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Forums Other Destination advice Manchester – non-stop routes 2023 (no LCCs)

  • Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    This list may be of interest to others living in the MAN catchment area. It’s my Sunday evening go-to list to price up speculative trips. If I’ve missed any alliance crediting possibilities please say.

    Aberdeen – Loganair – non-aligned

    Abu Dhabi – Etihad – non-aligned

    Addis Ababa* – Ethiopian (stop at Geneva but same aircraft) – Star Alliance

    Amsterdam – KLM – SkyTeam

    Athens – Aegean – Star Alliance

    Atlanta – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Bahrain – Gulf Air – non-aligned

    Barbados – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Barbados – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Barcelona – Vueling** – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Belfast City – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Beijing PEK – Hainan Airlines – non-aligned

    Bergen – SAS – Star Alliance

    Brussels BRU – Brussels Airlines – Star Alliance

    Cairo – Egyptair – Star Alliance

    Copenhagen – SAS – Star Alliance

    Doha – Qatar – OneWorld

    Dubai DXB – Emirates – non-aligned

    Dublin – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Dusseldorf – Eurowings – non-aligned (but possible to earn miles and tier points in some Star Alliance programmes)

    Frankfurt – Lufthansa – Star Alliance

    Geneva – Ethiopian – Star Alliance

    Guernsey – Aurigny – non-aligned

    Helsinki – Finnair – OneWorld

    Hong Kong – Cathay Pacific – OneWorld

    Houston IAH – Singapore – Star Alliance

    Inverness – Loganair – non-aligned

    Isle of Man – Loganair – non-aligned

    Istanbul IST – Turkish – Star Alliance

    Jeddah – Saudia – SkyTeam

    Keflavik – Icelandair – non-aligned

    Kuwait – Kuwait Airways – non-aligned

    Lisbon – TAP – Star Alliance

    London LHR – British Airways – OneWorld

    Madrid – Iberia – OneWorld

    Munich – Lufthansa – Star Alliance

    Newquay – Loganair – non-aligned

    New York JFK – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    New York JFK – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Orlando MCO – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Orlando MCO – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Oslo OSL – SAS – Star Alliance

    Paris CDG – Air France – SkyTeam

    Singapore – Singapore Airlines – Star Alliance

    Southampton – Eastern – non-aligned

    Stockholm ARN – SAS – Star Alliance

    Sylhet – Biman Bangladesh – non-aligned

    Toronto YYZ – Air Canada – Star Alliance

    Toronto YYZ – Air Transat – non-aligned

    Vienna – Austrian Airlines – Star Alliance

    Zurich – Swiss – Star Alliance

    **Vueling’s LCC status is a question mark. It does offer a dedicated check in desk for those who pay more and the ability to book the seat next to you to keep empty.

    davefl 1,747 posts

    Great info, thanks for your hard work. Saved for future reference.

    I found it difficult to choose to fly Aegean, Austrian and Turkish to their respective capitals this last year when the LCCs are so much cheaper. Not worth the measly few miles against £100 or more in cash savings. Only reason to choose Turkish would be if I was connecting to somewhere else and wanted protection against mis-connects and/or take advantage of the FlyInstanbul free tours or hotels.

    Aston100 1,597 posts

    Is this your own work? If so, many thanks for the effort!

    No Longer Entitled 130 posts

    Excellent resource.

    Despite it’s occasional fault, it is a reminder that for a regional airport MAN offers a significant amount of travel opportunities.

    Just need PremiAir back and all those occasional faults disappear!

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    Is this your own work? If so, many thanks for the effort!

    Yes. I have no kids and am an oddly intense single person. 🤷‍♂️

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    Excellent resource.

    Despite it’s occasional fault, it is a reminder that for a regional airport MAN offers a significant amount of travel opportunities.

    Just need PremiAir back and all those occasional faults disappear!

    Yes this struck me too. I’m no fan of MAN and how it’s run. But I’m not sure to be fair the term regional should be applied to it. It has significant presence from Star Alliance and all the major non-aligneds. In the US it would be considered a major airport. I’ve always thought MAN’s biggest weakness is how small the rail station is. Creating a true hub would require the airport station to become a destination station in its own right; changing at Piccadilly is too risky and indeed inconvenient.

    NorthernLass 9,388 posts

    This is great, thanks! Perhaps we should call ourselves the MAN chapter of HFP, lol.

    Has AA stopped the PHL route?

    It’s not a bad list, I suppose, but I keep thinking back to pre-9/11 when you could fly direct to MLE, NAS, MIA, somewhere in Cuba plus others. Though I admit, I don’t think I’d ever choose to fly again to Maldives with Airtours as we did in 1999 …

    *Also LGW and LCY plus the Short-lived CityFlyer routes you could book on avios.

