I was looking at EU Jets web-site, noticed that they plan to launch MAN-MSE, which I may find of interest. Their route network is quite ambitious, I really wondered if Thanet and the surounding area is a big enough catchment area. I havent been down that way for years, but Manston always felt very remote, I’d be surprised if people from Medway for example would pick Manston over Gatwick.
What do others think ??
By: Duesseldwarf - 12th June 2004 at 12:17
If they get a high speed rail link, then that could be the saving grace. But, what are EUJet going to do until then for getting passengers to want to spend 2 hours on a train from London? They may not be around to see this new rail link.
By: mmitch - 12th June 2004 at 10:11
I live in North Kent about 50 miles from both Manston and Gatwick. Using main roads it is dual carriageway and motorway to both. It took me less than an hour to get to Manston yesterday. It took nearly 2 hours to fight through the jams to Gatwick one Monday morning last Summer. A rail link is promised between Manston and London mainline by 2006. Manston is like Preswick, a sorely under used facility.
mmitch.
By: wannabe pilot - 11th June 2004 at 23:10
Their fares are very good. Definitely competable with Ryanair, if not cheaper considering they’re flying to the ‘proper’ airports. Something like £6.99 each way to AMS, taxes on top of that of course.
By: Duesseldwarf - 11th June 2004 at 23:06
My gut feeling is that they won’t last more than 6 months from MSE unless the fares are similar to that of Ryanair from STN – not to compete with Ryanair, it’s just that I think they will need to do that to tempt people to travel so far just to get to the airport (from London anyway).
By: carl727uk - 11th June 2004 at 22:50
It interesting anyway, The Kentish Airports of Manston and Lydd have always had a chequered history, at least they have not been forgotten
By: wannabe pilot - 10th June 2004 at 23:58
There is also a problem with passengers coming from places such as Suffolk. Although on the map, they would appear close together, it means having to go all the way to the M25 to get across the Thames estuary. Instead, passengers will probably decide to use Stansted. The means that their only real catchment area is Kent and possibly the Eastern areas of Sussex.
Saying this, who would have thought Ryanair would be so huge, less than a decade ago when they first opened their base at STN, the ‘carrot cruncher airport’.
By: Pablo - 10th June 2004 at 23:45
I live in SE London / NW Kent and to be honest I think that the potential catchment area could be their biggest problem. The problem with MSE is that it has no decent rail connection to London (trains take over 2 hours) and much of the A2 is currently being resurfaced. Many London-based airport passengers don’t use their cars to get to the airport, either because they are accustomed to half-decent public transport between their home and the airport or simply because a fairly high proportion of Londoners don’t own cars.
MSE is also fairly far from London – from where I live it is 63 miles away. In comparison, LCY is about 7 miles, LGW is 34, STN is 45, and LHR (over the other side of London) is 29. I would consider using EU Jet if they’re cheap and if they offer well-timed services, or purely for the experience. I’m honestly not sure whether Kent and E Sussex alone could support such an ambitious airline if EU Jet fails to attract London passengers.
Sign In
June 10, 2004 at 11:19 pm