Manchester Airport. How can it be so bad?

[Rick101]

Just another perspective.

Took an early train in anticipation of it being a total mess.

Lovely journey over, coffee and a cake on route. Arrived bang on time.

Ryanair check in. Queue of about 3 min.
Fast track security queue of about 5 min.

Less then 30 min from arrival to the departure lounge.
Maybe I dropped lucky or maybe like most media it's much ado about nothing.

3 hrs until my flight. Gonna go get pished in the premium lounge!

[Freakuk]

Monkeylegend said:

StreetDragster said:

£5 to drop off now too, they would charge you for the air you are breathing at Manchester if they could.

It is £7 now at Stansted, £25 if you are more than 15 mins, and £10 for up to 30 mins in the short term car park and £18 for an hour.

I remember in the not to distant past when drop off was free along with 30 minutes in the car park.

I got charged £6 on Sunday dropping the wife off at T2, just to drop off.

[paulguitar]

Rick101 said:

Just another perspective.

Took an early train in anticipation of it being a total mess.

Lovely journey over, coffee and a cake on route. Arrived bang on time.

Ryanair check in. Queue of about 3 min.
Fast track security queue of about 5 min.

Less then 30 min from arrival to the departure lounge.
Maybe I dropped lucky or maybe like most media it's much ado about nothing.

3 hrs until my flight. Gonna go get pished in the premium lounge!

There is always a story like this of one lucky bugger for whom it all goes smoothly whilst 3309 others are queuing around the car park.


Have a drink for me.

[mickyh7]

El stovey said:

You seem very into my uniform all of a sudden, I know you (and your wife especially) might be disappointed with the role play one you bought on eBay recently but mine isn’t like that. Plus there’s a limit to her imagination and I guess you just looked a bit podgy (not around the crotch either) in it

Fat and a small cock?
Ouch!

[Louis Balfour]

El stovey said:

Louis Balfour said:

El stovey said:

Louis Balfour said:

El stovey said:

Louis Balfour said:

The pilots need to chip in and help.

I would say roll up your sleeves and help. but you no doubt already wear those horrid short-sleeved numbers with epaulettes, don't you. And you can take off that poncy traffic warden hat with scambled egg on it too. .

You’re just jealous because your mrs said pilots are sexy.

She says she likes the smell of a man in a uniform that has a high manmade material content.

That’s because she doesn’t like your wiffy fake polyester ship captain cap. She said my uniform smelt great,

As opposed to your wiffy genuine polyester ship captain hat?

You seem very into my uniform all of a sudden, I know you (and your wife especially) might be disappointed with the role play one you bought on eBay recently but mine isn’t like that. Plus there’s a limit to her imagination and I guess you just looked a bit podgy (not around the crotch either) in it

Look, it was you that told us all here how your uniform is made. Lowest bidder, you said.

And I thought, I can do this!

So for less than £10 I managed to source the required gear from Alibaba and whilst I waited for it to arrive I practiced my faux public school diction, muffled to make it incomprehensible.

Now every second Thursday evening, around eight, I retire to the en-suite bathroom and put on my outfit. Mrs Balfour sits at the dressing table with a gin and tonic and I begin my glib dialogue from behind the bathroom door.

The exact plot varies, but the denouement is always the same. Brutal sodomy.

I know I can’t actually BE you, but it’s good enough for her and at least the family doesn’t have to put up with me announcing that I am a pilot every time I enter the lounge.

[anonymous-user]

[snuffy]

The Mad Monk said:

snuffy said:

7 nights parking at T1 Meet & Greet, including 2 FastTrack tickets:

Dec 2019 : £61
Jan 2020 : £71

Test booking just now:

May 2022 : £90

That's a fair percentage increase.

Use the train.

1 mile to my local station up a country lane, humping two cases.

Then 2 hours on the train, with 2 changes, again, humping 2 cases. 2 adult return tickets : £53.

Or, 32 miles, around 45 minutes in the car.

So whilst the train is cheaper, parking still wins.

And up until about 5 years ago, we used to book a taxi. When it got to £50 each way, that's when I changed to using the M&G.

[Deep Thought]

Rick101 said:

Just another perspective.

Took an early train in anticipation of it being a total mess.

Lovely journey over, coffee and a cake on route. Arrived bang on time.

Ryanair check in. Queue of about 3 min.
Fast track security queue of about 5 min.

Less then 30 min from arrival to the departure lounge.
Maybe I dropped lucky or maybe like most media it's much ado about nothing.

3 hrs until my flight. Gonna go get pished in the premium lounge!

Therein lies part of the problem. You could do that same run again next week and it could be queued out the door when you get there.

Theres no rhyme nor reason to it.

[snuffy]

We've flown from Manchester for around 20 years now. I actually think it got much better around 5 years ago, they did actually start to get their finger out and treat you less like scum.

But there's one thing that makes my piss boil: Access to the gates is via the Duty Free shop. That to me shows utter contempt. It takes "exit via the Gift Shop" to a whole new level.

