MAG reaction to international travel update​

MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: “We welcome the movement of more countries to the green and amber lists, in what is effectively the final review of the traffic light lists before the end of the summer holidays.
“Together with the new freedoms for fully vaccinated travellers, these changes will enable more people to enjoy a holiday, or reconnect with friends and family, in a growing list of countries.
“It is encouraging to finally see decisions that reflect the data on the ground in these destinations and close the gap with the approach being taken in other countries.
“Despite these positive moves, it is hugely disappointing that the UK is still so far behind in reopening international travel and has not gone further to support recovery of the aviation sector.
“Government must now take this opportunity to develop a stable, sustainable and affordable system that gives people the confidence to book ahead through the winter and into next year.”
 
I flew out of MAN to PMI on Wednesday, very surprised to see the flight only 40-50% full considering that Majorca is the most popular destination from MAN right now, but then with TUI, EZY & Jet2 also on the route, maybe it’s not totally surprising.
I am in Palma Nova which is relatively busy with Brits, Germans, French, Swiss, Dutch and Scandinavians. Brits certainly aren’t outnumbered! Just a shame we have the unnecessary testing in place compared to our EU neighbours!

Happy holidays everyone, wherever you maybe visiting this summer! :)
 
London,
13
August
2021

UK travel system is holding back recovery, says MAG​

  • UK’s largest airport group calls for an end to expensive PCR tests
  • Government data shows it has failed on its promise to sequence tests for variants, while passengers spend millions
  • Despite a recent increase in traffic, MAG, which owns and operates East Midlands, London Stansted and Manchester airports had 81.4% fewer passengers in July this year compared to 2019
The UK’s traffic light system and travel restrictions mean the country’s aviation sector is recovering at just half the rate of the rest of Europe, according to MAG.
The UK’s largest airport group – which owns Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airport, today published passenger figures for July, which show that passenger levels were 81.4% down on July 2019, when the Group served 6.5 million passengers, compared to just 1.2 million in the same month this year.
MAG said that since the review of the traffic light system on 4th August – which saw more countries added to the green and amber lists – volumes have picked up slightly but remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels.
With just three weeks of the peak summer season remaining, it said the requirement for passengers to pay for PCR tests, even when fully vaccinated and returning from low-risk destinations, was “out of step” with the rest of Europe and holding back the recovery of UK airports and airlines.
MAG’s latest traffic figures come as data from Airports Council International – Europe (ACI EUROPE) has laid bare the extent to which the UK is falling behind the rest of the continent when it comes to the revival of international travel. Figures show that Europe’s airports have already recovered to around 59% of pre-pandemic levels, compared to just 28% in the UK.
The UK’s blanket requirement for PCR testing and pre-departure testing differs dramatically to the approach taken by most European countries, which are allowing fully vaccinated passengers to travel between low-risk destinations without having to take any tests.
The Government has said PCR testing is needed to enable genomic sequencing to take place to identify variants of concern, but the latest official data shows only around 5% are actually being sent for sequencing and brings into question the need for passengers to take these tests.
While the Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to look into the testing industry to see if there are ways to reduce prices, this data highlights the need to scrap the blanket requirement for PCR tests altogether for vaccinated travellers to make travel more affordable.
MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: “While it is encouraging that more people are taking the opportunity to go on holiday or visit friends and family overseas, we are still yet to see a meaningful recovery in international travel.
“We won’t see a proper sustained recovery until the UK overhauls its costly and restrictive travel regime, which is out of step with the rest of Europe.
“UK passengers continue to be subjected to onerous and expensive PCR testing on the basis they will be sequenced to protect the UK from variants of concern, but it is clear this is not happening.
“Passengers - especially those who are fully vaccinated - will be right to question why they are forced to pay the extra cost for tests which are not being used in the way we were told they would be.
“Meanwhile, the recovery of our sector – which supports millions of jobs and billions of pounds in economic value – continues to lag significantly behind the rest of Europe as a result of excessive restrictions in place in the UK.
“We need a simple and sustainable system for travel, which people can understand and that is proportionate to the public health position here in the UK. The Government must act urgently to review the system and re-evaluate the need for expensive PCR tests.”
 
