PhilB From Ireland, joined May 1999, 2915 posts, RR: 14 Reply 5, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 757 times:
Alitalia have served MAN on and off over the years.
In 1948, SM95 served the airport via London for about 4 weeks.
In 1968 the service was restarted with Caravelles and lasted until 1973 when the oil crisis forced a withdrawal.
For the rest of the seventies and until BA was privatised, the service was a pool service using BA 1-11s.
Most of Manchester's scheduled routes are based on a double viability - enough regular traffic year round to guarantee an economic service and a reasonable amount of freight.
Manchester does not have the economic links with Italy that it has with some of the destinations in Northern Europe and the Italian population in the North West is not large enough to generate a regular VFR demand.
PhilB From Ireland, joined May 1999, 2915 posts, RR: 14 Reply 11, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 716 times:
I'm getting tired of repeating myself...but here goes, again.
Air services are operated for a nunber of reasons, the most common of which is PROFIT.
Sometimes air services are operated for social reasons, e.g. Kerry-Dublin and are backed by government funding.
In the past, and sometimes still today in parts of the world, air services are operated to "fly the flag" or solely for propoganda/diplomatic reasons.
Just because BA flies to Milan and Rome from Manchester doesn't mean there is a lot of traffic or enough business for two carriers on the routes.
Alitalia has gone through some fairly traumatic restructuring of late and an aborted deal with KLM.
The airline will only operate services where real money can be made.
Whilst there will be some tourism on the BA flights, Italy isn't as popular as Spain and the charter flights that operate MAN-Italy will offer any spare capacity at dirt cheap rates.
There are no connections from Milan or Rome which cannot be bettered elsewhere in Europe ex MAN and the amount of commerce between the North West and Italy is far less than between the region and the Iberian Peninsula
GKirk From UK - Scotland, joined Jun 2000, 24621 posts, RR: 58 Reply 12, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 715 times:
I guess thats why KLM uk dropped the Milan route from MAN then.
BTW I hear that the Iberia flight from MAN now only goes to BCN , is that true? If it is, I guess BA must have growing pax numbers on the MAD route then, but its no real surprise if true as IB and BA are oneworld partners.
When you hear the noise of the Tartan Army Boys, we'll be coming down the road!
Fax From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2001, 145 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 712 times:
Iberia is now only to Barcelona, better connections to the islands and the south where tourists/ex pats want to go...plus BA now has two/three flights daily to Madrid.
Alitalia are rumoured to be looking at Rome - Manchester.
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18830 posts, RR: 54 Reply 15, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 711 times:
Whilst I agree entirely with Phil's replies (I'm a business studies student), I am curious to establish why the low-fare airline Go has recently announced that it is to commence a daily 733-operated flight from BRS to Rome. Surely the various reasons identified as being potential contributing factors of why AZ doesn't serve MAN applies more so to BRS?
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
PhilB From Ireland, joined May 1999, 2915 posts, RR: 14 Reply 17, posted (12 years 1 month 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 706 times:
Pe@rson,
Now there's a good question. 3i may have some plans for Go which include ties with charter operators which may give them a guarantee of seat sales on the route but there is no obvious reason.
As to Alitalia "looking" at Rome - Manchester, both Alitaliaand the Airport sales team will, no doubt, regularly revue possibilities but don't bank on anything happening.
Pa121 From United Kingdom, joined May 1999, 96 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (12 years 1 month 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 670 times:
Manchester to Milan used to be served twice daily by BA till 98, when KLM UK started a new (twice daily) service in codeshare with Alitalia (and with fairly more convenient schedule).
Alitalia withdrew from the code share after six months, much to disappointment of KLM UK (source: a flight attendant, maybe not reliable...).
The reply of BA was to introduce a third daily service, with an Embraer 145 (British Regional). Two weeks ago the service became a "full" BA one, with a 737-500.
The route seems to be quite profitable then, unless...it is a defence move against BMI, trying to feed the new Star hub of Manchester with passengers from Northern Italy, thus entering in this route.
The Milan route is very strong on business passengers (the service during week ends is much reduced), so who knows?!
Billy From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2000, 895 posts, RR: 8 Reply 19, posted (12 years 1 month 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 657 times:
BA Milan - MAN route was one of their most profitable. The KLM UK flight ended not because of poor loads, but because KLM ended all non-AMS operations. KLM UK were carrying connections to latin America and Africa from MAN (no doubt, much to the annoyance of KLM).
BA were allowed to expand their Milan operations from MAN with the move to MXP.
As we all know, the yield is in Milan, but the volume is in Rome.
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