Mailing List

Friday, 23 December 2011

Flybeen and gone. Does it matter?

Flybe's departure from Manston: an analysis of what it means for the airport, and for your sleep. bit.ly/vqvQmJ

Thursday, 22 December 2011

Flybe quit Manston

Flybe axe last remaining passenger routes at Manston - first reports coming in... bit.ly/tY2uAC

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Monday, 12 December 2011

Kerswell out of it, Paul Carter now Emperor of Kent.

Cllr Carter will wear a toga of Imperial purple when in public, and feast on roast peacocks daily. We, on the other hand, will be fed to the lions. There will be no circuses. There will be no bread. Does anyone remember voting for this? bit.ly/w0ttuM

Hung in Thanet

Being hung might be the best outcome for Thanet and its Council. It might even turn out to be a blessing for the airport. bit.ly/tcLUhL

Thursday, 8 December 2011

Life under the flight path

If regular Manston night flights become the norm, then living in my home will obviously become impossible... bit.ly/vwXKpT

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Manston out-performed by a small hole in the ground...

Tragic really - after 11 years in private hands, the airport's contribution to the county's economy is less than half that of, er, a small hole in the ground... 

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Yanks for the memory

The ugly truth about the USAF at #Manston. There are those who go misty-eyed at the memory of the USAF and their fantastically noisy jets - it appears that the memory is selective... bit.ly/uoD2xv

Saturday, 3 December 2011

Kiwis going home?

Infratil selling Glasgow Prestwick airport... Manston next?  bit.ly/uXzLvM

Friday, 25 November 2011

Sunday, 20 November 2011

Friday, 18 November 2011

There is no fine print

The new Manston night flight proposal has no penalty clauses at all, no fines, nothing. Is that OK with you? bit.ly/ufBl5x

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Paul Carter: Emperor of Kent.

Well, since he's set about firing anyone else with any kind of power, he's a lot closer than he was last week. bit.ly/sCHuGw

Sunday, 13 November 2011

Sanctions busting at Manston

Many of you have been wondering why the state airline of a pariah nation regularly visits a failing airport in the corner of England. Find out here: bit.ly/sbvFK4

Thursday, 10 November 2011

Labour denies Manston night flight U-turn

A "whipped" vote is an affront to democracy. Each councillor's first duty is to the residents of their ward, and if that conflicts with party policy, then the residents' interests should win every time. bit.ly/rVJY64

Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Thanet Movies

Dial M for Margate; From Ramsgate with Love; The Quexorcist ...any more? bit.ly/sHczst

Friday, 4 November 2011

Manston Night Flights: Public Meeting

Chatham House School, Ramsgate, 25th November 7pm-9pm... bit.ly/v3nVRo

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Number-crunching: tourism

Compare Manston's empty promises of growth with what local Tourism already delivers (and Manston jeopardises) bit.ly/vX3Iqt

Manston's 2012 schedule

Have a sneak preview of the new night flights timetable... bit.ly/rUwy44

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Manston Aircraft Noise Maps

See how awful each type of cargo plane will make your life... bit.ly/ujK1Ah

Friday, 28 October 2011

See the future, then decide.

These SCARY noise maps show the present, and the future, for Manston, Ramsgate and Thanet... bit.ly/sez1sI

Listen again...

Radio Kent interview: Manston's night flight plans, pros and cons... bit.ly/ugDqSf

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Friday, 14 October 2011

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Psst! Want to buy an airport?

Infratil CEO confirms: Prestwick for the chop... Manston too? bit.ly/ni3TXO

Outlook gets gloomier for Infratil

BAA airport sale squeezes Prestwick. Things are going from bad to worse for Manston's owners. bit.ly/rkQakx

Friday, 7 October 2011

Noise monitoring at Manston Airport

Now there's a thought! Currently it falls pitifully short of what we deserve. bit.ly/oSNO0B

Thursday, 6 October 2011

Flybe plummets

Will it drag Manston down with it? bit.ly/pbXbnw

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Woken in the small hours, 5th October.

