Manchester Airport
 

I wanted to take a second to let people know what a nice airport Manchester is. I have departed the UK twice out of Glasgow and it has been miserable both times. From the minute you enter the airport I found airline and airport staff unfriendly and determined to find fault with everything. Second guessing luggage, always suspecting you are trying to put one over on them. I was a bit nervous coming into Manchester airport today thinking even bigger busier airport but it was amazing. Approach roads, arrival airport staff, airline staff and safety inspection was well organized, polite, efficient and accommodating. It was a real pleasure to be treated as a customer rather than an hindrance. I remember in Glasgow last time they made me move a piece of pottery from my carry on to my sisters because my carry on was 200 grams over, in Manchester they just weighed the whole parties carry on together. Next time I go to Scotland might drive south to leave!!

lol, Mactimes3, it's very nice to read your report because I'm flying in and out of Manchester next April .. and visiting Scotland for part of the trip :-)

Scotland was the plan, but seeing $778, which seems fair for school vacation week out of Boston, had me hit the buy button. The plan changed to 3 nights first in York .. Nat'l Railway Museum, Minster .. it was on my "someday" list anyway. Then train to Edinburgh and I'm not sure what else, right now, before taking train back to the airport.

Thx again for the encouraging note!

I use Manchester Airport several times a year as it's one of my local international gateways, and have been reasonably satisfied. About check-in procedure. Most of the counter staff are contracted and aren't airline staff, and they just implement airline policy. So your experience of flexibility over luggage may not apply with some other airlines. Also while in most cases my carry-on hasn't been weighed, on some occeassions it was and the airline policy strictly applied. This was with a major scheduled intercontinental carrier, not a budget airline.

But I agree it's a reasonably efficient airport, lines keep moving even at the busiest time and staff are normally friendly and human. It's still undergoing major overhaul, and when it's all finished, it will be even better.

Hi Scotlib, i don't know if you read my recent trip report but some of the info on York might be of interest to you. Mac

All of us here in the North West of England are friendly! Manchester is a great airport and it's 3 terminals are well provided with restaurants, shops and food outlets.

I've watched it grow since I first started flying from there in the 60's (I was very young--honest) and if it wasn't for the restrictive practices of Heathrow and Gatwick, would be even bigger serving more destinations.

@Scotlib, ignore if you already know but there are direct trains from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh so if York is not very high on your priority list then you could get to Edinburgh in 3-4 hours after landing.

Manchester airport : used it since I was 2 months old and hate the place (must be well over 100 trips out of there)

1. Car parking is silly expensive and they charge for picking people up.
2. They have allowed BA to isolate Manchester by cutting most direct international flights. You now have to fly via T5 at Heathrow, which involves being treated like a terrorist and being financially pillaged by the shopping centre at T5.
3. The M56 is awful at times and wehave nearly missed flights many time due to rush hour traffic.
4. Of our many flights I have had baggage damaged 5 times all coming into Manchester (I know they could have been leaving the departure airport but all 5 times have been in heavy rain at Manchester. Many friends have said the same.
5. The food is awful and the "duty free" shops should be 20% cheaper than those in the city (no VAT) - they are not! It's cheaper to shop at the Trafford Centre.

Try Blackpool or Leeds/Bradford to get an idea of how easy air travel can be! ....and try Jet2.

@A_Guy_80 .. thank you for the note. I arrive mid-afternoon - assuming no travel delays - and the 2 hours to York was more attractive, plus it was a good incentive to visit anyway. If I spend the rest of vacation in Edinburgh, then I'll be buying an advance ticket straight back for getting to the airport, to stay the night before at an airport hotel. I'm not sure what I want to do :-) but I definitely will be in Edinburgh a few days because I discovered this bakery on Facebook and its pictures are sooo delicious, I can't wait to try in person! http://www.cuckoosbakery.co.uk/

@Mactimes3 .. thx for note to check your trip report. I enjoyed a very brief stop to see the railway museum and just know I want a much longer visit in York.

humpty..calm down dear, it's only an airport! I do agree about the BA comment, you can't fly hardly anywhere on BA from Manchester apart from the shuttle and Billund. Where is that and why would would I want to go there? I've got lots of BA miles that I find it very difficult to use.

I've never had problems with baggage at MIA, only at Heathrow and always found the food good, especially in the restaurant in T1. Blackpool and Leeds are perfectly good small airports, but don't have the diversity that Manchester offers and I find that fares are usually higher from Liverpool and Leeds.

I think all airports are stressful places and Birmingham has few direct flights also. Prices in duty-free are no longer cheap. Food is rubbish and over-priced and you're treated like cattle- forced to walk miles through endless corridors and stand in ridiculous queues waiting to board. I never understand how anyone with mobility problems manages.


****Billund is in Denmark and my Danish colleague flies there regularly (from Birmingham)/

I've never flown out of Birmingham, but everything you've said sounds like Liverpool. My wife always says that there's no loo paper in the toilets in Liverpool airport--ever!

I guess you'd need to live in or near Billund to want to go there.

Lifeman

(calmed down) but I am regional and would vote for an independent Borders in a flash (a country between Cheshire and Hawick). Edinburgh is full of snobs and Glasgow of slobs, south of Cheshire just isn't worth typing about.

I have no idea why Manchester conceded to BA's master plan, it may have worked for them but they have lost countless customers.

Best Airport food I have ever had is Milan Malpensa.

Worst is Nassau by a long way. No wait, Preveza was worse but that is essentially a military base.

The food at Manchester airport was one of the things we liked. Found a large sit down restaurant on second floor, very quiet. Free refills of coffee and tea. We just plopped down and made ourselves comfortable for 2 hours. had some of their lunch and breakfast things and quite hot and freshly made in front of us.

Been watching Blue Murder and MAnchester looks so interesting. It is 1 place in the UK we have not been. I wish someone would writee atrip report from there. A friend lives nearby and did a tourist day there and said she was surprised by all the tings to see and do!

Chris

You will have to go a long way to convince me to use Manchester out of choice. Given a choice of Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool and Leeds/Bradford then Manchester comes bottom. This is a sad state of affairs considering the feeling we used to have. I will never forget those warm feelings as a child flying out on family holidays.

Charging taxis to enter the airport was another move seen by many as far too aggressive.

I am still wondering how anyone at Manchester airport can justify charging me more to park on what is effectively low cost land than low cost airlines charge me for flying to Mallorca.

Many of the car parking operators move you car off-site. The last time I used this service our car was scratched and I did not receive any compensation.

Crazy situation.

Given a choice, after 42 years of use, we now avoid Manchester.

It's a bit misleading to come on here and advertise parking at Manchester Airport and then call the Premier and Shuttle parks "on airport". Neither are and involve a bus ride of between 5 and 15 minutes depending on traffic.

The only on airport parking that his website refers to is the multi storey. The best service used to be Males Garage right next to T3, an independent operator. Their land was compulsarily purchased by MIA and the service has moved away from the airport by some distance.

humpty, I always take mobile phone pictures of the car when I leave it, to prove any damage on pickup.