to park business jets for long as they closed the GAT. On occasion, business traffic for Edinburgh drops off passengers at EDI then positions out to GLA for parking only to return later. Hardly green or best practice but airport privatisation and shareholders needing ROI comes at a price.

That is a relatively under the radar success story. I wonder if it is O&D traffic or transfer traffic (which could be short or long haul) using the route?

Travelled out of Man to YYJ via KEF and SEA absolutely no problems at Man. KEF very busy with transfer traffic and undergoing some building work. Returned on Monday on TCX from SFO again no problem and from deplaning to getting home in Stockport 80 minutes. The A330 carried 304 passengers and 13 crew with about 30 people transferring to flights to Frankfurt and Milan Cheers Sam

NQY-MAN is a bit of everything from personal observation on the route.

Plenty of flybe U.K./euro transfers
Plenty of MAN/NQY terminating traffic
Decent amount of onward longhaul connections with plenty of codeshare customers checking in at NQY

However. As said. This is a successful route, ideally it could further increase with the use of NQY based equipment with an early AM departure

Manchester Airport sets out on community engagement over plans to extend dual-runway operation hours | Knutsford Guardian

Runway 1 and Runway 2? Does that mean 02/20 is Runway 3 :}

Those new runway times make much more sense. I've been waiting at the hold of 23R for over 20 minutes late morning when they go back to single runway ops.
Also - a question - isn't the old runway 02/20 more or less the taxiway that runs past the new control tower towards Terminal 2?

Taxiway C. I'm sure I remember a Cessna landing on it in the early 80's but that doesn't match with when it was closed. Probably "I was very very drunk at the time".

You must have been very drunk!!:=

10/28 was the last runway to close and I remember using it frequently (if only as a passenger in either a Cherokee or Tomahawk.

You might want to look at the relative profitability of IAG and Virgin. IAG will pursue any business they think will produce an acceptable rate of return on assets employed.

Easyjet increasing from 12 to 13 aircraft next summer going off current schedules.

The last aircraft to use R/W 28 was a C172, G-AZTS.

Late 1980s, or possibly early '90s.

Ryanair just announced "it will slow its growth this winter (Nov 17 to Mar 18), by flying 25 less aircraft (of its 400 fleet) from November, and 10 fewer aircraft (of 445) from April 2018" but Manchester unaffected.

MAN is affected in some ways, as an example, Madrid reduces from daily to 6 weekly with no Sunday flight this winter.

Not checked other routes but I doubt MAD is the only one.

Runway 10/28 officially closed in 1979. The major refurbishment and re-profiling on 06/24 in 1979/80 resulted in a pronounced hump in the cross-runway. There were however a few unlicensed operations on 10/28 up until about 1990, for instance a light aircraft outside crosswind limits on 06/24 but needing to land urgently, or a historic aircraft special event.

02/20 closed in the early 1970s when the building of Pier C effectively lay on the extended centreline and it was needed primarily as a taxiway to serve the new pier and due to increasing traffic.

...and many many EZY / RYR / EXS / MON still to return. Like I said, MAN is completely full from 1am until 6am - I doubt there is a spare stand. There are many other airports that can accommodate diversions easily, and that is where they will go. There are things to moan about at MAN right now, but turning away diversions from a full airport really isn't one of them.

Hopefully though eggc, they will never turn 'emergencies' away.

And roverman, you're spot on about the unlicensed movement of G-AZTS. I was the air controller who issued the 'Land at your discretion' clearance, (after liaising with 'OPS 3', obviously). W/V was about 310/30kts, and 'TS stopped well before the 06/24 10/28 intersection. The pilot was very grateful too.

Arrived back from Larnaca on a full Thomson Dreamliner into T2 on Sunday night about 20:15. Everything went smoothly, the moving escalators working and passport control a dream. A 20 minute wait for cases but that's hardly the airports fault and the wait was probably felt long due to how quickly we went through passport control. I must admit it the experience was better than I've seen it for a while.

Oh, and I love the Knutsford Guardian article.

Notice that it's always "An Airport Spokesman"who says.........

Why haven't any of the folks who work there got the courage to add their names to this stuff. It's the same with press articles about local councils. Same thing really.

And I love the statement...."Depending on where you live there may be no change, or less or more aircraft".

If, "Our business is growing"........How on Earth can there be less aircraft?........A380s to the Med'?

I've flown the MAN-NQY route a couple of times this year, and I've found it a really good experience - decent aircraft, competitive fares, and an easy experience both ways at NQY.

It's an operational decision taken by the airport management. What does it matter whether or not whichever relatively lowly comms person responsible for sending out the statement on their behalf puts their name on it?

It matters greatly DP.

Too many big buisnesses hide behind the 'cloak of anonymity' today.

Obviously the statement doesn't mean less aircraft in general, but about altering the distribution of traffic throughout the day. This could lead to a scenario where by depending on where you live you could see more, less or similar traffic levels. If you live off the centreline of 23R I'd imagine you will see less.

Perhaps its now time to build the planned full length taxiway for 23L/06R before growth gets too big and it becomes a PITA like the current TP

I think you mentioned earlier you were an ATCO? Would you greet a pilot with your name on handover? No - because you represent the organization you work for in that context.

Also why should a (probably) underpaid office worker in MAG House add their name to corporate pronouncements opening themselves up to the abuse that is all too readily dished out under that same cloak of anonymity?

Indeed - two tunnels would have to become three tunnels. Expensive and therefore the Benefit Cost Ratio would probably be negative.

Ryanair:

It would seem MAN is losing 19 departures a week over the winter with the latest cancellations. How the original schedules for winter 17/18 compared to last winter I'm not sure.

The cancellations are frequency reductions on predominantly "city" type routes.
For example, CRL, BCN, and BGY are losing flights on some days when there were second rotations. However, HAM is reduced to 3 x weekly instead of daily and there are weekly frequency reductions to Madrid, Rome and 2 weekly services to Lisbon.

It's disappointing, especially as LPL & LBA appear to have no cancellations and BHX only the odd DUB rotation. I don't know exactly how many weekly departures Ryanair were originally scheduling from MAN this winter but I would guess 19 represents at least 7%, possibly more, and something like 150,000 seats from Nov to 24 March.