Travel & Tourism

Storm Isha causes chaos with flights from Manchester diverted all over Europe

Ryanair really putting the miles in with this storm...

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 22nd January 2024

Passengers on board flights from Manchester last night found themselves hundreds of miles away from their intended destinations as Storm Isha battered the country.

Some people who were meant to be taking the short trip across to Dublin ended up in Paris, while others bound for London wound up all the way in Budapest.

Those of us on solid ground when the storm brought gusts up to 99mph were watching the chaos unfold through Flight Radar, watching planes running circles around runways.

Pilots were forced to abort landings due to the powerful winds, changing their destinations to some pretty drastic locations around Europe.

One flight left Manchester at 2.35pm yesterday, bound for Dublin – but FR555 ended up circling several times over the Irish Sea before giving up and landing somewhere else.

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But the poor stricken pilot was only able to land the Ryanair plane all the way in Paris Beauvais-Tille Airport, just before 5pm.

Another flight was due to travel from Copenhagen to Dublin, but had to divert to Manchester, where it sat on the runway for four hours.

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Then on its next attempt to Dublin, it had to divert again, eventually ending up in Liverpool some three hours later. Ah.

Perhaps the most drastic of all was the plane that left Budapest bound for London Stansted, got diverted to Manchester, tried again to land in London, missed again, and went all the way back to Budapest.

The internet’s reaction to Storm Isha’s travel chaos has been superb, as usual.

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Here are some highlights:

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Travel & Tourism

Andy Burnham calls for ‘efficient and reliable’ public transport as he slams Northern rail services

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Andy Burnham has called for an ‘efficient and reliable’ public transport system as he slams Northern’s rail services for being ‘not good enough’.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has been vocal about his condemning views of rail travel across Greater Manchester and the North West over the past couple of years, notably calling for widespread reforms across the board, and particularly taking aim at Avanti’s running of the West Coast Main Line – especially as regular delays and cancellations have become commonplace for many.

But now, Mr Burnham, along with a handful of other Mayors across the North, have written to the Government to highlight poor performance by Northern.

This comes after Mr Burnham called an emergency meeting of the Rail North Committee last Wednesday, which saw regional mayors and leaders seek “immediate assurances” from Northern after a spate of cancellations, overcrowding of services, and ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings on Sundays.

Greater Manchester now regularly sees between 30% and 40% of its services cancelled on Sundays, and in many cases, no replacement bus services or alternative travel methods have been provided.

Andy Burnham has called for ‘efficient and reliable’ public transport across the north / Credit: TfGM

The Committee members said they fear that, without intervention, the situation could get worse, and ultimately affect confidence amongst shoppers and travellers as we head into the busiest time of year.

“The situation must be reversed in the interest of passengers and the region’s businesses, especially those in the retail and hospital sectors,” the Committee concluded.

Some of the topics discussed in the Committee meeting were the fact that, within the past week alone, with it being half term for many in the region, a total of 1,600 trains were cancelled across the network, and there was a lack of mitigations in place, such as ticket acceptance with other operators, when this happened.

Infrastructure challenges, high staff sickness levels, and Northern’s reliance on staff working on rest days was also discussed.

“Efficient and reliable public transport is a critical enabler of economic growth,” Mr Burnham said.

“What we heard from Northern at the meeting of the Rail North Committee was not good enough for residents and businesses across the north. That is why, on behalf of the Rail North Committee, I have written to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State to urge them to support us to bring the service back to an acceptable level.”

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Mr Burnham concluded that “significant modernisation” is needed by Northern if they are to match the Committee’s ambitions for growth.

Featured Image – Northern

Travel & Tourism

This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.

Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.

With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.

This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.

The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’

The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.

On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)

The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.

David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.

“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”

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The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.

Find out more here.

Featured Image – Jody Hartley (via Supplied)

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