Avios when based in the North

[neila85]

I used my avios points and vouchers earlier this year to travel to Sydney and have since amassed another 400,000 plus vouchers BUT now I don’t have a specific trip planned I am finding avios really awkward to spend when based up north.
BA don’t do any short haul from Manx and then it’s really restrictive on longhaul eg Antigua and Mauritius both leave out of Gatwick so they expect you to cart your luggage from Heathrow??

Has anyone else found this?

If anything I think flying blue is a better scheme as the links between Manc and Paris/Amsterdam is better for their global network but it’s just hard to collect points.

[Rob]

There are HfP articles listing all Avios routes from Manchester and indeed all other regional airports if you search.

[neila85]

Thanks Rob
I’ve read the article from Feb re Manc previously- I think it confirms how restrictive it is from the North especially for decent long haul.
I am going to look again and maybe do the beach resorts in Brazil instead!

[dundj]

Another option is to go to GLA from Manchester by train and bus, or drive up and park, and use the GLA-LGW flight if you must. Still some luggage lugging, but easier than from LHR to LGW.

[CJD]

Iberia have a service from Manchester to Madrid which then opens up Iberia’s long haul options.

[jj]

Gatwick from Manchester is a 4.5 hour drive or a 3.5 hour train journey. By the time you faff with connecting flights, it’s only an hour or two longer than flying.

Why not just drive/rail down, and enjoy a relaxing dinner and a glass of wine in a nice hotel the night before?

[AndyGWP]

Agree re: popping to Madrid for Iberia (if it’s a BAPP voucher, you could then use it for business class travel to Brazil, and potentially pay peanuts in taxes). You would need to book your trip to Madrid as a separate trip (completely separate ticket) to benefit from reduced taxes, and ideally you would want to travel the day before your transatlantic departure so would need to cost in flight to Madrid and accommodation.

You could also do the cheap hop from Manchester to Dublin for options on Aer Lingus (though not sure they do Brazil and don’t think you could use your voucher on them?)

[neila85]

Sounds good re Madrid- thanks!
I will have a look at that and see what destinations it opens up.

Hopefully can use my vouchers up too.

Don’t really fancy a drive to/from Gatwick either end of a long haul trip- I think I just got unlucky with my island choices as both depart Gatwick!

[NorthernLass]

It took us 6 hours to drive from East Lancashire to LGW a couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday!

There was briefly a handful of short-haul weekend routes on BA from MAN but they were pulled after Covid.

But there’s still plenty of long-haul options where there’s no direct service from MAN so you’d have to connect somewhere. Many of the US routes like MIA, IAD, ORD etc. plus quite a few “tropical” options like NAS, GCM, BDA, PLS, plus the remaining Far East routes.

[NorthernLass]

MAN-MAD on IB is ludicrously cheap for cash, from about £30 if you have OW status and don’t need to pay for luggage.

[davefl]

jj wrote:

Gatwick from Manchester is a 4.5 hour drive or a 3.5 hour train journey. By the time you faff with connecting flights, it’s only an hour or two longer than flying.

Dream on. From my little corner of Manchester it’s an Uber + 1 change to get to Piccadilly or a 40 min Uber ride into there costing at least 25 quid. Then you have to sufffer the Avanti service if and when it turns up and if and when the lines aren’t closed due to people on the tracks/lines down/points or signal failures. Then when you get to Euston after having you wallet raped by Avanti, you have to connect to somewhere like Kings Cross to get a train to Gatwick. All lugging a suitcase or two.

Off peak that’s 4 changes, £85 and a minimum of 4hr 16min after I’ve got to my local station, so lets say 4.30 and £90. If I’m dumb enough to go peak it’s £210+ all one way!!!

I think I’d rather hang myself… cheers.

I decided to do the eco friendly thing and get the train+bus yesterday from MAN to home. It took nearly 2 hours and cost £6. Uber would have been 30 mins and £30. Won’t be bothering with the train and bus again.

[NorthernLass]

I’ve been getting the train to/from MAN of late, at £7 each way it’s miles cheaper than parking, and I am sufficiently time-rich to do it, with a good book and playlist. In fact, the dash between the station and T3 when train or plane journey is delayed is quite good exercise with a laden backpack and wheely case. And so far the rail staff have been lovely about not minding me getting different trains than the ones I’ve missed due to BA 😂

But not a hope in hell of me going to LGW by rail!

