p22 Air feb19 16/2/10 15:12 Page 22
Air
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest news about flights, airlines and airports, visit ttglive.com/air
Interview Andrew Cornish
Body scanners
The bad weather coincided with the govern-
ment’s instruction that Manchester had to use its
body scanner for compulsory screening of selec-
tion passengers, including children, after the
failed Christmas Day bomb plot on an aircraft
bound for Detroit. Previously the airport had
been trialling a scanner but made it voluntary,
and did not include children.
Despite predictions that the new system would
cause delays, putting back Manchester’s efforts
to improve its customers’ experience, Cornish
says it had so far gone smoothly.
Privacy fears over the images had been
calmed by a system that ensured they were seen
by only one person, who was watched by CCTV,
and were destroyed.
New routes
Manchester saw its fair share of contractions
during 2009, losing BMI long-haul services,
seeing Singapore Airlines cut its frequencies and
Moving forward
Ryanair scrap most its routes after Cornish
refused to “prostitute” the airport to the Irish
carrier’s demand.
But there were signs the tide was turning,
after a bleak start
he says, as Singapore Airlines is adding
services again, American Airlines starts a New
York route in May, and more long and short-haul
carriers are looking at opening new routes
Manchester airport has won many travel awards recently,
from Manchester.
including TTG’s airport of the year, but it started the year
“Airline discussions are positive in most
sectors, particularly long-haul and no-frills,” says
battling against snow and is now spearheading new security
Cornish.
measures. Chris Gray met managing director Andrew Cornish Negotiations are continuing with several
carriers and new routes were are to be
T
he night before dozens of agents and Winter blues announced within months, he adds.
airlines descended on Manchester He believes the airport coped well but has The airport’s expansion will be helped
airport in early February for a TTG- learned lessons about needing more staff with by the arrival of the BBC at Media
sponsored roadshow, it sent out an the ability to carry out tasks needed to cope with City in Manchester next year.
alert that snow had forced it to close. severe winter weather. That will bring thousands of
It looked like there could be an unfortunate “We will train more people so that when the jobs into the area, along with the
repeat of the New Year blizzards that grounded snow plough drivers go on their lunch break we travel demands of the corpora-
aircraft, but fortunately the airport reopened have more people who can replace them,” he says. tion’s sports and children’s
after an hour, meaning the roadshow held in the About another 40 or 50 people will be trained departments, as well as Radio
Concorde Centre (pictured above), went ahead to add to the existing 60 or 70. 5 Live – which between them require
unscathed. Cornish says the airport would have coped frequent daily flights to a range of
January had been a different story as the air- better if weather forecasts had been more new locations.
port repeatedly closed, passengers faced accurate. And as those routes
delays and sales – for both agents and airlines – “The Met Office was a disaster. arrive, Cornish says Man-
were hit. It said we’d get two to three cen- chester intends to involve
Cornish (pictured right) did not leave the timetres of snow and we got the trade in selling them,
airport for four days and nights as he and the 18. It said it would by teaming up with airlines
management team helped staff who were also minus 7 degrees and we to offer incentives and
working all hours to cope with the disruption. got minus 16,” he adds. marketing support.
22 19.02.2010
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