Manchester Airport. How can it be so bad?
Discussion
Muppet007 said:
Arrived early expecting a s
t show. Through security in 15mins. Would have been 5 if it was not for the old dears not having a clue.
4 hours to kill.....
Flew back on Friday night. Landed and off the plane quickly, got through passport control in under 2 mins. t show. Through security in 15mins. Would have been 5 if it was not for the old dears not having a clue. 4 hours to kill.....
All in all no issue at all.
RammyMP said:
I’d be surprised if it was Ryanair, they tend to treat their staff like st. Not so long ago their Portuguese staff went on strike. They tend to work their pilots as much as they can then put them on leave when their annual hours are up.
Do they even employ that many pilots? My understanding was that a big percentage were self-employed and then contracted through Brookfield Aviation, who just happen to be owned by RA’s former HR manager..t. Not so long ago their Portuguese staff went on strike. They tend to work their pilots as much as they can then put them on leave when their annual hours are up.Shnozz said:
RammyMP said:
I’d be surprised if it was Ryanair, they tend to treat their staff like st. Not so long ago their Portuguese staff went on strike. They tend to work their pilots as much as they can then put them on leave when their annual hours are up.
Do they even employ that many pilots? My understanding was that a big percentage were self-employed and then contracted through Brookfield Aviation, who just happen to be owned by RA’s former HR manager..t. Not so long ago their Portuguese staff went on strike. They tend to work their pilots as much as they can then put them on leave when their annual hours are up.Manchester is terrible: confirmed. Flew out from T3, which is like a sthead detention centre. There was a benidorm flight before us, with groups of lads literally throwing beer in the gate queue, and offering to slice people (me) in half. My wife tried to take our daughter to the toilet (which was a hastily constructed unisex st pit) and was told to avoid it because there was a brawl between groups of lads in there and there are no staff to break them up, so they just have to wait for them to get bored. No food places were open apart from one, and so there was a mile long queue. There was nowhere to sit at all. Flight was also delayed 2 hours, and we got there the customary 3.5 hours early, so we just had to tolerate that. On return, the flight was delayed 4 hours, and when we got to the baggage reclaim there were no staff on shift. So, we just had to stand there like s for 2 hours. There were bags after bags from previous flights just piled up all around. Clearly people were going through the same situation, getting sick of it and leaving. I'd really not advise that as there was no way to contact swissport, no staff around, and no secure storage. You'd be on a month long call centre hold queue to be told that you owe them a stload of money and that's even if they find your bags. So yea, we're not flying again anytime soon, unless it's somewhere weird and consequently unpopular with the horrific english public, not on a budget airline, and not from MAN.
thead detention centre. There was a benidorm flight before us, with groups of lads literally throwing beer in the gate queue, and offering to slice people (me) in half. My wife tried to take our daughter to the toilet (which was a hastily constructed unisex st pit) and was told to avoid it because there was a brawl between groups of lads in there and there are no staff to break them up, so they just have to wait for them to get bored. No food places were open apart from one, and so there was a mile long queue. There was nowhere to sit at all. Flight was also delayed 2 hours, and we got there the customary 3.5 hours early, so we just had to tolerate that. On return, the flight was delayed 4 hours, and when we got to the baggage reclaim there were no staff on shift. So, we just had to stand there like s for 2 hours. There were bags after bags from previous flights just piled up all around. Clearly people were going through the same situation, getting sick of it and leaving. I'd really not advise that as there was no way to contact swissport, no staff around, and no secure storage. You'd be on a month long call centre hold queue to be told that you owe them a stload of money and that's even if they find your bags. So yea, we're not flying again anytime soon, unless it's somewhere weird and consequently unpopular with the horrific english public, not on a budget airline, and not from MAN.the flight cancellations are happening because they are realising they cannot fulfil their obligations and commit to landing the plane within the window before which they have to compensate everyone onboard and lose money on the flight. There are now structural issues in the industry, so rather than just fly and hope for the best, they are choosing to cancel flights. It isn't about easing demand, it's simply about restricting losses. For the most part it isn't actually the fault of the carriers - it's the fking support staff companies like swissport. They are a horrid horrid company. Gate staff on our outbound flight were Swissport and the rude bh barked at my 3 year old son demanding his date of birth. He started to cry, at which point i intervened and said what are you doing he doesn't know his date of birth, and she responded with I WAS ASKING YOU - which she fking wasn't. They're clearly hiring the dregs of society. It's all going well.
king support staff companies like swissport. They are a horrid horrid company. Gate staff on our outbound flight were Swissport and the rude bh barked at my 3 year old son demanding his date of birth. He started to cry, at which point i intervened and said what are you doing he doesn't know his date of birth, and she responded with I WAS ASKING YOU - which she fking wasn't. They're clearly hiring the dregs of society. It's all going well. 
