Heathrow Link To Be Reinstated?

[manxmedia]

Jersey's Heathrow link is being reinstated. After months of negotiation a deal will be signed tomorrow between Jersey Airport and BMI, who have bought the slot at Heathrow.

 

http://www5.channelonline.tv/news/template...12&zoneid=1

 

This might give Manx2/Euromanx/FlyBe the chance to get some slots at Heathrow!

[germann]

Jersey's Heathrow link is being reinstated. After months of negotiation a deal will be signed tomorrow between Jersey Airport and BMI, who have bought the slot at Heathrow.

 

http://www5.channelonline.tv/news/template...12&zoneid=1

 

This might give Manx2/Euromanx/FlyBe the chance to get some slots at Heathrow!

 

I doubt Manx2/Euromanx/FlyBe would have anything near the negotiating power of BMI who are a pretty big player at LHR.

[OneArmedScissor]

Jersey's Heathrow link is being reinstated. After months of negotiation a deal will be signed tomorrow between Jersey Airport and BMI, who have bought the slot at Heathrow.

 

http://www5.channelonline.tv/news/template...12&zoneid=1

 

This might give Manx2/Euromanx/FlyBe the chance to get some slots at Heathrow!

 

I don't see how this has anything to do with the IOM getting any slots at Heathrow?

[Juan Kerr]

This might give Manx2/Euromanx/FlyBe the chance to get some slots at Heathrow!

 

Manx2 - they've just carried their 2,000th person. Could Heathrow accomodate such a high volume carrier?

 

Euromanx - why would Austria's favourite airline be interested in extending manx links?

 

Flybe - not interested in major international airports anymore. Gatwick will be as posh as they get.

[manxmedia]

I don't see how this has anything to do with the IOM getting any slots at Heathrow?

 

Heathrow seemed to have had a thing about getting rid of the small regional airports. BA still serve Jersey and this will remain even when they sell of BA connect next month.

It might be a sign that the little offshore islands can get access back into Heathrow

[ste1205]

Heathrow seemed to have had a thing about getting rid of the small regional airports.

 

 

BAA (the owners of Heathrow) did not get rid of the small regional airports. This was done by BA who owned the slots and preferred to operate more profitable services on them. The cynics amongst us might think the only reason BA bought Manx Airlines was for the slots it had into Heathrow.

 

BMI probably did not “buy” new slots but reassigned slots that were being used on other routes that it operated. The real interest to BMI will not be the passengers between London and Jersey but those people who are interlining/connecting to other destinations that they fly to either directly or through a code share.

[john99]

I've never been able to understand the almost obsessive concern about the Heathrow link. To me the most important factor when transiting the UK is to be through ticketed so I can let the carrier worry about the connections, and not me. I cannot travel in a relaxed frame of mind, especially with the family, when a missed connection can potentially cost me a few hundred pounds a head (including extra overnight stay etc.). I know business travellers are less concerned about cost, but surely it's still a factor.

 

To my mind the best we ever had it for through travellers was when BA first took over - choice of UK airports, £100 (+taxes) return to almost anywhere in Europe treating IoM as a regional UK airport and thereby qualifying us for the cheap add-on.

 

Even now I'm happier flying through Manchester or Gatwick with a BA through ticket than the old Manx Airlines to Heathrow and then "Good Luck we wish you a happy onward journey" for the remainder.

 

I know Heathrow has a better choice of connections for the business traveller, but I think the issue is really a lot about national pride, and almost a proxy measure of status amongst the offshore islands! It has no real importance to my mind.

[BigDave]

Seeing as it was BA that reassigned the Heathrow slot to another of their own flights when they bought British Regional, I doubt we'll see an IOM-Heathrow route anytime soon.

 

Gatwick's just as easy to get to and from anyway. It only take 15 minutes longer to central London than from Heathrow using the express trains, and is a much nicer airport. Has everyone forgotton the grotty caff and smoking area at the departure gate at heathrow? And with plenty of holiday charter flights serving Gatwick it's more convenient for holiday makers as well.

[Karellen]

Gatwick's just as easy to get to and from anyway. It only take 15 minutes longer to central London than from Heathrow using the express trains, and is a much nicer airport. Has everyone forgotton the grotty caff and smoking area at the departure gate at heathrow? And with plenty of holiday charter flights serving Gatwick it's more convenient for holiday makers as well.

 

I'm sorry but LHR is much more important to the business traveller. Going to LA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bejing, Joburg, Sao Paulo and many more important business cities requires taking the bus from LGW to LHR, or taking a connection from IOM via MAN to LHR when you can almost guarantee that your luggage will be delayed.

[John Wright]

Very few IOM business men really travel to those far flung places and most can do it via Manchester

 

For business in London, well City beats both LHR and Gatwick. Less than 5 mins from deplaning to being on the underground.