[Richie]

BTW There are no trains from King’s Cross to Gatwick, they’re from St Pancras. The walk from Euston to St. Pancras is easy.

[AndrewT]

If you’ve got time for the (not particularly) scenic route, Manchester – Reading – Gatwick is a regular hourly service avoiding London with only one change.

[davefl]

Richie wrote:

BTW There are no trains from King’s Cross to Gatwick, they’re from St Pancras. The walk from Euston to St. Pancras is easy.

Not dragging a suitcase and carrying a rucksack in the rain it isn’t. And yes I know they are technically different stations but they’re named as one on most signs.

I’ve always wondered why easyjet don’t have a feeder service into LGW from the north west but I guess it’s logistically not worth the hassle for them to run domestic services in the UK

[jj]

I think there’s a huge missed opportunity to offer rail/air connecting tickets. I always drive to LHR (2.5 hours on a good day) because a flexible first class return rail fare is £400 each, and I can’t book an advance ticket homebound because I can’t rely on the flight/baggage being on time. It would benefit BA, the train companies and the environment.

[NorthernLass]

Sometimes there’s not even room to bring luggage on a train. I remember once standing from Preston to MAN with my wheely case between my calves because my train was cancelled and they crammed 2 into 1. No way would I have got anything bigger on.

[davefl]

AndrewT wrote:

If you’ve got time for the (not particularly) scenic route, Manchester – Reading – Gatwick is a regular hourly service avoiding London with only one change.

Yes that’s a fair point but it’s Cross Country, who shortened their train sets in the pandemic and haven’t brought the full length ones back (according to my mother who regularly bent my ear about it).

Hopefully the new open rail services or whatever they are that are being bid for from the Manchester area come on in the next year or so.

[CJD]

davefl wrote:

I’ve always wondered why easyjet don’t have a feeder service into LGW from the north west but I guess it’s logistically not worth the hassle for them to run domestic services in the UK

There’s plenty of domestic UK services from Glasgow and Edinburgh. easyJet fly to Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton from both, as well as operating Glasgow to Southampton and Edinburgh to Derry.

[davefl]

CJD wrote:

davefl wrote:

I’ve always wondered why easyjet don’t have a feeder service into LGW from the north west but I guess it’s logistically not worth the hassle for them to run domestic services in the UK

There’s plenty of domestic UK services from Glasgow and Edinburgh. easyJet fly to Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton from both, as well as operating Glasgow to Southampton and Edinburgh to Derry.

Fair enough so why dont they bloody well fly from MAN or LPL!

[Richie]

easyJet has bases at MAN and LPL!

[ChrisBCN]

Richie wrote:

easyJet has bases at MAN and LPL!

And at BHX.

[davefl]

Richie wrote:

easyJet has bases at MAN and LPL!

I know that, that makes their lack of MAN or LPL to LGW even more baffling if they fly there from half a dozen airports aroung the country.

They could even feed Virgin’s gatwick services since they already partner with them

[ekposh]

It’s a pain but having just returned (granted into Stockport), I thought the Thameslink to St Pancras and short walk to Euston (with a case – and sunny) was fine. It didn’t bother me much. It was certainly easier than a bus to LHR and a 4 hour wait there to then get to the often delayed MAN flight.

But overall I agree, the lack of connectivity between MAN and LGW is poor. At the very least, I’d expect BA to offer complimentary shuttles between the 2 airports. If you’re going to go to that bother, I’d be very tempted to go to MAD instead.

[NorthernLass]

I flew from GLA for the first time last week and the dedicated BA lounge for the 6 flights leaving that afternoon was delightful. It does feel as though BA is giving up on MAN bit by bit.

Once you get to MAD, IB’s route network is impressive. Also don’t forget it’s ridiculously easy to get from MAN to Dublin, from where you can enjoy lower surcharges on BA’s F award seats (a bit of a faff, but the cash saving will pay for a very nice city break), or EI redemptions with US immigration pre-clearance if applicable.

And using avios on QR is another good option with the excellent connectivity from DOH.