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    This is great, thanks! Perhaps we should call ourselves the MAN chapter of HFP, lol.

    Has AA stopped the PHL route?

    It’s not a bad list, I suppose, but I keep thinking back to pre-9/11 when you could fly direct to MLE, NAS, MIA, somewhere in Cuba plus others. Though I admit, I don’t think I’d ever choose to fly again to Maldives with Airtours as we did in 1999 …

    *Also LGW and LCY plus the Short-lived CityFlyer routes you could book on avios.

    Yes AA to PHL gone since lockdown if not earlier. I did manage it once on the 787 with the much maligned rocking J seats (though had chosen a non-rocking one). Odd to check in for an intercontinental flight at T3. With United serving Edinburgh and Aer Lingus likely to expand its MAN-USA network, it looks unlikely Delta will return. A shame as I don’t want to fly VS on its clapped out A330s with dormitory seats.

    NorthernLass 9,388 posts

    I forgot about Delta, we did MAN-JFK-MIA and MAN-ATL-HNL in the early 2000’s. Those were the days when planes were hardly ever full so economy wasn’t the purgatorial experience it is nowadays!

    *There was Delta Holidays then – we got flights, 3 nights in NYC + 7 night Caribbean cruise + 5 nights in MIA, under £800 each!

    Super Secret Stuff 392 posts

    Great source of info, one missing, Billund on BA / Sun Air franchise

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    Great source of info, one missing, Billund on BA / Sun Air franchise

    Is BA to Billund and Cambridge bookable for Joe Public? I thought those flights were limited to in effect charter services for Astra Zeneca? If publicly available I’ll add in.

    No Longer Entitled 130 posts

    Excellent resource.

    Despite it’s occasional fault, it is a reminder that for a regional airport MAN offers a significant amount of travel opportunities.

    Just need PremiAir back and all those occasional faults disappear!

    Yes this struck me too. I’m no fan of MAN and how it’s run. But I’m not sure to be fair the term regional should be applied to it. It has significant presence from Star Alliance and all the major non-aligneds. In the US it would be considered a major airport. I’ve always thought MAN’s biggest weakness is how small the rail station is. Creating a true hub would require the airport station to become a destination station in its own right; changing at Piccadilly is too risky and indeed inconvenient.

    Passenger numbers for 2019 pre-covid disruption would have MAN rank somewhere in the low 20’s in terms of airport size in the US. Something akin to Baltimore or Salt Lake. Is “large regional” a term? I think to be a major airport you ideally need to be a hub, and not a spoke. Keen advocate for it that I am because I think it is often unfairly maligned compared to other non-London airports, MAN is not a hub for any airline. But I’d rather have it on my doorstep than Birmingham, Glasgow etc.

    davefl 1,747 posts

    @Northern Lass Cuba flights are available on TUI with or without a hotel package 2+2 partial reclining seats in premium for around £450 extra

    Super Secret Stuff 392 posts

    Great source of info, one missing, Billund on BA / Sun Air franchise

    Is BA to Billund and Cambridge bookable for Joe Public? I thought those flights were limited to in effect charter services for Astra Zeneca? If publicly available I’ll add in.

    I believe it is, I have seen it on Avios before. It would make sense if it is, as Billund is the home of Lego with their HQ. Lego Land is in Billund (operated by Merlin Entertainment) and they operate Alton Towers, Cadbury World, most of Blackpool, Manchester and Birmingham LegoLand discovery centres.

    davefl 1,747 posts

    You can book Billund, it prices at 500-700 quid on ‘BA’. You’d be insane to pay that when Ryanair do it for £30.

    Super Secret Stuff 392 posts

    Great source of info, one missing, Billund on BA / Sun Air franchise

    Is BA to Billund and Cambridge bookable for Joe Public? I thought those flights were limited to in effect charter services for Astra Zeneca? If publicly available I’ll add in.

    I believe it is, I have seen it on Avios before. It would make sense if it is, as Billund is the home of Lego with their HQ. Lego Land is in Billund (operated by Merlin Entertainment) and they operate Alton Towers, Cadbury World, most of Blackpool, Manchester and Birmingham LegoLand discovery centres.

    There is also a billund to Gothenburg flight, so probably a quick and easy change for Astra Zeneca employees

    You can book Billund, it prices at 500-700 quid on ‘BA’. You’d be insane to pay that when Ryanair do it for £30.

    Yeh it does but Merlin, Lego and Astra Zeneca probably have good deals, or don’t care as it saves so much time

    NorthernLass 9,388 posts

    I’ve seen that flight boarding (through the window of a Ryanair plane waiting to depart for TFS!) It looked like a private jet for business/tech folk.

