Manchester: Jet2.com Route News & Base Updates

[EGCC_MAN]

Has the discussion on this thread about security issues affecting North African resorts been moved or deleted? Thanks for any info.

 

[andyc941]

Yes deleted because it was going off topic and getting out of hand.I forgot to tick the box let posters know.

 

[Borneobob]

Now Jet2 have loaded their Summer 2018 programme from MAN, what are people's thoughts on possible additional routes?
Verona is served from a few of their other bases. As for new destinations, seems they've got the popular places pretty much covered. What do others think about these places? Chania, Crete - Palermo or Catania, Sicily - Sardinia - Ljubljana - South east Italy, either Bari or Brindisi?

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Verona is one i'm expecting to see from MAN Summer 2018. It's the obvious missing one but with the amount of VCE flights begs the question do Jet2 feed VRN from VCE?

I expect to see more Greek; Skiathos, Santorini, Mykonos are now the obvious choices for Jet2 to go to.

 

[Borneobob]

I agree Sherburn that Verona will probably appear sooner rather than later, but I'm not so sure about those particular Greek islands, they have very limited room to build more accommodation, and in the height of summer it can be difficult to find rooms on both Santorini and Mykonos unless you book way in advance already.
Skiathos could be a possible destination as there aren't many flights there from MAN, and they can be pretty expensive, I paid about £800 for two return the other year with TCX.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Borneobob are you talking about finding accommodation as a customer like walking off the street?

I don't see Mykonos in the next couple of years however i do see Santorini and Skiathos soon. Jet2holidays would of course contract the hotels. I would expect both these destinations to be started off with a small operations; MAN, STN certainly with maybe 1 of LBA, BHX or GLA/EDI.

 

[Borneobob]

I do think that Skiathos is possible, they are extending the runway there to allow larger aircraft with heavier loads to make the return non-stop, and the popular island of Skopelos is just a short ferry ride from the port close to the airport.
With Santorini accomadation I was on about either booking with one of the Internet sites or even with the package companies that operate there. It books up pretty fast and I can't remember seeing many big hotels there last time I was there, maybe one or two in the Kamares area?. The island is very popular with people from all over the world, and I get the impression that places to stay are at a premium in both availability and price.
I think Easyjet make it work because they are also catering for the island hopping people. I myself am going to be flying back to MAN with them from JTR next summer after a trip round the islands starting in ATH.

 

[ethanegcc]

As someone who visits Skiathos and finds it painfully over-priced and inaccessible, I would love Jet2 to do this. I wouldn't even mind a VOL stop on the way back, as other airlines do.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...-news/prague-stag-do-flight-arrested-12896434

Police offload TWENTY-THREE stag party members from Manchester flight to Prague

The headline might be a slight exaggeration because the body of the article suggests that some of the two groups involved might have left the aircraft voluntarily after some of their number were removed by the police who had been called to the Jet2 aircraft by the captain.

Nevertheless, it does seem that some members of the group were acting in an anti-social manner. I say full marks to the captain for his/her decision and to the police for their response. Having had the misfortune to have once been on a KLM CityHopper aircraft (a small Saab 340 at that) where about a dozen members of a golfing party were the worse for drink and making the life of the sole stewardess intolerable, I support every measure to deal positively with boorish behaviour by passengers.

I'd like to think that the airline would chase the offending passengers for the cost of the delay to the aircraft.

 

[Borneobob]

As someone who visits Skiathos and finds it painfully over-priced and inaccessible, I would love Jet2 to do this. I wouldn't even mind a VOL stop on the way back, as other airlines do.

I agree Ethan, the airlines that fly from MAN don't seem to be interested in people who want flight only, and this is probably reflected in the prices they ask. Sometimes cheaper to book a package and not use the accommodation. Maybe Jet2 would shake the market up a bit. Last time I visited they were doing a lot of work at the airport extending the apron and runway to avoid the circling and fuel stops. Last time took 5hrs back to MAN with fuel stop in Kavala.

 

[User001]

New route to Verona on Wed/Sat from May 2018.

 

[Land23R]

I was hoping Verona wouldn't be the only new route from MAN for s18 although I accept that with their current extensive network, new routes are hard to find. From Travel News Weekly, EDI & GLA have secured 7 new routes between them and we still await announcements for LBA, STN & BHX.

"New for 2018 from Glasgow are exclusive routes to Bodrum, Kefalonia and Halkidiki. From Edinburgh, Jet2holildays is adding four new routes – Antalya and Kos which are exclusive, and also Dalaman and Madeira, and from Newcastle, services to Bodrum and Halkidiki are new and exclusive"

Has it been established if MAN remains at 15 based a/c for 2018?

 

[User001]

Media releases seem to imply a 2nd A330 will be based for S18.

 

[Yawner]

This seems consistent with Jet2 (possibly incentivised by the airport) strategy. 733s replaced by 738s and 757s by A330s. Their growth is coming from higher utilisation especially in Winter and bigger aircraft.

 

[Land23R]

The article about the new Verona route mentions that Jet2 will have 90,000 extra seats in their 2018 Summer program from MAN. This indicates, I reckon, an increase of about 4.5% from s2017. I gather this summer there are about 18% extra seats vs 2016. What with TOM's 2018 schedules looking uninspiring in terms of growth and uncertainty about the US, it appears increasingly likely that 2018 overall will be far more constrained in terms of an increase in pax, despite hopefully gains to the East on long haul.

What Ryanair and easyjet plan will obviously have a significant bearing along with TCX, MON and flybe.

 

[User001]

The thing is, MAN is now know in a strange situation.

The route network now looks pretty well covered, which means 'new' routes now have to be into riskier markets.

That combined with the fact there are only so many seats you can add to a route (MAN-PMI is about 12 daily some days!!!!), means that it's clear 'growth' will slow but passenger figures can remain.

When you are in the situation MAN is in, you are not going to get the stunning growth the likes of BHX can achieve, as they are growing towards where we already are, rather than parallel growth to the same target.

 

[ethanegcc]

I totally agree with your post, User, but there are more adventurous markets Jet2 could enter from Manchester, without being risky. They have been adventurous before with Istanbul and Tel Aviv, but they could expand to new markets whilst remaining in the warm embrace of package holidays/popular British holiday places and cater for standalone flights to destinations such as Skiathos, Samos, Kalamata, Zagreb, Tangier, Agadir etc.

Verona is a good route though, but, pity Jet2 or Thomson aren't wanting to serve anywhere new

 

[Jerry]

Skiathos, Samos, Kalamata, Zagreb, Tangier, Agadir etc.

They could also look at Burgas. Bulgaria offers some cheap holidays and it could be ideal as twice weekly on a 757 or A330.

 

[ethanegcc]

Jet 2 Inaugural Almeria tomorrow.

 

[User001]

Jet2's first widebody. Full credit to Daniel Luft