British Airways drops Isle of Man flights from London City Airport

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• Anna says:

  22 Jun22 June 05:44

  Is there any other carrier who flies MAN-NYC now? I have a friend who was flying on UA in January, she won’t know about her re-routing rights.

  • Anna says:

    22 Jun22 June 06:00

    Virgin are still selling MAN-JFK in 2021, would she be entitled to direct re-routing with them rather than via a European hub?

    • pauldb says:

      22 Jun22 June 06:39

      I don’t think there’s any way to force them to rebook direct, and they’ll prefer to connect her to one of their own longhauls.
      Naturally she can refund and rebook depending on pricing (and not accept any rebooking yet to see how pricing evolves).

      • Anna says:

        22 Jun22 June 07:13

        It’s a 3 day package trip so re-booking is going to be a pain, and the journey will probably be a minimum of 12 hours rather than 8 so they may not even want to go if that’s the case.

      • Rhys says:

        22 Jun22 June 08:30

        She should be able to insist on a direct flight if available

        • pauldb says:

          23 Jun23 June 06:21

          Yes in fact Rhys is right. There is guidance from the EC and CAA that in these circumstances it looks like they should offer the direct flight.

    • Rob says:

      22 Jun22 June 09:06

      It will probably happen in Jan ’21. We are only talking about lack of flights for Summer 2020, ie up to the end of October.

      • Anna says:

        22 Jun22 June 09:31

        You say it might be permanently though and they don’t now seem to be selling direct flights in January.

        • pauldb says:

          22 Jun22 June 15:36

          As well as the chance of the direct flight restarting, the other reason to not accept a change yet is that they might not want go by the time January comes around – depending how cases go in the US.

  • memesweeper says:

    22 Jun22 June 08:55

    Right now? None.

    Keep an eye on flightradar24 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/man to see what gets started with things return to normal-ish.

• Anna says:

  22 Jun22 June 05:50

  Is the free bookable MAN security queue going to be a different one from the one you can pay for already? So that’ll be free booked queue, free unbooked queue, paid fast track, free fast track for business class passengers … the security areas aren’t all that big at MAN!

• Tim M says:

  22 Jun22 June 06:26

  Manchester Airport’s policy for many years is to make the standard experience unbearable in order to incentivise their customers to pay them extra for a bearable service.

  My guess about the ‘free’ 15 min security slots Is that this is Covid-related and a trial of a move to make the vast majority of people nominate a slot to manage queuing. The waits through security and immigration are usually well over 15 minutes with non socially-socially distanced queues in snaked half-mile long formations, supervised by airport personnel straight out of the Cell Block H prison guard charm school. The management must have realised they cannot operate with this dehumanising experience with the social distancing rules. Hence ‘queue at home’ and don’t come to the airport until it is your turn in the queue.

  Having said that, true to form, I would expect available slots to book up well in advance.

  • Anna says:

    22 Jun22 June 06:37

    It’ll be another opportunity to berate folk for being in the wrong queue and threaten to make them miss their flight. They really hate it when you produce a CE boarding pass so they can’t send you out of fast track and to the back of the standard queue!

  • Doug M says:

    22 Jun22 June 09:39

    Unless Manchester want to improve the airport experience no serious business traffic will ever want to be bothered with the place. My only two flights from the place on AA in business were really poor airport experience, and the staff are deliberately difficult and authoritarian in their attitude. Why would I ever go back.

• John Gartside says:

  22 Jun22 June 06:44

  Sadly all this will affect employment opportunities at the airport. However it will not concern local folk. The ill will towards the airport in the NW is palpable. The poor customer care and car parking inefficiency has created real resentment amongst users. There can hardly be any visitor who has not been held up owing to car park exit barriers not working- including their own staff !
  All a great pity as years ago it enjoyed a terrific reputation and hence the public support for their second runway.

  • Dezbez says:

    22 Jun22 June 10:28

    I agree. Back in the day when T2 was built it genuinely felt like it was Britain’s second airport. Now it’s been run into the ground, the customers are milked for every penny, the staff make it an unpleasant experience (there are exceptions of course) and the lounges are sub-standard at best. I suspect a big part of this is the impact of low cost airlines which has created a big increase in demand, something the infrastructure couldn’t cope with – it’s starting to catch up again in some areas eg investing in better transport links, but the airport itself needs a major overhaul.

    • Mr(s) Entitled says:

      22 Jun22 June 11:21

      Have you been to the airport recently? They are spending a £1bn on it. Building new terminals, opening new lounges. What more do you want them to do?

      • Rob says:

        22 Jun22 June 11:59

        Open them 🙂

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:

          22 Jun22 June 14:31

          The 1903 Lounge is recent as is the dedicated VIP which you were a fan off. The new T2 was due to open this Summer which would have brought a further flew of facilities. Sadly some sort of virus has got in the way of that.

          There are issues with MAN, but the comments from a number of people on HfP are clearly comments from people who have not been there recently. Good transport links, lots of good on airport accommodation, and a £1bn investment in the hard product. MAG deserve some credit for trying.

        • Charlieface says:

          22 Jun22 June 17:26

          Trust me, I live up here in Manchester, yes there are 2 runways (the only 2 runway airport outside of London) and very good ground transport, but the terminals themselves are third-world. T3 is the size of a shoebox with little corridors threading round pillars. T1 you arrive at mostly non-jetway gates, go upstairs downstairs upstairs, along hospital corridors, more upstairs downstairs, just to get to passport control.
          MAN could be something much better if they had the money i.e. if an airline made it their hub, which they could easily do.