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    List updated:

    Aberdeen – Loganair – non-aligned

    Abu Dhabi – Etihad – non-aligned

    Addis Ababa* – Ethiopian (stop at Geneva but same aircraft) – Star Alliance

    Amsterdam – KLM – SkyTeam

    Athens – Aegean – Star Alliance

    Atlanta – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Bahrain – Gulf Air – non-aligned

    Barbados – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Barbados – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Barcelona – Vueling – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Belfast City – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Beijing PEK – Hainan Airlines – non-aligned

    Bergen – SAS – Star Alliance

    Billund – Sun Air obo British Airways – OneWorld

    Brussels BRU – Brussels Airlines – Star Alliance

    Cairo – Egyptair – Star Alliance

    Copenhagen – SAS – Star Alliance

    Doha – Qatar – OneWorld

    Dubai DXB – Emirates – non-aligned

    Dublin – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Dusseldorf – Eurowings – non-aligned (but possible to earn miles and tier points in some Star Alliance programmes)

    Frankfurt – Lufthansa – Star Alliance

    Geneva – Ethiopian – Star Alliance

    Guernsey – Aurigny – non-aligned

    Helsinki – Finnair – OneWorld

    Hong Kong – Cathay Pacific – OneWorld

    Houston IAH – Singapore – Star Alliance

    Inverness – Loganair – non-aligned

    Isle of Man – Loganair – non-aligned

    Istanbul IST – Turkish – Star Alliance

    Jeddah – Saudia – SkyTeam

    Keflavik – Icelandair – non-aligned

    Kuwait – Kuwait Airways – non-aligned

    Lisbon – TAP – Star Alliance

    London LHR – British Airways – OneWorld

    Madrid – Iberia – OneWorld

    Munich – Lufthansa – Star Alliance

    Newquay – Loganair – non-aligned

    New York JFK – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    New York JFK – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Orlando MCO – Aer Lingus – non-aligned (but possible to earn Avios)

    Orlando MCO – Virgin Atlantic – SkyTeam

    Oslo OSL – SAS – Star Alliance

    Paris CDG – Air France – SkyTeam

    Singapore – Singapore Airlines – Star Alliance

    Southampton – Eastern – non-aligned

    Stockholm ARN – SAS – Star Alliance

    Sylhet – Biman Bangladesh – non-aligned

    Toronto YYZ – Air Canada – Star Alliance

    Toronto YYZ – Air Transat – non-aligned

    Vienna – Austrian Airlines – Star Alliance

    Zurich – Swiss – Star Alliance

    Super Secret Stuff 392 posts

    Thanks for the update. Only reason I noticed it was I want to fly on those planes!

    I’ve seen that flight boarding (through the window of a Ryanair plane waiting to depart for TFS!) It looked like a private jet for business/tech folk.

    Doesn’t surprise me but equally, I don’t fully understand how they would fill 25 seats a flight, let alone the full 32 with such expensive prices for tourists. Having said that, RyanAir clearly see enough demand for it, they operate a few times a week

    NorthernLass 9,388 posts

    @Northern Lass Cuba flights are available on TUI with or without a hotel package 2+2 partial reclining seats in premium for around £450 extra

    I still don’t think I’m tempted, but it’s hypothetical until the Yanks take Cuba off their naughty list again!

    @SSS, me too! The Embraer 190 to NCE was indeed nice while it lasted, one of the best for short-haul economy. I am very sad BA has done away with the JFK service from LCY as well as that had been on my to-do list for a while.

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    We also had Eurowings with a business cabin for that one summer to Palma. Sigh

    0 post

    …or you could go to flightconnections dot com, pick MAN and see all the routes (albeit on the map, not on the list).

    davefl 1,747 posts

    @Northern Lass Cuba flights are available on TUI with or without a hotel package 2+2 partial reclining seats in premium for around £450 extra

    I still don’t think I’m tempted, but it’s hypothetical until the Yanks take Cuba off their naughty list again!

    @SSS, me too! The Embraer 190 to NCE was indeed nice while it lasted, one of the best for short-haul economy. I am very sad BA has done away with the JFK service from LCY as well as that had been on my to-do list for a while.

    I’m informed by my neighbour that used it last month that passports aren’t stamped on arrival or departure.

    Blair Waldorf Salad 1,266 posts

    …or you could go to flightconnections dot com, pick MAN and see all the routes (albeit on the map, not on the list).

    That doesn’t generate collective musing on the list 😉

    NorthernLass 9,388 posts

    @davefl – possibly not, but it’s not worth the potential consequences of being untruthful (even by omission) with the US authorities. There’s a long thread on here somewhere on this very subject!

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