Manston night flights over Ramsgate just after midnight and just before 3am. Do you think they'll be fined? Rebuked? Tutted at slightly? bit.ly/rqLtCD

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Manston's dreams and nightmares

The all-knowing Nostrildamus spills the beans. Read, nod, sigh, gnash!  bit.ly/ooMicM

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Monday, 19 September 2011

Green vs Greed

Manston's freedom from environmental conscience or obligations... bit.ly/qPABmM

Saturday, 17 September 2011

Sleep tight before the night flights bite

If you live within earshot of Manston, a good night's sleep will soon be something you can only dream of.

Make the most of your shut-eye before your Council sells you down the river... bit.ly/rbVl4a

Friday, 16 September 2011

Sleep-shattering noise? Grand. Fine.

It's Liberty Hall at Manston. It will be Living Hell with night flights. bit.ly/r6NZ2R

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Infidel over Ramsgate

Fly over Ramsgate all you want. Whatever. The S106 at Manston is basically permission to do pretty much as you like... bit.ly/qk2rur

Manston swept away

Ruritanian-based airport operator Infidel has thrown caution to the wind and is sniffing around Thanet, looking for an airport to buy. Instead of, ahem, doing any proper research to find out if the airport is financially viable... bit.ly/nqbJbu

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Whoops Apocalypse - The Sequel?

Iran Air: banned in Europe, but flying at Manston... Really? Why? bit.ly/nUcduE

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Glasgow kiss-off

Manston's sister airport at Prestwick gets a bloody nose... bit.ly/pWAstR

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Blimey! A politician talking sense! I wish she was my MP.

It's Mary Macleod, MP for Brentford and Isleworth, who is lucky enough to have Heathrow Airport in her constituency. She is concerned about the health effects of night flights, and advocates phasing them out. How sensible! bit.ly/nkJ1zP

(By way of contrast, my MP is Roger Gale.)

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Manston Q&A: tourism

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Q&A: What is an "indirect job" anyway?

The Manston Master Plan promises hundreds of them, but what (and where) are they?

Friday, 2 September 2011

Q&A: employment at airports

Is it true that every 1 million passengers creates 1,000 jobs? It's the number Manston keep trotting out. It's the number the press obediently repeats. It's the number some councillors believe.

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Q&A: Surely we can trust Infratil’s numbers?

"In short, no" says one worldly-wise reader, who then explains exactly why - compelling reading... bit.ly/qoMDo9

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

Q&A

If it’s in the Manston Master Plan, it must be right. Right?  bit.ly/q2ocpr

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Consultation news

I'm peeved that the most we've been told about the consultation process has come from a bunch of lawyers based in London, Birmingham and Bristol. When will TDC have the sense and decency to speak to us directly?  bit.ly/mWCPRz

Friday, 26 August 2011

Can a map make you cross?

See the Manston flightpath, and see where the TDC councillors live. Now wail and gnash your teeth... bit.ly/p8OsEl

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Straight from the horse's orifice...

In the interests of even-handedness and fair play, I thought I would publish Manston's statement on the importance of night flights, despite it being crap. If you can bring yourself to plough through this litany of self-serving distortions and special pleadings, do please bear a few things in mind... bit.ly/nQAZlW

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Dear Bob...

An excellent letter to Cllr Bayford that "may be of interest and stimulate other residents to convey their views to our councillors". A rattling good read. bit.ly/nV88K1

Thursday, 18 August 2011

Needle and threat

Charles Buchanan, CEO of Manston Tumbleweed Airport, has launched the next round of his campaign to make the airport more sellable... bit.ly/nHkWeA

More on the night flights bid

Yet another "independent" report, written by an aviation lobbying group and commissioned by Manston, is coming out. It will probably forecast employment apocolypse for Kent if Manston doesn't get its way... bit.ly/qIpib5

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

No more cheap flights

The aviation industry has finally twigged that the price of oil is going up (because it's running out) which means that they won't be able to sell flights at daft prices... bit.ly/nahqEG

Thursday, 28 July 2011

What a difference a letter makes...