      • Dezbez says:

        22 Jun22 June 16:17

        I flew in late Feb this year in fact to Orlando with Virgin ie T2 (so one of its last flights I guess). It wasn’t an enjoyable experience, from arrival at the terminal (Dad’s taxis dropped us off) right up until getting on the plane. That said, a five hour delay really didn’t help. You’re right though, things are getting better and the upgraded terminal will make a massive difference.

        • Lady London says:

          22 Jun22 June 21:21

          A 5 hour delay? Did you all claim for EU261 ?

        • Dezbez says:

          22 Jun22 June 21:43

          Lady London: yes, they accidentally deployed one of the emergency door shutes while loading the plane for our flight – they then had to drive up a replacement from Gatwick. We claimed the full €600 each (x4). To give Virgin credit, the money was in our bank account within 4 days, while we were still on holiday.

      • TimM says:

        22 Jun22 June 17:23

        >>Have you been to the airport recently?

        Yes, every terminal this year.

        >>They are spending a £1bn on it. Building new terminals, opening new lounges. What more do you want them to do?

        Treat their customers with politeness, dignity and respect as any other business would behave in a business-to-customer relationship.

        I have passed though Manchester at least once a year airport since 1972. For the last two decades that has been far more often. There is not once year when the experience has not got worse. In recent years, I am composing my letter of complaint on the flight but stop because I know carrying those thoughts will spoil my trip and probably give me cancer. Going through an airport should not spoil your holiday, every time.

        Manchester airport should have it licence removed. It is not fit for purpose.

        So on the new multi £Bn terminal 2. It is already planned as the worst extremes of the worst experience of Manchester airport. Seriously compulsory, unending shopping right to the gate. The gate will be a shopping centre. There is no opt-out, no short-cut route at any price. There are physical walls to prevent you not walking through shops and bars. Your will be harassed and walk four times as far as necessary to reach your plane.

        What is the purpose of an airport?

        These were all the complaints of Manchester airport. Now they have built a super-mega-monster that will be an affront even the most shop-friendly, easy going traveller.

        The kindest thing to do would be to demolish it, strip the rights from Manchester AIrport Group and start again. My view would be to prosecute and seek massive damages on behalf of the billions of travellers who have suffered the dehumanising experience of Manchester Airport.

        However, I can be fair. A public enquiry with video evidence, certified timings, a release of complaints from passengers and airlines, etc, etc, etc.

        Public ownership of the infrastructure with private competition between terminals and services appears a sensible way forward.

        I am ever more likely to be arrested and carted away for speaking the truth, politely at Manchester Airport.

        • Charlieface says:

          22 Jun22 June 17:30

          Just missed that response.
          Yes +1 on all of it.
          One time I went with my 14 year old sister, who didn’t (shock horror!) understand she had to put small perfume bottles in a clear bag. She had her whole bag tipped out while being barked at by some old hag at security, until I said “There’s no need for the attitude. If you got up on the wrong side of bed, you can take it out on someone else or I’ll file a complaint”

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:

          22 Jun22 June 19:25

          Good effort if that photo is you. You don’t look nearly 50, and to have remembered every experience since 1972, you must be over 50. Obviously the life altering stress of passing through an airport is doing wonders for your complection. More should try it.

        • Lady London says:

          22 Jun22 June 21:25

          The poor man flies Easyjet as well. He’s holding up really well.

        • Lady London says:

          22 Jun22 June 21:28

          It sounds like thanks to the comments on here, any HFP-er is going to turn right to NCL or North to EDI, even. Sooner than MAG Group’s MAN airport.

          Serious question though – we’ve all been in parts of airports where they funnel you through shops. But are you seriously saying MAN’s new plan is to trap everyone in neverending shops all the way to the gate?

          How on earth did they get fire regulations approval for that? They could never evacuate in time, with the obstacles shops would put up.

        • Matt says:

          23 Jun23 June 20:49

          It is already majority (65%) public ownership by Greater Manchester Councils

• Ikaz says:

  22 Jun22 June 07:13

  I am hoping to be flying from Manchester on Wednesday, will definitely book the security. Thanks for the tip!

• Michael C says:

  22 Jun22 June 07:37

  So first Flybe BHX-IOM stopped using Avios, then that route was dropped altogether, and now LCY, meaning Easyjet will have a monopoly for anywhere south of Machester, and no Avios route at all…

  Hope someone at least compensates for this by putting on an LHR route!!

• Oli says:

  22 Jun22 June 07:48

  BAs timetable is showing flights between IOM and LCY past the 13th September so I am hoping this is just an IT error?

  I travel this route 4-6 times a month for work and really hope it stays as Easyjet have terrible timings and put you at Gatwick which is not particularly useful if you need to get anywhere quickly.

  • Bill says:

    22 Jun22 June 08:14

    There are Easyjet Luton flights but admittedly not suited to business travellers.

    I suspect Stobart or Loganair may operate a London to IOM route

• PeterK says:

  22 Jun22 June 08:18

  Presumably BA had to give reasonable notice to terminate the LCYIOM contract with Loganair. In the meantime, perhaps BA has no intention of relaunching it’s own (Cityflyer) operations from at LCY in the short/medium term and so it would be odd to keep the IOM route going beyond its contractual termination contractual period..

  • Alex says:

    22 Jun22 June 09:08

    EDI flights are due to start in a couple of weeks from LCY, and others mid-July. BACF isn’t being abandoned.

  • memesweeper says:

    22 Jun22 June 09:39

    Loganair may have served notice on BA in order to run it themselves. BACF aircraft are likely too big for the route.

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