[Shnozz]

To be fair I can think of a huge number of airports that have that approach.

[anonymous-user]

Shnozz said:

To be fair I can think of a huge number of airports that have that approach.

There’s usually a direct route avoiding the snaking duty free path to the side after security or just at the start of the duty free journey though. Normally where the special assistance type routes are.

Gatwick has one off to the far right just after security, pretty sure Manchester has the same but slightly later. Obviously they’re not always that obvious as the airport wants everyone walking through all of duty free but that’s not practical for everyone.

[PushedDover]

RammyMP said:

I’m flying from Manchester to Spain for a long weekend in May, I went to book my car into the airport car park, cheapest was £65 for 3 nights. That’s double what it was pre covid.

Just coming to post the very same on this thread.
2 1/2 days in Bilbao in April .
Flights £53
Parking £85

[tgr]

You can tune out all the sales stuff; after all they're not actually forcing you to buy anything (with the possible exception of water).

But they should be able to organise check-in, baggage handling and security checks with minimum b*ggering around. Those are the nuts and bolts of being an airport.

It's a pity they are now owned by private equity that just want to 'sweat the assets' = relentless cost cutting at the expense of the consumer

[anonymous-user]

The Mad Monk said:

Use the train.

Ah a comedian in the house.

[snuffy]

El stovey said:

There’s usually a direct route avoiding the snaking duty free path to the side after security or just at the start of the duty free journey though. Normally where the special assistance type routes are.

Gatwick has one off to the far right just after security, pretty sure Manchester has the same but slightly later. Obviously they’re not always that obvious as the airport wants everyone walking through all of duty free but that’s not practical for everyone.

If there's a route in Manchester then it's well hidden, because I've never managed to find it. I'm sure a few years ago they did not force you to walk via the Duty Free, but I can't be certain of that.

What cracks me is how the tobacco has it's own special room, you can't see any of the stuff without entering said special room.

[Boringvolvodriver]

PushedDover said:

RammyMP said:

I’m flying from Manchester to Spain for a long weekend in May, I went to book my car into the airport car park, cheapest was £65 for 3 nights. That’s double what it was pre covid.

Just coming to post the very same on this thread.
2 1/2 days in Bilbao in April .
Flights £53
Parking £85

Looking at it form a business point of view, they have had 2 years of very low useage and therefore lower revenues.

Now that things are picking up and the demand is there, then now is the time to recoup the losses. They have a reasonably captive customer base who will pay the increases.

As a business, why wouldn’t you do this although as a customer it does cheese one off slightly!

And yes, I am paying the same for 1 week of parking than I did for 2 weeks back in September 21 - could get it cheaper by using off site parking and a bus transfer but I prefer to have the convenience of a short walk to join the queue for security rather than wait for said bus.

From what I am reading, I am not looking forward to the airport - it wasn’t too bad back at the end of January although there were not many flights leaving at 1130 am that day whilst there are a lot more in the mornings.

Best tell the wife to get up earlier I guess.

[Shnozz]

Boringvolvodriver said:

Looking at it form a business point of view, they have had 2 years of very low useage and therefore lower revenues.

Now that things are picking up and the demand is there, then now is the time to recoup the losses. They have a reasonably captive customer base who will pay the increases.

You have people on this thread who actively travel to airports miles away to avoid Manchester. One poster on here said he lives nearby and was planning to fly from Liverpool! I will transit via Schiphol to CPH rather than fly from Manchester. Not so sure about this captive customer base.

[Louis Balfour]

speedyguy said:

The Mad Monk said:

Use the train.

Ah a comedian in the house.

That would suggest he has at some point been funny, whereas he generally just posts this sort of thing in order to provoke others.

[Boringvolvodriver]

Shnozz said:

Boringvolvodriver said:

Looking at it form a business point of view, they have had 2 years of very low useage and therefore lower revenues.

Now that things are picking up and the demand is there, then now is the time to recoup the losses. They have a reasonably captive customer base who will pay the increases.

You have people on this thread who actively travel to airports miles away to avoid Manchester. One poster on here said he lives nearby and was planning to fly from Liverpool! I will transit via Schiphol to CPH rather than fly from Manchester. Not so sure about this captive customer base.

Fair enough I suppose although when it comes to the main holiday season, I would imagine that there will be many people who will not have those options.

For us, depending on where we are going on holiday, our options can be limited. Leeds Bradford is the nearest distance wise but a pain to get to in the car and based on our last visit, worse than Manchester!

[The Mad Monk]

speedyguy said:

The Mad Monk said:

Use the train.

Ah a comedian in the house.

Why isn't it a perfectly valid suggestion?

No, of course it won't work for everyone, but for lots of people it could work.

If there isn't a station nearby - I am thinking particularly of London, the area I know best, but perhaps a cab from home to the nearest station, saves the vast expense of parking at the airport, or paying drop off charges - always a chance you might forget to pay, or have some other incident which results in a ticket.

I think the possibility of travelling - at least part of the way - by train should be considered.