These are all relatively isolated cases though, what’s going on in Manchester is far worse overall than any other U.K. airport or in any other airport in any country I’ve been to or have heard of happening.
Even in Manchester it’s slowly improving though, new employees are being trained and once they all get on line it will likely improve some more, the timescale I’ve been told is to expect things to get back to normal HOPEFULLY for the main school holidays in July. Obviously the problem will improve as demand and passenger numbers drop after the half term anyway.
The added issue at the moment in Manchester is that it’s so bad there currently that new employees are being trained or starting a job in what is a complete st show and are understandably leaving after a few days.
Even in Manchester it’s slowly improving though, new employees are being trained and once they all get on line it will likely improve some more, the timescale I’ve been told is to expect things to get back to normal HOPEFULLY for the main school holidays in July. Obviously the problem will improve as demand and passenger numbers drop after the half term anyway.
The added issue at the moment in Manchester is that it’s so bad there currently that new employees are being trained or starting a job in what is a complete s
t show and are understandably leaving after a few days. I’m at Manchester airport right now - got here at 3am (as advised in an SMS from EasyJet) for my 6.10 to Gibraltar.
It’s every bit as bad as it shows on TV - even at 3am they were stacking up people in the car park for the bag drop at T1; the queues inside were absolutely huge. I’d got hold luggage booked and repacked with hand luggage only (you get two carry on bags with a long legroom seat) and that was a very good decision. It looked beyond grim. Security was relatively painless at about 20 minutes, but I did notice that the bags being rejected by the scanners were way over half. And only five lanes of security were open.
This is the last time I’m flying until this is over. I’d have taken a picture but I just felt so bad for the people. God alone knows what it was like last week for half term.
It’s every bit as bad as it shows on TV - even at 3am they were stacking up people in the car park for the bag drop at T1; the queues inside were absolutely huge. I’d got hold luggage booked and repacked with hand luggage only (you get two carry on bags with a long legroom seat) and that was a very good decision. It looked beyond grim. Security was relatively painless at about 20 minutes, but I did notice that the bags being rejected by the scanners were way over half. And only five lanes of security were open.
This is the last time I’m flying until this is over. I’d have taken a picture but I just felt so bad for the people. God alone knows what it was like last week for half term.
My Sunday travel experience in Basel, Switzerland. Flight to Hamburg was scheduled for take-off at 07:00 pm.
05:00 pm: Fink-Nottle arrives at Basel airport. Bomb scare in the departure terminal. Terminal evacuated two hours earlier. End of queue starts in parking lot.
05:30 pm: Terminal reopens. Mayhem ensues as everyone rushes inside. I paid extra for Easy Jet Plus luggage check-in, but given the massive mob it is unenforceable.
06:30 pm: Luggage check-in done, onwards to the queues at security.
07:30 pm: Arrive at gate.
08:00 pm: ...
08:30 pm: Gate opens, boarding plane 1.5 hours late.
09:00 pm: Captain announces take-off won't happen before 10 pm.
09:45 pm: Captain announces EasyJet decided to cancel flight. Disembark plane, collect luggage.
10:30 pm: Home, sweet home.
05:00 pm: Fink-Nottle arrives at Basel airport. Bomb scare in the departure terminal. Terminal evacuated two hours earlier. End of queue starts in parking lot.
05:30 pm: Terminal reopens. Mayhem ensues as everyone rushes inside. I paid extra for Easy Jet Plus luggage check-in, but given the massive mob it is unenforceable.
06:30 pm: Luggage check-in done, onwards to the queues at security.
07:30 pm: Arrive at gate.
08:00 pm: ...
08:30 pm: Gate opens, boarding plane 1.5 hours late.
09:00 pm: Captain announces take-off won't happen before 10 pm.
09:45 pm: Captain announces EasyJet decided to cancel flight. Disembark plane, collect luggage.
10:30 pm: Home, sweet home.
Dog Star said:
Crikey, Fink Nottle!
However my saga is not yet over - I’m sat on the tarmac in Malaga, not Gib. We had to land due to a “medical emergency “; hopefully we will be back in the air soon.
What a palaver! Just give me a beer!
Blimey. Can only be 10 minutes further by air! Hardly seems worthwhile bringing a plane down for a couple of minutes.However my saga is not yet over - I’m sat on the tarmac in Malaga, not Gib. We had to land due to a “medical emergency “; hopefully we will be back in the air soon.
What a palaver! Just give me a beer!
Dog Star said:
I’m at Manchester airport right now - got here at 3am (as advised in an SMS from EasyJet) for my 6.10 to Gibraltar.
