Where does BA fly to direct from Manchester?

[macdrew]

I have been looking at the BA webpage “Flights from Manchester Airport” with a view to booking a short holiday in June. Despite a list of European destinations showing, it appears the only direct flight is to LHR.
Does anyone have any knowledge about if, when, and to where, direct flights will resume from Manchester.

• This topic was modified 54 years, 11 months ago by .

[NorthernLass]

BA started a handful of European summer routes a bit back, and they ran for about 2 years but were pulled when the pandemic hit. I can’t see them coming back, to be honest, unless things improve a huge amount in the travel industry, which of course they aren’t doing just now. It’s a pain as they were brilliant value for redemptions in the school holidays. MAN is my local airport and I’ve mostly reverted back to LCCs for short haul as it’s so inconvenient having to go via LHR or LGW with BA.

[Lady London]

Macdrew never would be the safest assumption if you have a deadline to make plans for.

BA is no longer a state-owned enterprise. It exists to make a profit not particularly to provide a service. It’s also no longer particularly British. As such BA is now owned by shareholders and must prioritise any investment it makes balancing cost and return.

Factually there is more profit to be made concentrating operations in London at one hub where BA has a close to captive customer base at Heathrow, London City and to a far, far, lesser extent, Gatwick.

I would only expect BA to serve regional airports sporadically in the future and only as long as there is a specific reason to such as specific holiday seasonal flights. Or if a competitor such as Virgin gains ground, BA has decades of ‘form’ for miraculously deciding they will serve that same route too. Equally miraculously it seems to me BA has form for withdrawing from regional routes quite soon after competition does.

So the answer is Yes BA is absolutely committed to regional routes just never permanently. They seem to have been more stable in EDI, than Manchester though.

[JDB]

Lady London wrote:

Macdrew never would be the safest assumption if you have a deadline to make plans for.

BA is no longer a state-owned enterprise. It exists to make a profit not particularly to provide a service. It’s also no longer particularly British. As such BA is now owned by shareholders and must prioritise any investment it makes balancing cost and return.

Factually there is more profit to be made concentrating operations in London at one hub where BA has a close to captive customer base at Heathrow, London City and to a far, far, lesser extent, Gatwick.

I would only expect BA to serve regional airports sporadically in the future and only as long as there is a specific reason to such as specific holiday seasonal flights. Or if a competitor such as Virgin gains ground, BA has decades of ‘form’ for miraculously deciding they will serve that same route too. Equally miraculously it seems to me BA has form for withdrawing from regional routes quite soon after competition does.

So the answer is Yes BA is absolutely committed to regional routes just never permanently. They seem to have been more stable in EDI, than Manchester though.

BA was privatised in 1987; I suspect you don’t recall what it was like before Lord King smartened it up to be sold off. If I follow the logic of your argument, it would suggest you think that Grant Shapps and Boris would do a better job running the airline than the existing management and as a taxpayer you wouldn’t mind picking up the current losses?? If the government say had the choice between extracting a dividend from the airline or installing Club Suite, how would that discussion have gone?

[The Savage Squirrel]

I read LL’s reply as describing the current state of play (pretty accurately) and explaining WHY BA chooses not to provide direct services from the regions where lack of inbuilt strategic advantage (present at Heathrow due to its state-owned history) means it cannot compete effectively with LCCs. There was nothing there suggesting that state ownership was a superior model. @JDB you seem to be responding to an argument that you have entirely imagined, rather than one that has been made?

• This reply was modified 54 years, 11 months ago by .

[Richie]

The Manchester short-haul flights were operated by BA Cityflyer mainly because BACF can’t operate from LCY between lunchtime on Saturday to lunchtime on Sunday, it has a large fleet of aircraft, so this lack of utilisation of aircraft is significant. BACF currently have weekend flights from SOU for S22, but with Ryanair expanding at BOH, who knows how long flights from SOU will last.

[HJ]

I do hope they come back, the direct route to Florence was great since many LCC’s didnt serve it directly from MAN.

[macdrew]

Thanks for the interesting replies. It is a shame BA neglects Manchester until they get a stab in the bank balance.
LPL is my nearest airport, and I note with interest that Lufthansa will be starting direct flights to FRA from May. It might make a change from changing Terminals/Airports in London.

[NorthernLass]

MAN and LPL are both convenient for us – not flown from LPL for some years now but I do recall it was a much more pleasant all-round experience than MAN! It would be pretty awesome if BA could put some Cityflyer routes on from there; there are plenty of pax with decent disposable incomes from the North West region who would use them.