R.I.P. Manston Airport.

Today’s sad announcement that Flybe are to cease operations from next March will come as an unwelcome Christmas gift to the employees at Manston. Couple this with the rumored breakdown of talks to link with Schiphol Airport and you have a recipe for potential closure.  Flybe spokesman Niall Duffy has posted on Michael Child's blog
"It is fair to say that Manston is one of the airports with the smaller catchment areas in the United Kingdom, and you have Gatwick not too far away.
We tried different routes and the numbers simply weren't there. It's impossible to sustain routes without the passengers. Manston is in the wrong place for a sustainable airport. All the airlines know it, hence none of them are there. Bugger all to do with TDC.

All this will no doubt come as a welcome Christmas gift to those whose sole objective has been to close the airport while masquerading as No Night Flight campaigners.

 This may well throw into doubt the need for a consultation exercise on any night flying and I have no doubt that the new Cabinet will be approaching the Airport seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the future.

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  Moving on to other matters with Christmas rapidly approaching I thought I better go and do some festive type shopping. Having heard so much about dire times and folks cutting back I was somewhat surprised to have to drive around Sainsbury’s car park twice before I spotted someone leaving and quickly nipped into the only vacant space I could see. As I was only going to get some chives and milk I didn’t think I would be that long, how wrong can you be! Some 40 minutes later I dragged myself back to the car bruised and battered with my enthusiasm for present buying rapidly diminishing. Not wanting to subject myself to the rigors of fighting my way through Westwood Cross I made my way into Ramsgate to make my purchase. I was going to go and see Michael Child but thought better of it as I wouldn’t be buying an actual book as my Wife is an avid Kindle fan! Readers will be happy to know that I did in fact buy the present and card I set out to buy, of course this would not have been necessary had my original present for my wife been delivered in plain wrapping that I paid extra for so that she would be surprised on Christmas Day when she actually got the present she wanted. The surprise was somewhat ruined when the parcel arrived while I was out and the contents were written all over the packaging!

Incidentally I have had a great Christmas present already, thanks to the wonders of the interweb thingy I am now back in touch with two very old mates that I worked with at Butlins back in the 60’s. We will be having a reunion in the New Year and mebe revisiting some of our old haunts. Maybe some of my older readers will remember the 49 Club or the Jaguar Club, sadly both gone now.

As it’s the season of goodwill and extra grandchildren minding I think I shall refrain my blogging for a few days, hostilities will be resumed after Christmas.

Unless of course there is anything in tomorrows paper that demands comment!!