With Turkey now off the red list, are we expecting the various airlines of Turkey to return soon? Also will they be allocated to T2…
 
I feel the need to redress the balance for the airport - admittedly it was 3am and the airport was just waking up but we did terminal one from drop off to pier C in 20 minutes. Check in and security was a breeze.

But by god for someone who’s not used terminal one since 1999 things have changed a bit airside!
 
A tad interesting around Edgeley a few minutes ago Helimed landed on bowling green at Alex Park and as he departed at low level Police
helicopter was at very low level just to east of Edgeley Park Football ground
 
Had a trip to the airport yesterday and it was great to see how much busier the terminals and movements are. I also visited the airport pub to watch the A380 depart the afternoon service and it’s still as popular as ever! I returned to the airport pub this evening to catch the A380 depart in the dark; however, due to H&S the beer garden is closed when it’s dark due to no lights installed, very surprised they didn’t install them when they refurbished a few years back, a shame but still managed to catch the super jumbo from a distance!
 
Travelled through T1 this morning, arrived at 8.00, flying to Santorini with Ryanair.
Very quiet at check in and a straightforward process. Security B was closed, so upstairs to security A which was very busy but the queue was continually moving and after 15 mins I was through. Security staff were pleasant enough and around 10 lanes were open, so big improvement since my last visit 6 weeks ago.
Departed from gate 12A, a first for me and pleasant again away from the crowds further down pier B. Boarding was quick and efficient at 9.40 with an on time departure at 10.10. Overall impressed, not something I say often when it comes to T1!

I arrive back Friday afternoon, so let’s hope the pleasant experience continues…
 
I wrote the above report ref T1 experience this morning whilst on the plane and totally forgot the masks situation at the airport.
The repeated announcement statues “Manchester airport requires all arriving and departing passengers to wear a face covering” But I still see passengers with no mask, why isn’t this being questioned and enforced like in other European counties?
I assume staff are exempt from this requirement? As most of the security staff were not wearing masks at all or just had them under their chin…
 
I think this is a more general trend in public places. Yesterday, I used two trains, one Metrolink tram and three Blackpool trams ("masks compulsory"). I reckon about 20% of passengers across all services were muzzled. And I noted that a passenger wearing the full uniform of one of the companies didn't wear a mask either. I've noted similar levels of observance across various journeys over recent weeks. Likewise in supermarkets and other shops.

To be honest, this is a trend I'm happy to see. IMO, it is time for 'Covid Theatre' to end. The virus is so tiny that (where present) it will pass through the holes of a mask just as water flows through the holes in a fishing net. The time when a nervous minority needed the false reassurance of seeing those around them wearing this stuff has passed now. There will always be a small number who will choose to wear these things forever (and they can, if they want), but masks are inherently unhygienic and a magnet for filth and bacteria (besides being so unpleasant to use). The behaviour of the travelling public at large should remind politicians that the time has come to roll back these rules. The public is ahead of them. Masks have never been a suit of armour.

Or do they plan to ban / fine 80% of all travellers for not virtue-signalling months after masks had any kind of worthwhile psychological role to play?
 
I think this is a more general trend in public places. Yesterday, I used two trains, one Metrolink tram and three Blackpool trams ("masks compulsory"). I reckon about 20% of passengers across all services were muzzled. And I noted that a passenger wearing the full uniform of one of the companies didn't wear a mask either. I've noted similar levels of observance across various journeys over recent weeks. Likewise in supermarkets and other shops.

To be honest, this is a trend I'm happy to see. IMO, it is time for 'Covid Theatre' to end. The virus is so tiny that (where present) it will pass through the holes of a mask just as water flows through the holes in a fishing net. The time when a nervous minority needed the false reassurance of seeing those around them wearing this stuff has passed now. There will always be a small number who will choose to wear these things forever (and they can, if they want), but masks are inherently unhygienic and a magnet for filth and bacteria (besides being so unpleasant to use). The behaviour of the travelling public at large should remind politicians that the time has come to roll back these rules. The public is ahead of them. Masks have never been a suit of armour.

