Manchester: General Airport Discussions & Updates

[Aceshigh]

It's going to be interesting to see what the current political situation has on a number of aviation issues:

• APD - apparently on the table from the DUP (perhaps limited to Northern Ireland only);
• LHR expansion - this looks vulnerable with no Tory majority, the labour deputy in an "anti" seat and Tory rebels;
• Brexit - the elephant in the room: open skies for 2019 is a very pressing deadline for route planners;
• Development of a U.K. wide aviation policy.

We continue to live in "interesting" times...

Would be good if the transport committee had a revamp to look at some of these issues. Louise Ellman heads this up and it's fair to say has never batted for Manchester!

 

[Aceshigh]

Dried Fruit is reporting the financial editor for The Sun has been told 40 Tory MPs are against any expansion of Heathrow. One would think the next logical choice for any airline chasing a UK route would therefore be Manchester?

I suspect MPs are being briefed that this does indeed amount to a possible £18bn subsidy to a foreign company.

 

[Dobbo]

There is a good note on this by Coathanger on the Heathrow thread. The political risk has become a major unexpected problem but the major risk remains legal.

My money is on the whole process starting again.

 

[Dobbo]

Hot on the heels of Barclays looking at Airport City, the insurer Royal London may do the same if they cannot expand their current site.

https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/ne...ilmslow-plan-but-keeps-on-with-office-search/

 

[EGCC_MAN]

For those who may be interested I have uploaded afew pics of recent rare visitors to MAN to the Manchester Airport gallery on the 'MEDIA' section of the F4A website.

 

[Aceshigh]

From dried fruit.

It seems MAG are fast becoming aware of the transfer "opportunities".

 

[Dobbo]

Good to hear, but I can't imagine it's a new development. Just that right now they are rebuilding the airport such that they can provide a quality and high capacity transfer product.

Aside from anything else, they will bring many more airlines under one roof. The current three terminal system is fragmented and inefficient.

Such things as baggage handling, security clearance,walkways etc. Should all be reasonably easy to incorporate into the TP.

 

[ethanegcc]

I have also seen on Manchester PPRUnE that 80 passengers transited to the San Francisco flight today, and there were some great statistics for recent Houston flights.

 

[Dobbo]

I hadn't spotted that - 80 is a very impressive number! Roughly 30% of a full load. Wonder where they transferred from...

 

[ethanegcc]

Also from Roverman: 168 pax joined at MAN on today's SQ52, 16 of them off connecting flights. Just 50-odd others transiting through from SIN to IAH. The aircraft has 253 seats so MAN is providing the bulk of traffic on this route.

And also there is evidence being reported on PPRUnE that there is a trend in transiting from JED to the US through MAN

 

[Aceshigh]

With credit to somebody called spike from Plane Mad. It's impossible to join so if we have any members over there? (please can somebody get him and indeed roverman on here 🙂


"With MAN getting busier by the day, here are a few figures to emphasise where some of these additional pax are coming from.

Yesterdays inbound Oman had 216 passengers, one of the highest numbers seen recently, and 108 outbound.

Generally the MEB4 have all been a little low recently although this is generally expected in June and is now on the increase.

Transfer pax have jumped by a large % over the last year. Most days there are between 70 and 130 arriving from Ireland and connecting onto the Virgin Orlando flight. Today, for example, there were 125 off the Dublin and 37 off the Cork Aer Lingus flights, connecting onto the Virgin Orlando flight.

This afternoons Aer Lingus ATR from Dublin had 62 PAX, 35 of them are connecting onto tomorrow mornings Orlando and Las Vegas flights, after overnighting here.

Out of 71 pax on the Flybe from Amsterdam 53 were connecting onto TC USA flights.

Expect some high numbers heading back to"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Outstanding tfr traffic and the one that stands out for me is AMS. How on earth are the Dutch finding out and then booking TCX flights ?. I wouldn't have thought it was on their radar at all?

 

[Jerry]

I'm guessing they are using Skyscanner or Expedia or possibly booking through Thomas Cook Belgium? Only TUI do Orlando flights from AMS. KLM doesn't do them so they have limited options.
It looks like MAN has the potential to develop as a long haul hub with a focus on leisure routes.

 

[Aceshigh]

If anybody has as time on there hands on this soggy Sunday I recommend

"Make the connection game" and use Google airfares.

I put in Exeter- Los Angeles

EXT CDG came up first BUT Manchester second third and forth interestingly via JFK SFO and LAS !!!!!!!

So does the google algorithm track home location (me) and give a slightly distorted result? I would also need to check day of operation re the direct flight.

Incidentally a Norwich San Franscisco 20th Jul shows Manchester as best connection AND WAS HALF THE NEXT AVAILABLE FARE AT £730 .

£1400 WITH KLM!

No wonder transfer pax are going through the roof !

What are fares like from Heathrow?

Is it possible to hop on a shuttle from London and the get on a TCX aka Dublin pax and actually save money?

Perish the thought of Londoners wanting to fly from up here 🙂

Everybody else seems to want to!

 

[Jerry]

Was the SFO with TCX? Because I've been looking at prices for CWL-PDX in August and decided to look at other airports mainly LHR BRS LGW and MAN and MAN-PDX with TCX was the cheapest option about £850-900 Unfortunately for me by the time I add on travel costs and a night in a hotel it's not that much cheaper than KLM CWL-PDX which is about £1150-1200 at the moment. But i do wonder if CWL had a MAN flight then it might be the cheapest option.

 

[Land23R]

SFO is with Virgin on Tues/Fri/Sun, and with TCX on Thurs. and Sun I think. LAX is TCX only.

 

[EGCC_MAN]

Just a thought ... if the first morning inbound Aer Lingus services are so rammed with transfer pax, the airline may be wise to consider increased capacity on the route to cope with those who wish to visit or do business in Manchester itself and the surrounding area. Of course, Ryanair also offers a DUB-MAN service (always full?) which arrives in time for the business day but ORK has very limited options. Nice problem to have though!

 

[Dobbo]

Attracting, growing and retaining businesses like PrettyLittleThing are going to be key in Manchester's economic future. Obviously, the more these businesses succeed on the global scale, the more they will come under pressure to locate to the South East. MAN's continued growth can help buck that trend.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...ing-manchester-brand-supported-kylie-13262982

 

[Dobbo]

View attachment 5539

This could go in the Urban Forum, but I thought it was interesting that a Manchester project (and a Leeds project) received airtime in a BA magazine in the northern powerhouse context...

 

[User001]

http://www.rustourismnews.com/2017/07/07/megabus-com-adds-manchester-airport-to-uk-network/

Megabus adding Manchester Airport to its network with departures to Scotland, Birmingham and London.

 

[Land23R]

The British Open Golf is at Royal Birkdale this year from 16-23 July. (key dates will be the last 4 days of course). We may get a few extra biz jets but it should also see some extra pax on inbound US flights for the start, and then outbound afterwards. Some of the top golfers will help to fill the Business Class seats no doubt (through sponsorship?).

I guess it's also the start of some of the school holidays that weekend as well.