Andy Onchan

How's Kate doin'?

Oh young man!

There must somebody you can threaten with a Black Ops, Stu? That should liven things up, at least for a while.

It's nice to know that customer relationship face-to-face is still in-vogue. Which is ironic really when you think about it.

Aye, they're getting quite good at it, aren't they?

Who?

I know about these things....... I'm a Time Team anorak!

Well, if they got a geophysics firm in to survey the area then they should have a pretty good ides of what's down there.

You would have to ask the question: did a quality/conformance certificate accompany the loads prior to laying? If so, did anyone check it?

As I'm not on the Island at the moment, can someone confirm that it's both concrete and tarmacadam that's cracked, or just one of them. If so, which one?

Putting the over-budget issue to one side and, if what you say is true about the trams terminating at the Villa Gaiety complex ("the cultural quarter"), then it sounds very likely that from the Gaiety to the old Villiers site will be the much discussed shared space. You know, the part that got dropped due to opposition, which was one of the reasons why the overall cost was reduced. Defo something not right, at all.

That was a given.

Don't worry, when we start lifting our own gas we'll be quids in...... it's at that point we can stick two fingers up.

It's Michael Mouse politics.

That bit didn't get past me either. Mind, looking at the Tour venues they all tend to be in hotels.

I wonder how many surgeons at Nobles are actually prepared or indeed trained to carry out the act of aborting a foetus, other than for saving the life of the mother?

Pathetic in fact. The DOI top brass & Minister must think we were all born yesterday. Tossers.

Well, if you're not close to the long-haul services operated by Thomas Cook out of London Gatwick, Manchester or Glasgow, then FlyBe could be used to feed those flights (possibly on a thru ticket?).

A picture is emerging on how a new FlyBe model could be shaping up.

I wasn't referring specifically to LHR when it comes to sustainability, it was more a comment about UK aviation in general. PAX volume, on whatever the route, seems to be the only way of staying afloat (sorry, wrong metaphor there!). If volume/critical mass is the only way to derive a profit then ultimately the UK domestic aviation industry is doomed to fail, especially those areas that don't have the volume like IOM/Scottish Isles/CIs etc. IMHO APD is a significant barrier to sustainable domestic airline growth.

Frankly, I don't think there's any thought on the part of FlyBe to extend the LHR rotation beyond October, unless every flight between now and then is full. And I somehow doubt the same service will be re-introduced next spring either. Reading between the lines on various aviation and business websites FlyBe still have cash-flow problems, to the extent that they are considering action against credit card firms for funds held back prior to the takeover. They have already used up a significant part of the cash injection so I do I sometimes wonder whether the APD has been the catalyst for the demise of the passenger aviation industry. Airlines are cutting headline prices to the bone to keep prices under a certain level to maintain market share, but as APD is a fixed cost the room for creating profit to sustain service levels just isn't there. It's either down to PAX volume and/or deep pockets.

But just as important..... they were going to base crew and aircraft on Mann? Has that happened?

Won't it be a fixed contract price with penalties for delays? If not, why not?

Is there basement parking there already? If not, then aren't they going to have to mine/quarry it out of the rock?

Looks like one of those WW2 coastal gun implacement thingys in Normandy.