Or do they plan to ban / fine 80% of all travellers for not virtue-signalling months after masks had any kind of worthwhile psychological role to play?
BTW the whole mask thing is to limit the dispersal of sneezes etc. - it was never a protection against the virus. Also please (everyone) get vaccinated, just to balance the message out a bit.
 
No need to "balance the message out a bit" ... I am 100% pro-vaccination. It is precisely because the vast majority of us HAVE been vaccinated that we are able to move beyond the ultra-cautious phase. My comments address the need to progress back towards 'normality' now (after eighteen months of harsh travel restrictions). There is nothing wrong with that, and it should not be conflated with any assumptions concerning anti-vax sentiment. On the contrary, it is a core element of the "vaccine dividend" which we were promised by politicians. The vaccination programme has been outstandingly effective, and I join those urging the few holdouts to accept the gift of the jab. But we have reached the point (IMO) at which we can no longer hold back normal life for the masses to protect those few who knowingly refuse to protect themselves. It is their legal and moral right to refuse the vaccine (unless working directly with the vulnerable), but they have no right to expect everyone else to halt their lives for them if they have made a high-risk informed choice. The consequences (good or bad) are on them. And in fairness, most of the refuseniks recognise that.

There was widespread debate about the effectiveness of masks at the start of the pandemic. But now we have extensive real-world data to reference, not just theoretical models. And a good start is to compare the different outcomes in US states which mandated mask-wearing versus those which did not. Hint: good luck deducing which was which! Masks offer people a false sense of security - a bad thing in my view - and they harbour build-ups of bacteria and filth. They're also extremely uncomfortable to use. The public was commendably compliant in tolerating masks for the greater good whilst it appeared responsible to do so - for well over a year! But that time has passed, and the general public demonstrates that they instinctively feel this by their real-time behaviour. And that translates to around 80% of people on typical public transport journeys shunning masks, not just afew irresponsible rebels.

It is time to move on from this now. We've done our duty admirably. We deserve our freedoms back - we're vaxxed (or, where not, could be). We've earned that reward - and, by heck, the aviation industry (and many others) need an end to this hysteria asap. Time to put Professor Lockdown back in his cupboard and bring back rational data-led decision-making and common sense.
 
I hate to have to point this out, but dealing with Covid fallout is THE biggest airport news right now. Everything depends on this. We can't have any meaningful discussions about Manchester Airport's prospects without taking Covid into consideration. That's just the reality.
 
There’s debate and there’s opinion.

Maybe make a new thread for it. Invariably the topic degenerates into arguments and we don’t need that in this thread.
 
But there is no argument here. Only civilised discussion (and that is the purpose of the forum). Respectful exchange of views. And this particular discussion concerns by far the biggest single challenge Manchester Airport has faced since WW2. If exchange of abusive content arises (and it won't from me), then I'm sure Scottie Dog will deal with it. But F4A enjoys a good record on that score.

At the end of September 2019, the Moving Annual Total of passengers at MAN was: 29,510,599
By the end of March 2021, the Moving Annual Total of passengers at MAN was: 2,844,918
That is literally a greater than 90% drop. It is aviation 'Armageddon'.

As of the end of September 2021, the MAT has climbed off the deck to reach 3,821,874. An increase of fewer than one million passengers across the peak months of April through September. That translates to a lost Summer for the second successive year.

Our airlines are in a desperate state. Airports likewise. They're carrying a fraction the number of passengers which they would normally expect, and many of those brave enough to endure the hassle and additional expense implied by flying at all these days are redeeming travel vouchers. That is not new revenue for our hard-pressed carriers.