(A) Fair Tax On Flying: clearing up the confusion... bit.ly/neNHnU

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Big Apple pie in the sky

Job losses at Manston: definitely, now. Flights to New York: maybe, sometime. bit.ly/p6Z78n

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Shameless greed

Regional airports have the cheek to demand yet more special treatment, when the aviation industry is already being feather-bedded by the Treasury (i.e. every tax payer in the country, fliers and non-fliers alike) to the tune of £10bn or more. bit.ly/q43C0r

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

How KCC chooses a consultancy to write a report

It's all about how "calculation of the additional employment" and "quantification of the economic benefits". There's no mention of accuracy... bit.ly/pzeSXx

Monday, 18 July 2011

Night Flights motion killed

The motion on night flights policy was scotched at the very last minute. Incompetence on the part of officers for accepting an illegal motion? Or political finesse on the part of the majority party? You decide: bit.ly/q9a3Xp

Airport Working Party neutered

Crumbs!  "Consideration of the airport's proposed night flying policy" is no longer the AWP's responsibility - so whose is it? bit.ly/pVmfwz

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Caption competition

After the wisdom of crowds comes the wit of crowds... exercise yours: bit.ly/nahqEG

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

Night Flights: too hot to handle?

Calling all TDC-ologists: what's going to happen on Thursday? bit.ly/orpulo

Monday, 11 July 2011

Trickle of funding for Manston Parkway

"Trickle" may be over-stating it a bit. This is more of a slight dampening - enough funding for 0.13% of a station... bit.ly/osLkfV

Monday, 27 June 2011

Infratil's 2011 results...

... make grim reading for Charles Buchanan, and carry an ominous threat for Manston: bit.ly/jpbxxw

Saturday, 25 June 2011

Manston unmonitored

At last - TDC explain how important the S106 is to them... bit.ly/jnCrZ8

Thursday, 23 June 2011

90 days: time's up, what's happened?

Charles Buchanan said the 90 day consultation was "not planning to identify significant redundancies". That was just over 90 days ago. Anyone know what's happened? bit.ly/lol0PL

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Southend vs Manston: easyJet decides

Manston must have been competing for easyJet's business, so they'll be sorely disappointed that Southend got this 10 year deal. Could be a game-changer. Could be the final nail? bit.ly/ke8UHJ

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Sound-activated video recording

The wisdom of crowds: does any know how to set up a sound-triggered video recording (for planes over Ramsgate)... bit.ly/lJTBWH

Monday, 20 June 2011

Air Anon at Manston

The once-secret document kindly spares Air Anon the shame of being associated with Manston airport by scribbling out their name with the blackest marker pen money can buy. You can win a priceless prize by identifying the mystery flying machines... bit.ly/jMg6nM

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Airport maths: irrational numbers and variables

In public, Manston use the laughable statistic of "one thousand jobs per million passengers".  In private, the numbers are VERY different... http://bit.ly/llGBmj

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

KCC: daft beggars

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, we know why KCC's bid for £10.8m to feather-bed Infratil was doomed to fail: http://bit.ly/kERtqA

Monday, 6 June 2011

Manston Parkway

Why the secrecy? KCC want £millions to start Parkway, and to bribe an unnamed foreign airline to use Manston, thus profiting the airport's foreign owners. Oh, maybe that's why they're being so secretive... maybe, just maybe, they realise that pouring our money into foreign companies won't go down so well when they should be boosting UK and Kentish companies... http://bit.ly/jibnVI

Sunday, 5 June 2011

Only the crumbliest, flakiest statistics...

Job forecasts based on ten year old statistics, from a tiny sample, applied to an "aspirational" growth projection, seven years into the future.

See the whole story at: http://bit.ly/kaf6nW

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Another bid for Night Flights

For the latest, pop over to NoNightFlights.info, or click here: bit.ly/lfz6Oh