It’s every bit as bad as it shows on TV - even at 3am they were stacking up people in the car park for the bag drop at T1; the queues inside were absolutely huge. I’d got hold luggage booked and repacked with hand luggage only (you get two carry on bags with a long legroom seat) and that was a very good decision. It looked beyond grim. Security was relatively painless at about 20 minutes, but I did notice that the bags being rejected by the scanners were way over half. And only five lanes of security were open.
This is the last time I’m flying until this is over. I’d have taken a picture but I just felt so bad for the people. God alone knows what it was like last week for half term.
The amount of bags pulled to the side by the scanners at Manchester has always been a joke, even before covid. They’re the most overzealous bunch of wIt’s every bit as bad as it shows on TV - even at 3am they were stacking up people in the car park for the bag drop at T1; the queues inside were absolutely huge. I’d got hold luggage booked and repacked with hand luggage only (you get two carry on bags with a long legroom seat) and that was a very good decision. It looked beyond grim. Security was relatively painless at about 20 minutes, but I did notice that the bags being rejected by the scanners were way over half. And only five lanes of security were open.
This is the last time I’m flying until this is over. I’d have taken a picture but I just felt so bad for the people. God alone knows what it was like last week for half term.
kers on the face of the planet. I despise them. They’re even worse when they have to go across to the VIP terminal as they then have a chip on their shoulder about people travelling ‘private’. I took to emptying my whole bag into the tray just so I could get into an argument with them. “Just liquids and laptops, Sir” is what I’d be told. f
k. Off. The number of times it would get pulled for no reason and then receive no apology was staggering. s. I came back into Heathrow yesterday (the company had booked to Manchester but I changed it again) and it was carnage, but it was carnage that moves. 25 mins immigration, bags already off the belt, ten minutes to get in a lift to parking and then ten minutes for an Uber. Painful, but tolerable. But why anyone would voluntarily travel at the moment is beyond me, it’s awful. The US is actually fine - back to normal and seemingly plenty of staff.
Edit: On a side note this is why private / business aviation is booming at the moment. You don’t have to put up with this kind of s
t (apart from at Manchester) and it’s stress free. Shame I can’t afford it myself!Edited by Crumpet on Monday 6th June 10:50
Crumpet said:
The amount of bags pulled to the side by the scanners at Manchester has always been a joke, even before covid. They’re the most overzealous bunch of wkers on the face of the planet. I despise them. They’re even worse when they have to go across to the VIP terminal as they then have a chip on their shoulder about people travelling ‘private’.
I took to emptying my whole bag into the tray just so I could get into an argument with them. “Just liquids and laptops, Sir” is what I’d be told. fk. Off. The number of times it would get pulled for no reason and then receive no apology was staggering. s.
I came back into Heathrow yesterday (the company had booked to Manchester but I changed it again) and it was carnage, but it was carnage that moves. 25 mins immigration, bags already off the belt, ten minutes to get in a lift to parking and then ten minutes for an Uber. Painful, but tolerable. But why anyone would voluntarily travel at the moment is beyond me, it’s awful. The US is actually fine - back to normal and seemingly plenty of staff.
Mrs Shnozz got stopped (we never did find the reason) and they had to wait for a manager to come and speak to her and go through her luggage. She was left with nothing on her feet on a freezing tile floor for best part of 30 minutes awaiting a manager to come and see her. They refused to just put the tray with her boots back through the scanner, despite the fact the issue was something in her bag and the tray with the shoe had come through unimpeded until it was grouped with her other trays with the one that caused the alert. kers on the face of the planet. I despise them. They’re even worse when they have to go across to the VIP terminal as they then have a chip on their shoulder about people travelling ‘private’. I took to emptying my whole bag into the tray just so I could get into an argument with them. “Just liquids and laptops, Sir” is what I’d be told. f
k. Off. The number of times it would get pulled for no reason and then receive no apology was staggering. s. I came back into Heathrow yesterday (the company had booked to Manchester but I changed it again) and it was carnage, but it was carnage that moves. 25 mins immigration, bags already off the belt, ten minutes to get in a lift to parking and then ten minutes for an Uber. Painful, but tolerable. But why anyone would voluntarily travel at the moment is beyond me, it’s awful. The US is actually fine - back to normal and seemingly plenty of staff.
Shnozz said:
Dog Star said:
Crikey, Fink Nottle!
However my saga is not yet over - I’m sat on the tarmac in Malaga, not Gib. We had to land due to a “medical emergency “; hopefully we will be back in the air soon.
What a palaver! Just give me a beer!
Blimey. Can only be 10 minutes further by air! Hardly seems worthwhile bringing a plane down for a couple of minutes.However my saga is not yet over - I’m sat on the tarmac in Malaga, not Gib. We had to land due to a “medical emergency “; hopefully we will be back in the air soon.
What a palaver! Just give me a beer!
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