The UK Government continues to insist on mandatory Covid testing for all international travellers. We're about to switch from a regime of expensive tests to less expensive ones, but the hassle factor remains firmly present, along with all the soul-destroying form-filling and app-management requirements, queues, and risk of quarantine. Overseas governments impose restrictions of their own, each jurisdiction different from the next. Yes, there is alot of opinion involved in whether any of this is justified eighteen months on, but I contend that this is something which should be eligible for open discussion on an airport forum. This is THE key issue which will determine whether our industry will see a return to prosperity in 2022 - or not. The airlines are desperate for clarity so they can plan ahead with confidence. They simply can't do that yet. Clarity isn't there. They're planning based on hope and prayer.

And then there is the travelling public. Yes, 3.8 million have made the brave decision to fly through Manchester over the past twelve months. But that tells us that around 26 million have not. There are many reasons for this. Some remain terrified of the virus, having been subjected to doom-laden media coverage for eighteen months. Others pass on the obligation to undergo a series of invasive tests at considerable expense. Form-filling and managing apps is a big turn-off for many, especially older less-confident travellers. Some will endure it if the reward is finally seeing the grandkids after two years, but for a week in the sun ... maybe not. That can wait. I come across so many people expressing this view.

I have flown through MAN twice this week, on Sunday, and again yesterday. I travelled aboard one of MAN's largest carriers. Upon boarding the first of these flights, the usual smile and welcome aboard was conspicuously missing. Instead, the lead cabin attendant was challenging passengers about adjusting masks, or wearing 'the wrong sort of masks' ("The gate staff should have told you!!!"). Once boarding was completed, a PA announcement followed. "If anybody doesn't feel like wearing a mask today, we can arrange to offload you RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!! And if you don't want to wear one enroute, we can arrange to divert the plane and drop you off anywhere between here and [destination]!!!" All this on a flight which was a quarter-filled, with the most placid bunch of passengers you ever saw. They just wanted to sleep, having been up so early. Later, we got: "You may remove your masks BRIEFLY for eating and drinking. But then you must put them back on IMMEDIATELY!!! And no queueing for the wash rooms!" I decided not to bother with the eating and drinking, thanks. It was like Air Colditz on there. The return flight experience was less "in your face", but still the full gammut of Covid announcements. Do the airlines think this reassures customers? I find it hugely offputting. Miserable.

Why would regular everyday passengers voluntarily pay to put themselves through this ... for fun? I can fully understand why 26 million have stayed away from Manchester Airport this year alone. Who wants to be addressed like that on a flight? It is completely uncalled for, and it is high time this nonsense was rolled back. We won't see a real recovery until it is. Yes, I'm expressing an opinion ... sorry ... but we need 'normal' back, and with all eligible folks in the UK now having been offered full vaccination, the time is right to give us that. It is a core element of the "vaccine dividend" which we were promised.

I realise that nobody likes to focus on bad news. But this particular bad news is a fact of life in contemporary international travel. We can't avoid mentioning it. And if our prognostications about Manchester Airport are to have any validity whatsoever, the C-19 factor must be taken into account above all else. To call it 'the elephant in the room' doesn't do it justice.

So I must take account of Covid in all assessments of Manchester Airport's prospects over the coming months. It can't be an inconvenient side topic to file away in a corner where no-one will look. It is centre stage, like it or not. I promise not to "degenerate into argument" - nobody here has done that. But healthy debate concerning the most pressing topic affecting air travel in our lifetimes is a good thing. And it is the reason why we refer to forums in the first place.

I welcome respectful pushback or comments, even if you disagree with me. There is no forum without healthy debate.
 
But there is no argument here. Only civilised discussion (and that is the purpose of the forum). Respectful exchange of views. And this particular discussion concerns by far the biggest single challenge Manchester Airport has faced since WW2. If exchange of abusive content arises (and it won't from me), then I'm sure Scottie Dog will deal with it. But F4A enjoys a good record on that score.

At the end of September 2019, the Moving Annual Total of passengers at MAN was: 29,510,599
By the end of March 2021, the Moving Annual Total of passengers at MAN was: 2,844,918
That is literally a greater than 90% drop. It is aviation 'Armageddon'.

As of the end of September 2021, the MAT has climbed off the deck to reach 3,821,874. An increase of fewer than one million passengers across the peak months of April through September. That translates to a lost Summer for the second successive year.