 

Onward connections to most of business man Europe are brilliant and its quicker to go City to LHR than Gatwick to LHR because you spend 20 minutes getting out of Gatwick before you get on the express

 

Ideally there should be an evening and a mid day plane in and out of Heathrow. many planes for long haul destinations leave early morning so need an overnight stay any way or get in early morning or the other way round

 

What would be nice is a decent frquent low cost feeder to another airport with lots of low cost leisure flights. Liverpool is good but I am sad to see the demise of Stansted and Luton as IOM routes

 

That being saiud and done it does now pay to check BA or mainstream routes. It can be cheaper than messi9ng about with budget.

 

I go to Spain frequently, Barcelona. It is often cheaper via BA and use Manchester or Gatwick than Liverpoool and easyJet.

 

I went to Copenhagen last year. via Stansted on a £1.99 Ryanair. It was at 06.55 so had to go down night before. Cheapest hotel was £50 and a bus fare of £5 each way. The plane actually went to Malmo in Sweden so a £10 bus fare each way to Copenhagen. Total cost including taxes was over £200 from IOM.

 

BA via manchester, was £175 and only took 4 hoursd. The budget took 24

 

I shall miss BA, I miss Manx.

Eventaully someone will realise, as did BM and BIA that the IOM route is special and needs consolidation and needs to be spoked from IOM. Thats what Manx was. Adapt that to a low fares business plan and there's money to be made, more seats, but fewer routes.

 

I don't think we will ever see Heathrow back again, that is a a shame.

[Lost Login]

I am a business traveller and Heathrow is not more important for me. As a business traveller I use both Gatwick and Heathrow about equally. My last two flights have been from Heathrow and they have reminded me what an awful place it is! Either way it is always a pain if you have to transfer from one to another. That will not change if the Manx flights move back to Heathrow. All that will change is that sometimes you will have to transfer to Gatwick for connections.

 

If you are a traveller who invariably goes from Heathrow then I can understand the advantages but that is about the only advantage I can see for Heathrow over Gatwick. Gatwick is generally a much nicer airport and secuity is generally much much quicker. Have you tried getting through terminal 2 at Heathrow in the late afternoon recently? Getting into London is about the same. Landing fees at Heathrow are higher so if Manx flights move back to Heathrow up will go the fares. Finally Heathrow is bursting at capacity and as soon as there is any slight problem be it fog, last weeks wind, additional security checks then flights start getting cancelled. The first to go normally are UK flights which will include the IoM so the service will be much poorer. I am sorry but the call for Heathrow is either from those who do not use the airport and believe the name has a cache or who have a self interest as the majority of their connecting flights go from there.

 

 

I'm sorry but LHR is much more important to the business traveller. Going to LA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bejing, Joburg, Sao Paulo and many more important business cities requires taking the bus from LGW to LHR, or taking a connection from IOM via MAN to LHR when you can almost guarantee that your luggage will be delayed.

[Lost Login]

Generally agreed. Big advantage also of booking through with BA was that bags went through and quicker connections as you were checked in on one ticket and did not have to collect the bags and check in again. Also if a plane was late you remained thier responsibility so were automatically booked on the next flight and accomodtaed overnight at no charge. This was often worth paying that small extra charge.

 

The ability to book through is the main thing I will miss when BA go for many of the above reasons. Also as it is two seperate bookings I will be obliged to pay the surcharges, air passenger duty etc twice which I think I did not have to do before.

 

Very few IOM business men really travel to those far flung places and most can do it via Manchester

 

For business in London, well City beats both LHR and Gatwick. Less than 5 mins from deplaning to being on the underground.

 

Onward connections to most of business man Europe are brilliant and its quicker to go City to LHR than Gatwick to LHR because you spend 20 minutes getting out of Gatwick before you get on the express

 

That being saiud and done it does now pay to check BA or mainstream routes. It can be cheaper than messi9ng about with budget.

 

BA via manchester, was £175 and only took 4 hoursd. The budget took 24

[BigDave]

For business in London, well City beats both LHR and Gatwick. Less than 5 mins from deplaning to being on the underground.

Absolutely. The DLR extension direct to London City airport is fantastic - much better than getting the bus to Canning Town or Canary Wharf.

[Karellen]

Very few IOM business men really travel to those far flung places and most can do it via Manchester

 

I'm surprised you think that. There are a good number of local people that travel regularly to Hong Kong and Joburg, both of which mean Heathrow. And in Argentina a few weeks ago I had a "small world" encounter with 2 guys from a local insurance company who had travelled out a couple of days after me.

[Manxie99]

I Travelled with BA recently to Gatwick and i found the whole thing CRAP! The flight deck could not sound more snobbish to other airlines if they tried! The Cabin crew were stuck up there own ass! I tried euromanx and found it to be great, the cabin crew was fit, talked to all the passengers to make them feel comfortable and served everyone a (free) drink! HALE EUROMANX! They may be an Austrian Company but who gives a shit they are promoting the island!