Wrong Manchester

Maybe Manchester has added Boston to the name to help differentiate it itself from Manchester, England. Here is the story:

AN airline passenger who thought he was flying to Manchester ended up in a city with the same name in America. Jim Hourihan, a trainee pilot travelling back from Los Angeles, landed in Manchester, New Hampshire, instead of Manchester, England. He realised there had been a mistake when he caught a connecting flight in Cleveland, Ohio, and discovered it was heading towards New England

The 50-seat regional jet took him to the north-east American city of Manchester, once also famous for textiles. It was more than 3,000 miles away from his intended destination.
Mr Hourihan, from Liverpool, was travelling with Continental Airlines. He said: "I got on a Boeing 737 from LA, so I thought it was the right flight. "But then I got to Cleveland and, as soon as I saw the plane, I just knew for a fact that it wasn't going to Manchester, it was a 50-seater. And it was then that it dawned on me, there must be two Manchesters. But I had reached a point of no return. My luggage was on the plane.

"Everyone seems to find it funny apart from me." Mr Hourihan, 52, was treated like a VIP by Continental during his overnight stay in Manchester, New Hampshire, and said he liked the city. But he felt it could do with a few more pubs. He became something of a celebrity during his short visit to the city, which is 45 minutes from Boston, and appeared on the local television news.

Mr Hourihan had gone to California to attend a pilots' training course.
BargainHe thought he had snapped up a bargain when he called the airline in Los Angeles and was told his flight would cost only £185. He had three days to go before the end of his trip, but made the booking on this flight because he wanted to be sure to get back in time for his grand-daughter's birthday.

The mix-up came days after the American Manchester airport added the words "Boston Regional" to its name in a bid to boost business. A spokesman said the airport's name now appeared on the first or second page of booking agents' computer flight screens, rather than on later pages. Brian O'Neill, the airport's assistant director, said Continental booked Mr Hourihan on a flight to Newark, New Jersey, to connect to a flight home.

He said Mr Hourihan, who travelled to the right Manchester on Tuesday, is not the first passenger to have landed in the wrong city. It was named after the original Manchester, and now has a population of about 110,000. A spokesman for Continental Airlines said: "Due to a miscommunication between Mr Hourihan and a Continental reservations agent, he booked a flight from Los Angeles to Manchester, New Hampshire rather than Manchester, England as he intended. "The fare he paid was less than a third of the fare applicable for travel to Manchester, England. "Once Mr Hourihan contacted Continental from Manchester, New Hampshire, the airline rebooked him on flights to Manchester, England at no extra charge, as well asgiving him accommodation and meal vouchers."