All direct flights from Manchester

Your Comments (14)

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  Jimmy Five Star

  22 December 2011 at 02:34 | #

  I think it is a bit patronising to describe an airport that handles the best part of 20 million people each year as a 'regional' airport.
  
  OK, some of the good long haul routes have gone (BMI to Antigua was a very useful route in its time), but have you tried looking at the departures board in any of Manchester's terminals, and then compared it with the pathetic offering available from our so-called 'second' city Birmingham!

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  Johnny Yen

  22 December 2011 at 03:36 | #

  I totally disagree with Mr Five Star! It looks like he just wants an argument! A regional airport is quite well understood to be any airport outside the main hub airport, which Manchester is not, despite it being an excellent base for various airlines.
  
  Besides, Birmingham still has some quality cheap flights with bmibaby, something Manchester has lost.

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  Will

  10 January 2012 at 13:51 | #

  I assume this HS2 farce won't go anywhere near Manchester Airport. Good to see Britain's leaders believe in a truly integrated public transport system!

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  James Avery

  10 January 2012 at 22:27 | #

  What they have done is release very detailed plans of the route as far as Birmingham and Rugely, where it joins the West Coast Mainline. There is very little detail in the public domain beyond this, so the route is anyone's guess - although they have probably mapped it out but not released details. Case history shows that High Speed Rail can provide excellent integration with major airports - especially Paris CDG and Frankfurt. It is much less useful for regional airports like Birmingham and Manchester, however much Birmingham Airport management like to think differently. Just take a look at the TGV station serving Lyon Airport - it is a wonderful piece of sculpture, but a total waste of money.
  
  Regional and local rail links can be a great benefit to all airports, and in that respect, I don't think Manchester Airport does too badly.

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  gociteh

  10 January 2012 at 22:29 | #

  I think you both miss the point. When hs2 eventually does reach Manchester, it will provide a lightening fast link between England's second city and London, and this will completely replace short haul flights. I'm not saying people shouldn't fly (otherwise I wouldn't be here looking for cheap flights to Spain!) - but these short hops really are so wasteful that they should be banned and replaced with high speed trains. The real problem is that hs2 doesn't go far enough - what about replacing flights to Edinburgh and Glasgow?

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  Villain

  11 January 2012 at 10:20 | #

  Since when was Manchester England's second city? HS2 will not make a scrap of difference to short-haul flights unless it goes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. The Westcoast Mainline has already taken a good chunk of the flights traffic on the Manchester to London route and those that still fly probably do so because they are not going into central London.

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  Babs Calberon

  11 January 2012 at 20:51 | #

  Villain, you are wrong on one point. HS2 won't even make a difference if it goes to Newcastle, as easyJet have already cancelled their Stansted flights. If it went through London and out to Gatwick, then it might be useful, but I suspect that would cost trillions.

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  Harvey Denton

  11 January 2012 at 21:08 | #

  One thing I will say about Manchester Airport is that it is always spotlessly clean, especially the toilets! I wish we had a direct train service from Hadfield, but I will make do with one change.
  
  The route network is excellent, as a complete Francophile I have no shortage of new places to explore thanks to the likes of Jet2 and Flybe.

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  Villain

  12 January 2012 at 11:30 | #

  I'm happy to stand corrected Babs!

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  Matthew Williams

  14 January 2012 at 20:14 | #

  One thing I don't get about Manchester, is that it is clearly an attractive place for airlines to use for long haul flights, especially to the USA and the Middle East - so why aren't there direct flights to Los Angeles or Hong Kong, two cities that have intense competition from Heathrow? I'd say the same for Bangkok too, although they have had political instability - but if Singapore Airlines can offer flights from Manchester to Singapore, why not Hong Kong?

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  James Avery

  14 January 2012 at 21:22 | #

  Matthew, the viability of flight routes is down to a complex set of factors, not just a question of whether or not there is demand.
  
  There are numerous flights from Manchester to the US East Coast, as these can also offer onward connections beyond. Los Angeles does not offer this option - apart from a few cities in California or Hawaii, any other connections would involve doubling back.
  
  The Singapore flights you mention operate via Munich. Cathay Pacific have previously had plans to offer flights to Hong Kong via Moscow, but the route never started. Neither of these stops are ideal options, especially as both cities want to be seen as key connecting hubs.

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  Jason Milward

  19 January 2012 at 14:52 | #

  I think Manchester has a great selection of flights - yes, as Matthew says above, Hong Kong would be great, but considering the size of the city, I think we do pretty well!

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  James Avery

  19 January 2012 at 15:06 | #

  Well said Jason, nice to hear something positive about what I think is very much an excellent airport, instead of all the moaning. Compared to Birmingham, Manchester has a much better flights offering, and so it should, considering the geography.

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  Raj Singh

  23 January 2012 at 02:33 | #

  How come there aren't any direct flights to India from Manchester? I don't mind going via Dubai for the shopping, but after a few times all that glitz gets a bit boring, and I'd rather move on to something more authentic.
  
  Surely there's enough demand in and around Manchester for a direct routing to Delhi and / or Mumbai? (Mumbai preferred here!)

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