Our airlines are in a desperate state. Airports likewise. They're carrying a fraction the number of passengers which they would normally expect, and many of those brave enough to endure the hassle and additional expense implied by flying at all these days are redeeming travel vouchers. That is not new revenue for our hard-pressed carriers.

The UK Government continues to insist on mandatory Covid testing for all international travellers. We're about to switch from a regime of expensive tests to less expensive ones, but the hassle factor remains firmly present, along with all the soul-destroying form-filling and app-management requirements, queues, and risk of quarantine. Overseas governments impose restrictions of their own, each jurisdiction different from the next. Yes, there is alot of opinion involved in whether any of this is justified eighteen months on, but I contend that this is something which should be eligible for open discussion on an airport forum. This is THE key issue which will determine whether our industry will see a return to prosperity in 2022 - or not. The airlines are desperate for clarity so they can plan ahead with confidence. They simply can't do that yet. Clarity isn't there. They're planning based on hope and prayer.

And then there is the travelling public. Yes, 3.8 million have made the brave decision to fly through Manchester over the past twelve months. But that tells us that around 26 million have not. There are many reasons for this. Some remain terrified of the virus, having been subjected to doom-laden media coverage for eighteen months. Others pass on the obligation to undergo a series of invasive tests at considerable expense. Form-filling and managing apps is a big turn-off for many, especially older less-confident travellers. Some will endure it if the reward is finally seeing the grandkids after two years, but for a week in the sun ... maybe not. That can wait. I come across so many people expressing this view.

I have flown through MAN twice this week, on Sunday, and again yesterday. I travelled aboard one of MAN's largest carriers. Upon boarding the first of these flights, the usual smile and welcome aboard was conspicuously missing. Instead, the lead cabin attendant was challenging passengers about adjusting masks, or wearing 'the wrong sort of masks' ("The gate staff should have told you!!!"). Once boarding was completed, a PA announcement followed. "If anybody doesn't feel like wearing a mask today, we can arrange to offload you RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!! And if you don't want to wear one enroute, we can arrange to divert the plane and drop you off anywhere between here and [destination]!!!" All this on a flight which was a quarter-filled, with the most placid bunch of passengers you ever saw. They just wanted to sleep, having been up so early. Later, we got: "You may remove your masks BRIEFLY for eating and drinking. But then you must put them back on IMMEDIATELY!!! And no queueing for the wash rooms!" I decided not to bother with the eating and drinking, thanks. It was like Air Colditz on there. The return flight experience was less "in your face", but still the full gammut of Covid announcements. Do the airlines think this reassures customers? I find it hugely offputting. Miserable.

Why would regular everyday passengers voluntarily pay to put themselves through this ... for fun? I can fully understand why 26 million have stayed away from Manchester Airport this year alone. Who wants to be addressed like that on a flight? It is completely uncalled for, and it is high time this nonsense was rolled back. We won't see a real recovery until it is. Yes, I'm expressing an opinion ... sorry ... but we need 'normal' back, and with all eligible folks in the UK now having been offered full vaccination, the time is right to give us that. It is a core element of the "vaccine dividend" which we were promised.

I realise that nobody likes to focus on bad news. But this particular bad news is a fact of life in contemporary international travel. We can't avoid mentioning it. And if our prognostications about Manchester Airport are to have any validity whatsoever, the C-19 factor must be taken into account above all else. To call it 'the elephant in the room' doesn't do it justice.

So I must take account of Covid in all assessments of Manchester Airport's prospects over the coming months. It can't be an inconvenient side topic to file away in a corner where no-one will look. It is centre stage, like it or not. I promise not to "degenerate into argument" - nobody here has done that. But healthy debate concerning the most pressing topic affecting air travel in our lifetimes is a good thing. And it is the reason why we refer to forums in the first place.

I welcome respectful pushback or comments, even if you disagree with me. There is no forum without healthy debate.

