I've now had a reply from Monarch who say they are still finalising the LBA flights for next year so hopefully they will be out soon.
Rioja: We have always used J2 till last year and found the Monarch flights to be, not only cheaper, but much more pleasant - and the cabin crew were so genuinely friendly

I did check the J2 flights for next year (May/June) and they came to £428 and the Monarch (from Manchester) were £360. (Inc extra baggage allowance) So as we would need a taxi to LBA at about £50 return, or an overnight hotel/parking at Manchester - the Monarch flights would still work out cheaper overall!
And yes, Ragdollabbi, it's always a difficult decision - do you hang on and hope the price will go down - or then again it may go up