No airline is ever liable for such incidentals at your destination (prepaid hotel, minibus). If you were required by the airline to travel out of MAN then you would have a good case for having the expenses incurred in getting to MAN covered; if instead this was a suggestion proposed/request made by your party it's less clear-cut.

That is why you should claim on your travel insurance - you cannot rely on any airline to make a gesture as a strategy for not taking out travel insurance. At the very least, check if there is some travel insurance component included in the credit card(s) you may have used to book any or all of this trip.