I flew LPL-FAO-LPL recently, out with FR and back with EasyJet. There was quite a difference in cabin crew announcements regarding Covid restrictions in the aircraft. I would say EasyJet were definitely more forceful in their instructions. I read most of the way so didn't take much notice , but now you have mentioned it Ryanair were doing their best to make you feel welcome but also safe.
 
Just a quick note.

This is the General Thread and therefore, for the time being at least, I will allow the discussion to continue. However should it descend into arguments then I will move the relevant items to the Covid forum.

F4A is well known for its friendly attitude and I hope that it will stay as such.

Thank you for your understanding.
 
Last edited:
I have flown through MAN twice this week, on Sunday, and again yesterday. I travelled aboard one of MAN's largest carriers. Upon boarding the first of these flights, the usual smile and welcome aboard was conspicuously missing. Instead, the lead cabin attendant was challenging passengers about adjusting masks, or wearing 'the wrong sort of masks' ("The gate staff should have told you!!!"). Once boarding was completed, a PA announcement followed. "If anybody doesn't feel like wearing a mask today, we can arrange to offload you RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!! And if you don't want to wear one enroute, we can arrange to divert the plane and drop you off anywhere between here and [destination]!!!" All this on a flight which was a quarter-filled, with the most placid bunch of passengers you ever saw. They just wanted to sleep, having been up so early. Later, we got: "You may remove your masks BRIEFLY for eating and drinking. But then you must put them back on IMMEDIATELY!!! And no queueing for the wash rooms!" I decided not to bother with the eating and drinking, thanks. It was like Air Colditz on there. The return flight experience was less "in your face", but still the full gammut of Covid announcements. Do the airlines think this reassures customers? I find it hugely offputting. Miserable.

I have flown 3 times during the pandemic; once towards the end of summer 2020 (Dalaman), and twice this year at either end of the summer (Mallorca & Cyprus). All 3 were from BHX to which I am local.

I'm not sure which airline you are referring to, but all 3 of my flights were with Jet2 and the cabin crew were nowhere near as harsh as the ones on your flights sounded. They were nothing but polite actually. Some passengers try to take this p*ss with face masks and not complying with the disembarking rules, however the cabin crew were quick to intervene with no more scorn than they with any disruptive passenger before covid.

Whilst I usually groan at the pre-recorded, Jess Gylnne soundtrack announcements, all covid announcements were done in this manner and didn't bother me in the slightest. In fact on the latest flight, the arrival announcement of "some airports may have temperature checks" actually finally felt more like we were living with Covid and just getting on with life.

All 3 flights were 95% plus full.

Given the level of detail in the covid announcements, they sound to me like there are a government requirement and that airlines are required to inform passengers of particular details. Obviously it's up to the airline and individual crew to decide how to deliver these announcements, but at no time did the presence of them make me wish I wan't there. If anything it made me appreciate my holiday even more.

I suspect if we make it through this winter without taking a massive step backwards, travelling abroad next summer will feel very different. By then, most people over the age of 12 will have been vaccinated in the UK as well as elderly and vulnerable having had booster jabs. The majority of Europe and North America will be in a similar position, whilst most of Asia, Oceania & S.America will likely be where we are now. Africa will be the odd one out. I suspect by next summer no tests will be required to travel unless you're not vaccinated.

Despite being very slow to act in opening up international travel, since the end of the summer the government has rolled back restrictions on international travel almost exponentially. If you'd told me 2 months ago if you were fully vaccinated you'd only need to take a lateral flow test after arrival in the UK and that the green and amber list had been scrapped with the red list only having 7 countries on it, I wouldn't have believed you.
 

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9 trips in 9 days done 70 miles walked and over 23-00 photos taken with a large number taken at 20mph or above. Heavy rain on 1 day only
5 trips done and 45 miles walked,. Also the RAF has had 4 F35B Lightning follow me yesterday and today....
My plans got altered slightly as one of the minibus companies had to cancel 3 trips and refunded me but will be getting nice discount when I rebook them.
wondering why on my "holidays" I choose to get up 2 hours earlier than when going to work. 6 trips in 6 days soon coming up with 3 more days to sort out

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