600 jobs going as Ryanair departs airport

By Peter Woodman, Press Association

Monday, 17 August 2009

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Ryanair is to close or switch nine of its 10 routes at Manchester airport from October

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Low-fare airline Ryanair is to close or switch nine of its 10 routes at Manchester airport from October, it was announced today.

The Irish budget carrier blamed Manchester airport's refusal to lower its charges for the decision, which will mean the loss of up to 600 local jobs.

A total of 44 weekly Ryanair flights will be lost at Manchester from 1 October, with the loss of 60,000 passengers a year.

Ryanair said it had offered Manchester an additional 28 weekly flights and 400,000 new passengers which would have created 400 new jobs if the airport "reduced its high charges".

The airline added that airport bosses had rejected this offer.

This means Ryanair's Manchester routes to/from Barcelona (Girona), Bremen in Germany, Brussels (Charleroi), Cagliari in Sardinia, Dusseldorf (Weeze), Frankfurt (Hahn), Marseille, Milan (Bergamo) and Shannon will cease from 1 October.

Passengers affected will be emailed directly by Ryanair and provided with a full refund or the alternative of flying to some destinations from "competing, lower-cost airports" - East Midlands, the recently-announced new Ryanair base at Leeds Bradford and at Liverpool.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: "Ryanair continues to lower fares to encourage travel, but with passengers paying lower fares airports must lower their charges - particularly high-cost airports like Manchester, Stansted and Dublin.

"Ryanair had offered new routes, traffic and growth to Manchester airport but since they prefer to preserve their high-cost base than to grow, Ryanair will now switch/close nine Manchester routes."

Ryanair has already announced cutbacks in winter 2009/10 flights at Stansted and Dublin.

Hours after Ryanair's announcement, Manchester Airport revealed three new routes are to be introduced through budget airline firm Jet2.com, which will create 250 new jobs.

Starting from next summer, Jet2.com will operate routes to Kos, Venice and Gran Canaria.

The firm said August had been its busiest month for bookings since it started operations six years ago.

Philip Meeson, of Jet2.com, said: "It is fantastic to be able to offer people flying from Manchester a number of brand new holiday destinations direct from the region.

"No other airline currently operates a scheduled service to Kos and Venice and we are confident that these will be extremely popular routes."

Andrew Cornish, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: "The fact that Jet2.com is continuing to expand its services from Manchester is extremely encouraging to the airport and the region as a whole."

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Comments

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Ryanair

kuma2000 wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 01:39 pm (UTC)

I don't think much of the way they do business, either with their customers or their "partners". Having looked at Ryanair a few times in the past we have been mystified how they can claim to be a "low-cost airline" as much as they can claim to have flights available for one pound... A good illustration - my wife had her suitcase damaged (the padlocks had been broken off and were missing) a couple of years by a low cost airline who will remain nameless but I will add they like the colour orange... the rude youth with a pierced head who served us had an attitude that it was not their fault and close as you can get to saying "fuck off and stop bothering me" without actually using the phrase, continually reminding us that their terms and conditions stated they were responsible for nothing. She flew with a "regular airline" last week for a reasonable cost (compared to the "low cost" airlines) who also damaged her suitcase. This airline was very polite and apologized for the damage and asked for value and her address and promised a cheque would be sent out within a week. Such a difference for almost no difference in cost...

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it is genuinely amazing

goatjuggler wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 02:44 pm (UTC)

The budget airlines seem to delight in putting the nasty into cheap and nasty. And yet we tolerate it and almost seem to expect it. It is remarkable how people who'd storm out of a restaurant will take any old cr*p just because the ticket's cheap.

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Cheap flights

septimusgrunge wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 02:46 pm (UTC)

I have to agree with kuma2000, my daughter having used the services of a inexpensive airline and not a cheap no frills bucket bargain,lost a suitcase at Manchester. Within 10 days they had delivered it to our door with apologises.
I tip my hat

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Ryanair

garethgee wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 03:09 pm (UTC)

Ryanair are trying to blame the airport for the fact that they're going to shed jobs and cancel services, and for some reason the Independent is toeing the line. Ryanair is a TERRIBLE company; thos in the know take the train!

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Re: Ryanair

ripsnorter757 wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 04:24 pm (UTC)

They are not wonderful but they are showing you oiks in Britain the way forward....wake up mate....why do think BA are skint as are most of the other 'National Carriers' in Europe. I'll answer it for you, it's coz. their management is shite.....

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Manchester airport management

ripsnorter757 wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 04:20 pm (UTC)

Schmucks...........standard management practice in Britain which why we are in such a mess.

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Layoffs

vijayshekar wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 04:30 pm (UTC)

Another Proof to show how bad the airline industry is suffering losses
Acer laptops

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Flying

headsnoface wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 05:06 pm (UTC)

I am a recent convert to Ryan air, I flew for nothing once and now have a 12� return to Bristol , follow the rules and it's cheap.

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Re: Flying

lodger41 wrote:

Monday, 17 August 2009 at 09:04 pm (UTC)

O'Leary being a showman really loves to wind up the Daily Mail / BBC paddy bashers, good luck to him :).......I once read of an Englishman who flew for free from Stansted to Shannon, and then had the neck to complain about having to pay for tea on board, even though all low cost charge for such things.................Unlike many Brits, the Europeans do not suffer from any such anti-Irish bias, so they, very sensibly, have made Ryanair the biggest airline in Europe.....if Ryanair were 'British', Mandy would be forever telling us that their business model was the only way forward for our sick airline industry...... meantime, Michael, knowing full well that his main market is the Euro spending continentals is happy to make headlines as he laughs all the way to bank..................

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Manchester Airport

jvmills wrote:

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 at 09:48 am (UTC)

I remember travelling from Manchester airport all the time when I was younger, quite a drive from the North East. But with the plethora of local airports Leeds, Doncaster, even Newcastle is nearer than Manchester.

The point is that for years Manchester dominated as the only major airport in the north of England whereas now with so much choice comes increased competition. It is only logical that cuts and changes will be made resulting in job losses.

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